The New Zealand SailGP team have found success from their aggressive approach on the water. Photo / SailGP
The New Zealand SailGP team have found success from their aggressive approach on the water. Photo / SailGP
The New Zealand SailGP team aren’t here to make friends.
Throughout their second campaign on the circuit, the Kiwi crew have made a habit of frustrating the rest of the fleet with their aggressive sailing.
While it has cost them at times on the water, it has served them wellin terms of getting results too. No team has won more races than the New Zealand team this season. Australia have, however, won the same number of podium races which, coupled with some higher finishes and having not lost any points in the season standings for collisions, have them sitting ahead of the Kiwis on the leaderboard.
The tight battle on the leaderboard reflects that on the water, as Peter Burling’s aggressive tactics have been the subject of a spray or two from Australian helmsman Tom Slingsby – including a near miss in France last September after which Slingsby said Burling’s aggressive driving could “break boats and kill people”.
It’s all part of the competitive nature of the sport and as they prepare to sail at this weekend’s event in Sydney, Kiwi flight controller Andy Maloney said it was all part of the fun.
“We’ve entered the series at a time where it’s getting more and more competitive, and the margins are getting smaller and smaller, so you’ve got to push those tight gaps,” Maloney said.
“Yeah, we’ve had a few scuffles now with a few other teams, but everyone’s doing it and I think to win races right now, you do have to find those small gaps and push through them.
“Hopefully we go to Sydney and there’s none of that going on, but we’ll continue to keep pushing really hard.”
The New Zealand team will be in a somewhat unfamiliar position when racing begins on Saturday evening as they will not be able to sail their F50 foiling catamaran Amokura at the event. Amokura was struck by lightning after last month’s regatta in Singapore and requires a lot of work to get back on the water.
Instead, they will be sailing on what has become the league’s hand-me-down vessel, affectionately known as Boat 6. The vessel originally belonged to the Japanese team, but became Canada’s boat earlier this year as on nine vessels were available and Japan were deemed to be the expendable one of the 10 initial teams.
The New Zealand SailGP team will have a new look on the water this weekend in Sydney. Photo / SailGP
Canada recently received their own F50, which they named Spirit, leaving Boat 6 conveniently available for the Kiwi team.
While it’s not the same boat they have been sailing on, the Kiwis were hopeful it was a seamless transition given the one-design nature of the fleet meaning all boats are equal.
“With the circuit, all the boats are designed to be identical. So, for us, there’s a little bit more planning leading into the event, especially for the shore crew, but hopefully we get on that boat and it feels identical to our other boat and you know, it’s just business as usual.”
Going into the weekend trailing Australia by nine points, but ahead of third-placed Great Britain by five, the Kiwis will look to consolidate their position in the top three with one eye toward the grand final in San Francisco in May.
After Sydney, only two regattas remain – Christchurch next month and San Francisco. The top three teams on the leaderboard after the event in San Francisco go on to race in the $1m shootout, which is raced at the end of the San Francisco event.
With three event wins already under their belts this season, Maloney said it was now a matter of maintaining consistency.
“If we’re sailing the boat well on any given day, we can win any race,” he said.
“We’ve just got to keep putting our best foot forward, keep improving and, as long as we keep making these finals we’ll be in a pretty good place; we’ll be sailing the boat well come the grand final in San Fran and we’ll have a good opportunity.”
