Kiwis rule the waves
A series of heavy verbal punches unleashed by Sir Russell Coutts were followed by chaotic action on the water as Peter Burling and his New Zealand boat Black Foils emerged victorious from what one driver called a "demolition derby'' when the SailGP event finally got its chance to show its true colours yesterday afternoon.
“About time,” many of the 11,000 fans said when sailing began on the second and final day of the event on Lyttelton Harbour, after the first day was cancelled because a dolphin lingered near the start of the course.
When the spectators travelled through the tunnel to the harbour from the big smoke of Christchurch, they crossed their fingers in the hope that Burling and his team could qualify for the final in what would prove to be challenging conditions after limited preparation.
Burling and his mates didn't disappoint. And by claiming the victory, they now top the overall leaderboard ahead with four events left on the calendar.
“It was absolutely an incredible day,’’ Burling said.
“I think, to me, it has been the best day
in SailGP history, right at the top-end of that configuration. Awesome, tight racing; such a massive crowd cheering everyone on. It has been just unreal.’’
New Zealand beat France (Quentin Delapierre) and Canada (Phil Robertson) in the final, at times reaching 70kph in winds of around 34kph, after making a blistering start on Black Foils.
Drama? There was loads of it, and not all of it involved the F50 catamarans clashing on the waves as SailGP chief executive officer Coutts got a truckload of grievances off his chest, which doesn't bode well for Christchurch's chances of hosting the event again.
Canada's Kiwi driver Robertson summed things up perfectly when he described the fleet racing as a “demolition derby”.
Tom Slingsby and his Australian boat came to grief after it ploughed into a marker on the second leg of the first race. It proved a significant moment.
With the log leaders out of action, the dogfight at times got intense and for the New Zealand boat it was good news; the Kiwis finished first, fourth and second in the fleet races to be top qualifier for the final.
Burling wants the event to stay.
“I just think it’s 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.’’
Whether SailGP will return to Christchurch again is anyone's guess. But, yesterday, the upside down smiles had been replaced with the opposite. The spectators, at last, had something to cheer about.