SailGP: BlackFoils equal third on Season Points after Sydney
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com 9 Feb 04:06 PST
10 February 2025
BlackFoild (NZL) team - Race Day 1 - KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix - Sydney, Australia - February 8, 2025 © Bob Martin/SailGP
The BlackFoils had a much stronger performance on the Final day of KPMG Australia SailGP held in Sydney.
Despite finishing 8th on the overall standings in the Sydney regatta, the New Zealand team are in third equal place on the Season points table - level with Spain - both are on 20pts.
Emirates GBR skippered by America's Cup helmsman and Tokyo2020 Gold medalist, Dylan Fletcher, tops the points table on 27pts, with Australia's Flying Roos in second place of 24pts. The BlackFoils won the opening event of Season 5 in Dubai, but didn't make the podium in Auckland, three weeks ago.
Due to issues with their flight control system on Saturday, the BlackFoils only finished two races, putting them well down the points table and giving them only a mathematical chance of making Sunday's Final.
After a slow start, the Kiwis were back in 10th place in the opening stanza of Race 5, however in a potent of what was to happen in other races throughout the day, they made a big recovery by splitting with the fleet and sailing around the back of Shark Island. The bold move pushed them up second - a position they held for the rest of the race.
The Kiwi crew had an end to end win in Race 6.
In the final race of the Qualifying, the BlackFoils were in fifth place for much of the race as Canada and Denmark scrapped to finish fourth. Canada gained the upper hand at the end of the final leg before the finish, to secure the remaining Final berth.
"The boat felt a lot more like it did on the build up yesterday," BlackFoils skipper Peter Burling said after the race. " I'm still not quite sure what happened in the first couple races when we were super unstable. But today it was just so nice to have the boat back at the 100%."
"We put together a really solid day off the back of yesterday. It's just nice settler for the team and kind of proven we're going the right direction. We're looking forward to rest of the season, now."
"Yesterday didn't actually affect things for us, today. I think we're going to really struggle to get the whatever it was, 17 points back to any of the teams that were performing really well out there."
"Obviously Canada, was closest to us, and had a really good day. They should have won the event.
"Today was about, getting out there, and just putting together a really solid day, and trying to build through a few things that we've been working on.
"It's great to get off the start line really well and pick some good shifts around the racetrack."