The New Zealand SailGP team celebrate after winning the event in Singapore. Photo / SailGP
The New Zealand SailGP team celebrate after winning the event in Singapore. Photo / SailGP
In winning the SailGP event in Singapore at the weekend, the New Zealand team made a statement to the rest of the fleet.
A season ago, when the Kiwis were in their debut campaign, they faced some criticism for being unable to convert some good sailing into racewins. In their debut, the Kiwis won just three fleet races and did not qualify for a single podium race.
But with a season under their belts and now getting the consistency in their crew not afforded to them due to the busy sailing schedule in the 2021-22 season, the Kiwis continue to fly.
The win in Singapore was their third event win of the season and the fourth time they had qualified for a podium race. Through eight of the scheduled 11 events this season, they have won a total of 15 races.
To win the event in Singapore, the Kiwis had to overcome losing four event points after a crash during a practice session as well as the light conditions reducing the schedule from five fleet races to four. Ultimately, they let their sailing do the talking.
“When we came here out of the Christmas/New Year break, we knew we wanted to put in a good regatta and to have the disappointment of being on the back foot straight away, before you’d even started, was tough for the team,” wing trimmer Blair Tuke said.
“There was a huge amount of resolve and grit to put that behind us and focus on the race ahead. We put down four really solid fleet races and you know we love racing in the finals. With three boats, the start gets really important and we know we sail the boat well. We always go into those finals really confident that we can beat whoever we’re up against.”
It was a critical event for the Kiwis to get up in, too. As well as having to start the regatta on –4 points, they also received a two-point penalty on the overall leaderboard – their second two-point penalty in as many events. That made the win all the more important as they have reached a point in the season where consolidating their position on the leaderboard is critical.
The New Zealand SailGP team celebrate after winning the event in Singapore. Photo / SailGP
In SailGP, the teams compete across several events in a bid to earn their place in the $1m shootout race in San Francisco in May. The top three teams on the overall leaderboard following the regular event in the City by the Bay compete in the Grand Final, which takes place after the weekend’s fleet races.
As it stands, Australia – the only team to have lifted their SailGP title after the circuit’s two seasons to date – leads the field. The New Zealand team are 11 points behind in second place, with Great Britain and France not far behind. Both Great Britain and France struggled in Singapore, finishing fifth and eighth respectively, which allowed the Kiwis to put a little bit of space between them as they head to Australia next month.
In the context of the season, the next events in Australia (February) and Christchurch (March) could decide the final three.
“Especially with the season penalty points that we got put on us with another two, to still extend out on the third and fourth-placed boats is really good,” Tuke said.
“It doesn’t matter who’s in first at the end of the season, it’s just about being in that final. That’s always been the goal for the team to be in that final and to have the ability to sail the boat well. We definitely still feel like we’re building and this weekend’s been a testament to that.”
