ITM NEW ZEALAND CHRISTCHURCH

By: Tyler Letren; Founder, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief

March 26th 2024

Last weekend, Sail GP Christchurch's regatta got off to a rough start with a nearly twenty- to thirty-minute dolphine delay, which quickly turned into over an hour, leading officials to put an immediate end to all Day One affairs. SailGP CEO Russell Couts had a few choice words to share in that regard, though the regatta did resume on Day Two with only two fewer races ahead of the Grand Prix. Here’s the rundown;

Day Two.

Fleet Race One.

NZ crossed the line first, and NZ & France flew across the course to mark one.  Aus made contact with Canada, colliding around Mark One. France and Sui flew around mark two while the safety crew reached the Aus F50, leading to Aus at the back of the pack.

NZ, FRA, ESP, and GBR led the field, while Fra and NZ battled for first place. The boats foiled at speeds upwards of 80 km/h. New Zealand took the win on home waters while fans held up signs praising the Black Foils. France was second and Spain was third.

Around the end, Germany and Switzerland took the wrong turn around across the finish line.

Fleet Race Two

Canada led the pack, with Switzerland on the outside and Great Britain following around. The USA found its way into third. Spain claimed second and GBR third, pushing the USA back to eight. While Spain and Great Britain raced to the finish line trying to claim second, Ultimately, Spain captured second and Great Britain third. Phil Robertson told the on-land team, “I’m the new favorite Kiwi.”

Fleet Race Three

Spain and France lead the pack to mark number one, with the USA grabbing a penalty and Canada holding the third position.

Switzerland also captures a penalty. Meanwhile, France snuck to the first position while Canada and Spain maintained their positions in the second and third positions.

New Zealand managed to sip into second place, forcing Canada back into third and Spain to fourth, as France crossed the finish line in first.

Grand Prix

Canada crossed the line first but was quickly overtaken by NZ and France. New Zealand held on to the first while Canada attempted to challenge their position. France slipped back into third place, but New Zealand held on firmly to the lead, taking a win in front of home country fans. Again congratulations are in order for the Kiwis’