SailGP: Black Foils top Group A as new All-comers racing speed record is set
by James Rigby/Black Foils 22 Aug 17:16 PDT
Black Foils (NZL) - Day 1 - Rockwool Germany Sail Grand Prix - Sassnitz - August 22, 2026 © Felix Diemer/SailGP
New Zealand’s Black Foils lead Group A after a wild opening day at the Rockwool Germany Sail Grand Prix, where SailGP’s speed record tumbled.
The Black Foils won their opening race, taking control at gate two and holding it to the finish ahead of Explora Journeys Swiss and Red Bull Italy. They recovered from an early boundary penalty to finish second behind DS Automobiles Team France in the next, then placed third in their final race.
The results leave them top of Group A on 12 points, one clear of France. The top two teams from each group progress to Sunday’s four-boat final.
Sassnitz lived up to its billing as SailGP’s fastest racecourse. In strong, gusty offshore westerlies and on the smaller 18-metre wingsail, France raised the outright record from 103.93 km/h to 107.63 km/h as three teams passed last season’s mark.
Racing just behind, the Black Foils set a team record of 102.3 km/h.
The overnight lead puts the Black Foils in position to reach their first event final since returning to racing in June, after fifth-place finishes at Halifax and Portsmouth.
Black Foils co-CEO and driver Peter Burling said the combination of speed, squalls and flat water had made for an exhilarating opening day.
“It was absolutely epic conditions out there on day one, right at the top end of the wind range, a few squalls going through, super shifty, flat water,” Burling said. “I think the team did an awesome job adapting to those conditions and putting together three solid results.”
Burling said the team still had a few small details to iron out after putting itself in contention.
“I think we didn’t make too many mistakes out there, or too many big ones. We definitely had a few things we really want to tidy up and make sure we can step forward on tomorrow,” he said. “But all in all, I think it was a really solid performance for the team. It’s been a little while since we’ve raced in that upper end of conditions, so for the team to switch on and sail the boat at that level was really pleasing.”
Black Foils strategist Liv Mackay put the fast start down to the work done before racing.
“We definitely feel really solid in those conditions,” Mackay said. “We put a lot of emphasis on the warm-up to get comfortable, and I feel like we did that well, which set us up on the front foot going into those first couple of races. Every race here is so different, so there’s still a lot to learn going into tomorrow.”
Elsewhere across the fleet, season leaders BONDS Flying Roos top Group B on 10 points ahead of Artemis on nine. Home team Germany by Deutsche Bank won the last Group B race in front of a packed race stadium, with NorthStar second and Artemis third.
SailGP expects a crowd of 15,000 across the weekend.
With a place in the final at stake and similarly volatile conditions forecast, Burling said the Black Foils would need to improve again on Sunday.
“The focus for tomorrow is just to continue to build on today, making sure we continue to step forward on where we have been,” Burling said. “Conditions are looking super similar, but there’s definitely a lot of rain around, and a little bit of lightning as well.”
Racing resumes on Sunday with two more group races before the four-boat final, from 2.00pm to 3.30pm local time. The action is live on Youtube from midnight to 1.30am NZT on Monday.
The top two teams from each group contest Sunday’s four-boat final.