Save Our SailGP
Burling leads call for New Zealand to retain high-profile event
While an irate Sir Russell Coutts, a Hector's dolphin and local officials contributed to one of the most explosive events in the history of SailGP Christchurch at the weekend, the sailors could only stand and watch the shrapnel fly overhead.
Unlike the warring parties, however, they proved unified: they don't want Lyttelton Harbour, or New Zealand for that matter, scratched from the SailGP calendar.
Although they also compete in glamorous locations such as St Tropez, Bermuda, New York, Chicago and Sydney during the series, the athletes were unified in the belief that nothing beats racing their F50 catamarans in front of 11,000 spectators inside the natural ampitheatre created by the Port Hills.
However, SailGP chief executive officer Coutts has made it clear he's considering taking the event away from not just Christchurch, but New Zealand, after all three fleet races had to be cancelled on Saturday because a dolphin was in the race course, which is located inside the Lyttelton Marine Mammal Sanctuary.
Local officials have also got offside with Coutts.
Coutts – who said SailGP injects $5.5 million into the local economy – railed against a number of organisations, including the Department of Conservation, Environment Canterbury, harbourmaster Guy Harris and Ngāti Wheke iwi, saying they forced an “extreme”' Marine Mammal Mandatory Protocol Plan (MMMP). He stated SailGP operates all over the globe, and had never had an incident with a mammal in 35 events.
Coutts said additional protocols SailGP had to follow had been a major roadblock to the event returning.
Canada's Kiwi driver Phil Robertson said the revelation that SailGP may not return to New Zealand was a bitter way to end a pulsating day's racing on Sunday. With Peter Burling at the helm, New Zealand beat France and Canada in the final, the teams having qualified after three fleet races.
“Yeah, that sucks,” Robertson said in reference to the prospect of New Zealand being shunted off the calendar.
“I think he [Coutts] struggled to get the event across the line in Auckland, and had a lot of issues down here.
“So, yeah, the country needs to sort something out to get sports events like this happening on our home turf. It is pretty awesome.
“It's an epic spectacle. It would be a real shame to lose it.”'
Burling said talk of New Zealand bein” pushed off the itinerary was “crazy”.
“We have got the best home fans in the world. Just seeing how many people came down here to cheer us on, it has been the best day in SailGP history by a mile.’’
Lyttelton turned on the charm on Sunday.
The sailors loved the winds, conditions and the course, and being able to see and hear the 11,000-strong crowd provided the buzz that other venues lacked.
“It’s probably one of the only locations where you can actually hear the crowd screaming and cheering,” Robertson added. “So it’s epic.
“A couple of our crew were just saying, they had never experienced that before. What a location.”