SailGP: Kiwis hit 52.5kts in afternoon training session - Day 1
by Richard Gladwell Sail-World NZ 13 Jan 04:36 PST
Mubadala Brazil SailGP (Martine Grael) leads NZ SailGP Team (Peter Burling) - Day 1 - Systems testing - Auckland SailGP - January 13, 2024 © Bob Martin/SailGP
Six of the 12 SailGP teams trained in Auckland today in fresh sou'westerly (offshore) winds that asked plenty of questions of the crews.
Absent from today's sessions were the French team who are taking delivery of a new F50 in Auckland. The Australian, German, Italian, British and Swiss teams did not sail today.
All F50s were sailing with the new T-Foils, which appeared to perform well despite the F50s appearing to sail quite bow down and pulled down low. Their sailing attitude downwind made for some spectacular, but inconsequential nosedives as they were hit by gusts recorded at nearby Northern Leading beacon (11metres high) at 33kts and averaging 27kts for the final hour or so of Monday's session.
After the session, SailGP Event management reported the highest speed of the day was 97.2kmph (which we convert to 52.48kts). Although sailed by one of the more experienced crews, the BlackFoils - as the New Zealand team is branded - did not appear to be more quicklier than the other teams, notably Spanish SailGP team - the 2024 Grand Final Champions.
The speed reached by the Kiwis is just 1.5kts shy of the 54kts set by the French crew, during racing, and attained in 2022 at St Tropez in the France round of SailGP.
The two teams sailed out the session - right down to the last minute of the time limit of 4.00pm, when they stopped their final runs, well out into the Rangitoto Channel, off Takapuna Beach.
Further up the Channel the Brazilian team appeared to be having a debrief before heading home following the Canadian team. Demark was the first to arrive back in the Jellicoe Harbour - created for the 2021 America's Cup - which provides an outstanding haven for the safe launching of the wingsailed F50s.
The US SailGP team were also on the water today.
Although we only watched the session in the morning and again in the afternoon for 30 minutes, we didn't see any of the F50s stuff their bows, neither did other who watched the session for an extended period - once the boats had cleared the inner Waitemata Harbour.
The fresh sou'westerly breeze is expected to lighten continue for the next few days, with a fresh easterly and heavy cloud cover expected for the Practice session on Friday and the race days on Saturday and Sunday.
Training is expected to recommence at 1000hrs on Tuesday.
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