Please select your home edition
Edition
Doyle Sails 2020 - Built for Adventure 728x90 TOP

SailGP: NZSailGP back in action on historic Plymouth Sound after good practice session

by Natalie Fortier 29 Jul 2022 19:30 PDT 30 July 2022
New Zealand SailGP Team co-helmed by Peter Burling and Blair Tuke during a practice session ahead of the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Plymouth in Plymouth, England. 29th July, 2022 © Felix Diemer/SailGP

The New Zealand SailGP Team is feeling fired up ahead of this weekend's Great Britain Sail Grand Prix after taking first, third and fourth in practice racing today.

Located in England's beautiful South West, Plymouth will host the third event of the 2022 season over two days of racing on Saturday and Sunday, 30-31 July BST / (Sunday and Monday NZT). The event marks the first in the European leg of the championship.

In this morning's pre-event media conference, Driver Peter Burling said the crew was feeling good about their chances.

"We're looking forward to doing our best this weekend - great forecast, beautiful place to sail. We can't wait to get out there and put our best foot forward," he said.

Light and shifty winds saw the team lead the pack from start to finish to take the win in the first practice race of the day, while consistency was the name of the game in races two and three. With winds expected to pick up on Saturday and again on Sunday, fans should be in for an exciting show as nine, identical, foiling catamarans make their way to the startline on the stunning waters of Plymouth Sound.

Today's practice racing also marked a big debut for the team's latest addition, three-time Olympian and former world champion Jo Aleh, who joined the crew earlier this week. Aleh, who won Olympic Gold in London (2012) and Silver in Rio (2016) brings a depth of experience and Burling says he's impressed with how she's bedded into the team so far.

"Jo is without a doubt among New Zealand's top sailing talent and she brings a huge amount of skill and determination to the team," he says.

"The role of strategist makes a big difference on board and we're embracing that. Liv [Mackay] has done an amazing job in the first two events and it's good to have Jo here for this one."

And hopefully, a meeting with an extra special visitor helps to tip the scales in the Kiwi's favour, as they take on the Duchess of Cambridge in a one-on-one Commonwealth Race against rivals Great Britain on Sunday (Monday NZT).

With Her Royal Highness on board with Sir Ben Ainslie and his crew, the New Zealand SailGP Team will be helped out by their own guest racer, endurance swimmer and UN Patron of the Ocean, Lewis Pugh, who dropped in to meet the team today.

Dubbed the 'Sir Edmund Hillary of swimming," Pugh is the first person to complete a long-distance swim in every ocean of the world and - like the New Zealand SailGP Team - is known for using his sport and platform to drive attention to vulnerable ecosystems and the need for a healthy ocean in particular.

Commonwealth Race

The friendly 'Commonwealth Race' will take place on Sun 31 July 1230 BST / Mon 1 August 2330 NZT.

Footage will not be included in the global broadcast but will be made available post-event.

About SailGP

SailGP races for a better future, championing a world powered by nature. The world's most exciting race on water, SailGP features national teams battling in short, intense races at iconic stadium-style venues across the globe, building to the grand final - and sailing's top prize of US$1 million. The high-tech, high-speed action features sailing's best athletes racing in identical hydro foiling F50 catamarans, flying at speeds approaching 100 km/h. Visit SailGP.com for more information.

SailGP Season 3 Schedule 2022/23

2022

  • May 14-15 Bermuda Sail Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess
  • June 18-19 T-Mobile United States Sail Grand Prix | Chicago at Navy Pier
  • July 30-31 Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Plymouth
  • August 19-20 ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix | Copenhagen
  • September 10-11 France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez
  • September 24-25 Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía - Cádiz
  • November 12-13 Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas

2023

  • January 14-15 Singapore Sail Grand Prix
  • February 18-19 Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney
  • March 18-19 New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch
  • May 6-7 United States Sail Grand Prix | San Francisco Season 3 Grand Final

Related Articles

SailGP: Kiwis deny Slingsby is a target
Burling says his team is relishing the opportunity to beat Australia, but was looking at others, too Asked in this morning's pre-event media conference if he had hopes of “spoiling Tom [Slingsby]'s party at home,” New Zealand skipper Peter Burling said his team was relishing the opportunity, but had other crews in their sights too. Posted on 17 Feb
SailGP: Kiwis feel the heat in Dubai
The Kiwis will be feeling the heat this weekend when SailGP makes its Middle Eastern debut The Kiwis will be feeling the heat this weekend when SailGP makes its Middle Eastern debut at the Dubai Sail Grand Prix Posted on 11 Nov 2022
SailGP: Kiwis seek strong finish in Cadiz
NZ SailGP Team will look to finish the European leg of the Season 3 strongly in Cadiz This weekend, the New Zealand SailGP Team will look to finish the European leg of the Season 3 Championship strong, entering the fourth and final event in Spain placed second overall, only a single point behind defending champions Posted on 24 Sep 2022
SailGP: Kiwis continue dominance in Saint-Tropez
New Zealand continued its dominant streak, in Saint-Tropez winning two of three fleet races. The Kiwis have continued their dominating streak, winning two of three fleet races to finish Day 1 of the Range Rover France Sail Grand Prix in pole position. New Zealand has now won nine of the last 13 races. Posted on 11 Sep 2022
No sailing for NZSailGP Team on Day 1
Light shifting winds and rain mar opening day at Rockwell SailGP Denmark Copenhagen The Rockwool Denmark Sail Grand Prix is off to a slow start, with racing abandoned on day one due to light conditions on the Øresund Srait in Copenhagen. However the results from three Practice races were a revealing form guide. Posted on 19 Aug 2022
NZSailGP Team is back in action
Kiwi team has a new target on its back after a dominant performance in Plymouth The Kiwis enter this weekend's Rockwool Denmark Sail Grand Prix as the first team to win the racing while also topping the Impact League leaderboard at the same event. Posted on 19 Aug 2022
Gladwell's Line: A Kiwi 'Code Cracker?'
The Kiwi team have failed to fire in a consistent way for Season 2 and for two events of Season 3 After failing to fire in a consistent way for Season 2 and the two events so far in Season 3 of SailGP. But on Day 1 of SailGP Great Britain the Kiwi team appeared to have turned the corner - and repeated the performance on Day 2, winning the Final Posted on 31 Jul 2022
Kiwis in top spot after Day 1 of Plymouth SailGP
Kiwis lead Great Britain Sail Grand Prix by 2pts on the leader-board. Full Day 1 video replay here. The New Zealand SailGP Team is off to a flying start in Plymouth, finishing on top of the points-table at the end of Day 1 of the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix with 28 points out of a possible 30 on the leader-board. Full video replay here. Posted on 30 Jul 2022
NZSailGP sign on Alvarium as new partner
SailGP Team will hit British waters with a new major partner on board this weekend The New Zealand SailGP Team will hit British waters with a new major partner on board this weekend, welcoming global wealth management firm Alvarium to the family ahead of the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Plymouth. Posted on 30 Jul 2022
NZSailGP Team: Chicago, Healthy Ocean, Liv Mackay
A trans-Tasman battle in Chicago, Voices for a Healthy Ocean, Liv Mackay's rise to a pro sailor New Zealand SailGP team news covering the trans-Tasman battle in Chicago; Voices for a Healthy Ocean; and Liv Mackay's rise to a pro sailor campaigning on the ETF26 and SailGP regatta circuits. Posted on 29 Jun 2022
Upffront 2020 Foredeck Club SW FOOTERBlokart SW 728 x 90 BOTTOMNorth Sails 2021 Innovation - FOOTER