New Zealand gives sailing master-class in Rockwell Denmark SailGP Copenhagen
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com/nz 20 Aug 2022 08:41 PDT
New Zealand SailGP Team , Denmark SailGP Team , Australia SailGP Team helmed by Tom Slingsby and France SailGP Team in action while passing by a cruise ship on Race Day 2 of the Denmark Sail Grand Prix in Copenhagen, © Ricardo Pinto/SailGP
Peter Burling and the New Zealand crew showed why they are the current America's Cup champions dominating the eight-boat fleet in the Rockwell Denmark SailGP Copenhagen.
The Kiwis gave another sailing master-class, in starting and taking control of a race, to cruise to their second SailGP Final win.
In contrast to the light wins and drizzle of yesterday, Copenhagen turned on a bright day with puffs and shifts obvious on the dark blue water.
After damaging their boat in practice, the British crew, who was lying second overall in the Season points, before the incident, could not get the foil case repairs complete and had to withdraw from Rockwell Denmark SailGP Copenhagen reducing the fleet from nine to eight wingsailed foiling 50ft catamarans.
Race 1: NZL started their run at the back of the fleet, was first to foil and made a perfectly timed run to the line.
The Kiwis led around Marks 1 & 2 and were never headed for the rest of the race.
Astern the French crew made most of the running right to Mark 4, where they made an error rounding the mark, going high on the foils and shifting sideways in the puff, letting the USA into second.
Kiwis continued to dominate sailing at 51kmh in the 26kmh breeze at the top of the penultimate mark and leading all the way down the final leg to take the win. USA took a vital second as they sailed down the wall of cruise ships. Denmark took third after the French were penalised.
Burling led around Mark 2, with France second, sailing on a shortened course. The order stayed that way around Mark 3, with France and USA contesting second.
The French closed to be a close second at Mark 4 but muffed their mark rounding going high on their foils, and went sideways, letting USA back to second.
The Kiwis led by 100metres on the upwind leg, hitting 51kmh upwind in a 26kmh breeze.
Australia moved into second place on the final leg on a good windshift but dropped back with USA taking second as they sailed down a wall of cruise ships, with Denmark third.
In the final stanzas of the leg, the French were penalised for a boundary infringement dropping back to 4th with Canada 5th, Australia 6th, Switzerland 7th and Spain 8th.
Race 2: New Zealand repeated their start technique of Race 1 - again finding a gap in the middle of the line, and hitting the line with speed over the top of groups above and below the start line.
New Zealand led around Mark 1, with Denmark second and France third. Jimmy Spithill helming USA, took advantage of a poor Spanish mark rounding at Mark 2 to move into fourth on the water.
The wind remained the usual 22-26km at the bottom of the course and the race developed into a game of following the leader with New Zealand, Denmark and France in that order in the parade, with the Kiwis 100 metres ahead sailing at 50kmh downwind. Denmark was was 11secs back, with France 14secs off the Kiwi lead.
Burling turned in the same numbers upwind as Race 1, sailing at 51kmh in 26kmh of breeze.
Around Mark 4, New Zealand led, from Denmark and France close behind with the Australians in 4th.
At the end of the leg, the French misjudged their final gybe and had to run a little flat, dropping speed and then came off their foils allowing Tom Slingsby to shoot through to leeward and take third place.
Race 3: Burling again started well back and was first to be on the foils with 15secs to start. The Kiwis were neck and neck with Australia at Mark 1 - with Slingsby just getting his bow in front, and with France in third, as the boats hit 60kmh downwind.
Burling dropped back on Leg 2 as the French and Australians contested the lead. At Mark 2 France led Australia. NZL took the opposite gate mark and went right, splitting with the fleet. In the middle of the fleet, but handily placed, the USA muffed another gybe, came off their foils and dropped back to last.
Closing to the top of Leg 3, New Zealand moved into third, behind France and Australia, with Denmark in fourth.
Going into the fourth leg, the French led by 1 sec from Australia, however, midway down the leg France copped a boundary penalty - but recovered to fight for the lead with Australia, as New Zealand trundled along, sailing conservatively and waiting their moment 80 metres behind.
Burling pounced as they came through the middle at the bottom mark, catching Australia on port tack and getting a penalty on his trans-Tasman rival. The move allowed the Kiwis into the lead - which Burling quickly extended to over 100 metres ahead of Denmark, France and Australia, with the Nathan Outteridge helmed Swiss in fifth place.
The race closed up at the top of the windward leg with New Zealand and France tacking into the right-hand corner. The French emerged close to the Kiwis as they crossed with the Kiwis as the give-way boat.
New Zealand and France were close as they sailed down the wall of cruise ships - but with Burling holding on for three wins from three races.
France looked to make the same error as in Race 2, but had a good margin and held on to finish second with DEN third. Australia finished fast but in fourth place and missed the cut for the three boat Final to be contested between NZL, DEN and FRA.
Final: New Zealand went into their second-ever Final in SailGP, looking even more dominant than they had in Event 3 in Plymouth in July, where they notched up their first-ever SailGP Final win.
Burling demonstrated his match racing ability against Denmark getting to leeward and forcing the home team up to windward, before dropping the Danes to lead around Mark 1, hitting 82kmh.
Meanwhile, the French started to leeward and were second around Mark 1, with the home team third and last.
Places remained the same but with the distances closing at the end of Leg 2.
The two trailing boats split sides leaving Burling to cover in the middle.
Mid leg, Burling got the race under control easing out to a 45metre lead, with Denmark and France crossing tacks, and looking to be focussed on who was going to finish second.
Kiwis went into the top right-hand corner, just getting across the other two competitors to lead at Gate 3.
On the downwind leg, Denmark copped a boundary penalty and dropped off their foils, leaving the Kiwis to race away to a big 240-metre lead which they carried into Mark 4, rounding with the French 20 secs astern, and Denmark a further 9 secs back.
Upwind the Kiwi numbers were even better, hitting 52kmh in a 21kmh breeze - sailing at double the true wind speed.
AS was overhead several times in the racing, the communication on board the Kiwi boat was very crisp - even lighthearted on occasions, once they built a good lead.
The French and Danes split tacks for the final leg downwind, leaving the Kiwis to take an easy win in the Final, from France with Denmark third.
The next event is in St Tropez.