SailGP Diary: Practice Day - January 17 - Finding the edges in Auckland
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com/nz 17 Jan 14:53 PST
Practice Session - Day 5 - Auckland SailGP - January 14, 2024 © Richard Gladwell - Sail-World.com/nz
After five days of buildup SailGP racing got underway in a moderate to fresh easterly winds, blowing down the harbour.
It was the first race with T-Foils and several new crew combinations including the just announced American Magic skipper, Paul Goodison moving up from a coaching role to onboard strategist.
Practice racing was conducted in split fleets, Day 1 racing was conducted with the 11 boats in a single fleet.
The day dawned, as per forecast from Predictwind, with an overcast sky, but glary when the sun breaks through. Yesterday's seabreeze stayed in and provided great sailing conditions. The forecast at Practice Race start time was is for 18kts gusting 20kts, and that is what eventuated. The direction was pretty well easterly - 070° - which is blowing almost straight down the harbour, and conditions looked to be a lot more docile than outside.
First up was the Media Conference - of which we are not a fan - unless media are actually allowed to ask questions (Heaven forbid!), but this was much better than expected, with SailGP CEO Russell Coutts throwing plenty of tasty morsels to media and fans.
First was that the French boat would not be sailing, and will have its first sail in Sydney next month. Talking to team manager Bruno Dubois and skipper Quentin Delapierre, they were disappointed but not distraught, wanting to get it right, rather than quick.
Second was that SailGP had formed a new partner with Accor, which included a partnership with the French SailGP team. The French were tight lipped about whether they would be running the SailGP team with the America's Cup team, as happened in 2024. "We are here for SailGP". It would seem that the Accor announcement was timed to coincide with the debut of the French team in their new F50. It was not to be and the French watched from the grandstand as the other teams went practice racing.
The Accor announcement apparently cemented the transition of the French team from being League owned to private ownership, becoming and the tenth of 12 teams to now be in private ownership. The two left in League ownership are New Zealand and Spain. The chances of both being dropped is remote as both, along with Australia are top teams. However if they lose form - then watch out. There are more fully financial teams wanting to come in, than there are currently available boats. Equally there are more venues wanting to host SailGP events than the current 14 - three of which are in the Middle East. New Zealand is up for renewal after 2026.
Third was that team coach for Brazil had stepped up to be strategist. Paul Goodison was skipper of the American Magic team in the 2024 America's Cup and strategist when they sailed in Auckland in 2021. In the earlier interview with Martine Grael, we asked if Goodison's hire was a temporary one for this event or a longer term. "We hope he will stay," was her response. Maybe today's move is the answer.
The irony, of course is that two co-helmsmen from American Magic are now competing against each other on different boats, and in different roles in SailGP. Brazil was one of six teams competing in the first practice session and looked surprisingly competitive - usually being in the top two, and certainly in contact with the leaders. Maybe the 2008 Olympic Gold medalist will make a difference.
A couple of hours after the Media Conference, the Tech Tour started. Intended to last just an hour we got 90minutes.
The surprising comment was that for all the room available on Wynyard Point, the Tech Area is one of the smallest in SailGP. We did get a look at the new T-foils, but more of that in a separate story.
Turning to the practice racing, it took place with the 11 teams split into fleets of six and five.
Sailing over a restricted course from one side of the harbour, it looked like a game of six times around the Mulberry Bush. Day 1 with 11 teams competing will be very interesting.
The starts were spectacular with the fleet flying past the door of the media centre, accompanied by a high speed whine, typical of foilers of this size and type.
They sailed the usual SailGP course with a fast reach to Mark 1 and then a turn down to the bottom mark off the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, a couple of beats ensued, and then it was a fast reach to finish at the feet of the patrons of the Adrenaline Lounge.
We watched/shot all the racing except the last, which was viewed from the Media Centre on the same line but at a lower level than the VIP lounge. After five years of SailGP this is the first we've seen in the flesh - and the racing looks completely different from the TV images. Whether this is because of the extensive use of graphics overlaid on the video, or the shots changing angle almost at random. The so-called incidents are over-analyzed to create talking points - in reality they are merely racing incidents and a normal outcome of boats competing at these speeds. Watch the 18fters on Sydney harbour each Sunday and you'll see much the same sort of close racing incidents without a pile of analysis.
Or go up to Mechanics Bay and see 50 RS Fevas doing battle in SailGP Inspire - all as one big fleet.
As one who has not been a great fan of the SailGP commentary style, it has to be said that on hearing the feed through the Adrenaline Lounge, and watching the live action on the water, it was hitting the right notes. Hopefully this style will be maintained instead of over-egging every racing nuance.
In the practice itself there didn't seem to be a lot in it. "Every dog has their day", as the saying goes.
The split fleet concept is fine for practice in a confined space, but it is hard to see how it would work in a full racing situation, without running some form of knockout competition. That is hard for teams that are out of the top bracket, and who lose sponsor and fan exposure for no good reason, other than event managers want to bring in more teams and venues. But we'll all have a better idea at the end of the weekend.
It was fairly evident that the four days of practice in Auckland, in conditions a lot worse than today, had paid off - the tacks and gybes looked very slick. Mark roundings and the exits were a bit ropey. It is great to see people moving around a boat again.
Italy were the only team looking to struggle in the conditions - which peaked around 22.5kts. They were often well off the back of their fleet, and when the breeze freshened they elected to pull out of a gybe luffed and slowed the boat waiting for the squall to pass, before putting the bow down again. Maybe they were having onboard system issues, and decided to play it safe.
Racing starts tomorrow with the 11 teams racing as one fleet. Get there if you can, or watch from one of the many vantage points around the harbour.
Highly recommended.
'Til tomorrow.
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