SailGP Christchurch: Dolphin on course see first day of racing called off

A dolphin sighting on the racecourse forced a cancellation of the opening day of racing in SailGP’s return to Christchurch.

Returning to the South Island on relatively short notice after the proposed Auckland event was scrapped due to land at Wynyard Point being unavailable to use as a spectator venue, fans were sent home without seeing any racing on Saturday evening.

Racing was due to get under way on Lyttelton Harbour around 3pm on Saturday afternoon, however the presence of a dolphin around the starting line and the teams were forced to sit and wait.

SailGP have protocols in place for when wildlife is seen or detected on or near the race course, with racing being brought to a halt until the marine life passes on. A similar delay was seen in the global foiling league’s first foray into New Zealand last year, with dolphins on course causing teams to wait to get underway on opening day last year as well.

While last year’s delay didn’t limit the amount of racing, Saturday’s racing was delayed for about 90 minutes before the call was ultimately made to call it off as the dolphins had not moved on.

“It was a really challenging day today and disappointing for the capacity crowd that turned out. We have a marine mammal plan and that plan was in place and unfortunately it meant we couldn’t sail today,” SailGP managing director Andrew Thompson said

“It was a tough day for the league and our super passionate Kiwi fans. The athletes were ready to go, the conditions were epic and we were looking forward to some really fast racing. The conditions are looking really top end for tomorrow, so hopefully the F50s will be out there ripping around and we can send the fans home super happy.”

Fans in attendance on Saturday will be eligible for refunds, as SailGP’s policy states a full refund is available on single-day tickets if the race village opens but the event is abandoned before first race starts. The Herald understands all fans were notified of available refunds soon after the day’s racing was called off.

It remains to be seen how Saturday’s cancellation will impact Sunday’s action.

SailGP regattas are run over two days, with the first day featuring three fleet races with all 10 teams. The second day features two more fleet races, before the top three teams after the five races meet in the podium race to find an event winner.

In the past, the league have added an extra fleet race on Sunday if required to allow the teams more of an opportunity to score points ahead of the podium race, but that is only possible in certain conditions.

A call will be made on exactly what Sunday’s format will look like on the day.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.