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2024 KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix | Day 2

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8 Teams. 8 Locations. $1 Million Prize.

SailGP is an international sailing competition that features high-performance F50 foiling catamarans, where teams compete across a season of multiple grands prix around the world.

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SailGP San Francisco 2022: Free live stream, TV schedule, how to watch U.S. Grand Prix sailing

• Published: Mar. 26, 2022, 12:16 p.m.

How to watch this weekend's coverage. (Ricardo Pinto/SailGP via AP) AP

• Nick O'Malley | [email protected]

SailGP hits San Francisco as the world’s best hit the water with Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge in the background at the 2022 Mubadala United States Sail Grand Prix. Helmsman Jimmy Spithill leads the United States team in the second season of SailGP. The U.S. Grand Prix marks the final events of the SailGP season and is set to be a championship-deciding Grand Final. Fans can watch coverage for free online on SailGP’s Facebook page and YouTube page . Fans can also watch TV coverage via CBS Sports Network and stream via Paramont+ and fuboTV , which has a free trial.

How to watch the 2022 Mubadala United States Sail Grand Prix

What time does each event start? Where can I watch it on TV? - Race Day 1 will air as a delayed broadcast at 6:30 p.m. EST on CBS Sports Network. Race Day 2 will air live on CBS Sports Network as a live broadcast at 5 p.m. EST.

Live stream : CBS | Sling | fuboTV | Paramont+ - Both race days will be available to stream on live for free via SailGP’s Facebook page and YouTube page . If you have a cable subscription, you may be able to stream online via CBS using the login credentials from your TV provider. If you don’t have cable, you can sign up for fuboTV (free trial), Sling or Paramount+ (free trial) to watch online.

More coverage via the Associated Press

The U.S. SailGP team capsized its foiling 50-foot catamaran just off Alcatraz Island on San Francisco Bay on Monday, six days before it will race for the global league’s $1 million, winner-take-all season championship.

Helmsman Jimmy Spithill said there were no injuries and the boat was quickly righted and the crew sailed back to base. There was minimal damage and the team should be back on the water Tuesday, said Spithill, a two-time America’s Cup winner who is in his first season in SailGP.

Spithill said the team was attempting a foiling tack at more than 40 mph when a button stuck and the wingsail didn’t pop over. The boat rolled over, with the starboard hull and the tip of the wingsail in the water and the port hull suspended in the air. The crew was in the starboard hull, along with guest racer Kai Lenny, a big wave surfer who like Spithill is sponsored by Red Bull.

“In a lot of ways we were actually really, really lucky this happened in training, this malfunction,” Spithill said by phone. “Clearly if it had been a race day, that would been the race.”

The American team has been involved in a number of mishaps during races this season but has still sailed well enough to qualify for the podium race, along with defending champion Team Australia, skippered by Tom Slingsby. Team Japan, skippered by Australian Nathan Outteridge, has the best chance of clinching the third spot. Slingsby beat Outerridge for the inaugural season championship in 2019 and the $1 million prize.

There will be three fleet races Saturday in the Mubadala United States Grand Prix and two more Sunday before the $1 million race. Spithill said the American and Aussie crews have to sail carefully in the fleet races to keep their catamarans in one piece for the podium race. With the boats capable of going 60 mph, danger is always lurking. Team Japan slammed into Team USA in the season’s opening regatta in Bermuda, knocking the American boat out of the competition. Spithill was leading the podium race in Italy when the boat hit a submerged object and had to retire.

Racing for $1 million is “an awesome opportunity,” Spithill said. “I’ve never had it in my career, to have a three-boat final race, 12-14-minute race, winner takes all, a million bucks. It’s just unreal. No doubt clearly the Aussies are the favorite and we’re the underdogs. The Aussies have been sailing well but as we’ve seen, sometimes it’s good to be the underdog in San Francisco.”

Spithill was referring to the 2013 America’s Cup on San Francisco Bay, when he steered Oracle Team USA out of an 8-1 hole against Emirates Team New Zealand by winning the final eight races for one of the biggest comebacks in sports. Slingsby was one of Spithill’s crewmates in that regatta.

Lenny said he was standing behind Spithill when the boat rolled over. The big wave surfer and kite surfer said he was impressed with how calm Spithill and his crew were.

“These things are just rockets,” Lenny said. “It definitely felt really alive. I felt like I was on my toes the whole time. It felt very physical. I wasn’t actually doing anything to make the boat work, but I was like basically having to hang on.”

Before the 2013 America’s Cup, Lenny raced his kite board against Spithill’s 72-foot catamaran. Lenny got off to a great start before Spithill put down the hammer to pull ahead of his friend.

SailGP was founded by tech tycoon Larry Ellison and five-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts of New Zealand.

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Yachting World

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How to watch the Great Britain SailGP in Plymouth

• Toby Heppell
• July 22, 2022

The thrilling SailGP circuit is heading to British shores: here's how to watch the Great Britain SailGP on shore, on the water, or online as racing heads to Plymouth Sound

The foiling F50 catamarans will be heading to Plymouth for the Great Britain SailGP in one week’s time, from July 30-31, and there’s still time for British and visiting fans to buy tickets to view the ‘stadium racing’ on the UK’s south coast.

Great Britain SailGP racing takes place in Plymouth Sound with the race village on the Hoe providing a perfect natural amphitheatre. Three races will be held each day, including a final three-boat decider. Racing takes place from 1400-1530.

Onshore there will be a Fan Village with commentary and live screens (entry £4.75/adult, children free) as well as a seated Waterfront Premium area (£45/adult, £23/child).

You can also watch from the water for free on your own boat – just register in advance to get key course and safety information – or upgrade to Own Boat Premium access for a position at one of the turning gates.

Get Great Britain SailGP tickets and find out more at sailgp.com

Ainslie at the helm of the British F50. Photo: Eloi Stichelbaut for SailGP

Great Britain SailGP competitors

Nine teams will be competing in the high performance foiling cats , including home crew Great Britain skippered by Ben Ainslie , reigning champions Team Australia with Tom Slingsby , and up-and-coming stars Canada, skippered by multiple world match racing champion Phil Roberston with Brit Chris Draper trimming the wing.

They’ll be racing against Jimmy Spithill in Team USA, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke on the New Zealand boat, plus teams from France, Switzerland, Spain and Denmark.

British skipper Ben Ainslie explained that Plymouth Sound is a ‘challenging but great venue’, with the breakwater providing ‘relatively flat waters’ and the Hoe acting as a natural amphitheatre. “It ticks all the boxes,” he says, adding: “You don’t get many opportunities to race at home at this sort of level and it’s extra special to race in front of a home crowd.”

Unfortunately, after their boat went to the new Canadian entry for the start of the season, team Japan under helmsman Nathan Outteridge have recently officially been ruled out of returning to the competition for the rest of the season. It had been hoped that the Japanese-flagged team could return with a new boat after missing the first few events of the year, but a recent statement from the organisers said:

‘After much deliberation and taking into account logistical and commercial considerations, SailGP has made the difficult decision to pause the participation of Japan SailGP Team indefinitely.

‘The league would like to thank Nathan Outteridge and all of the athletes and staff involved in the Team for their outstanding performance in the first two seasons of SailGP and wish them all the very best for the future.’

Fast and furious SailGP action. Photo: David Gray for SailGPx

Great Britain SailGP royal visit

On Sunday, July 31, The Duchess of Cambridge will be among those heading to Plymouth.

The Duchess is the Royal Patron of the 1851 Trust, and will be joining a group of young people taking part in the Protect Our Future program, before heading out on Ainslie’s British F50 to take part in a friendly Commonwealth race against UN Patron of the Oceans, Lewis Pugh, who will race with Peter Burling and Blair Tuke’s New Zealand SailGP Team.

The guest race will take place ahead of the three SailGP races on the final day of the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix and be commentated live from the Official Race Village.

Along with the Protect Our Future programme, there are a raft of sustainability innovations at Plymouth, including the largest solar array SailGP has ever used and bio-methanol fuel used as an energy source at a live event in the UK for the first time ever. This will enable the entire race village to be 100 per cent powered by clean energy.

There will also be electric support boats joining the RIB fleet, and robotic sailing marks by MarkSetBot, while DRIFT Energy will be showcasing their world-first technology of a foiling yacht that produces green hydrogen on board.

How to watch Great Britain SailGP

For those unable to make it to Plymouth to watch the action live,  the Great Britain SailGP regatta will be streamed live on YouTube and will be available in most territories.

For viewers in the UK, in addition to the live YouTube SailGP racing, it will be available on Sky Sports with both live racing and a highlights package.

For those in the USA, CBS also will be offering a mix of live broadcasting and highlights packages.

There will also be a delayed full race replay put out on the SailGP Facebook page.

A SailGP app is available as a companion app to the broadcaster coverage. The app provides: live data and video feeds; video and race stats side by side; the option to change viewing angle and zoom in on the action; switch teams, and select data feeds.

The app will offer delayed coverage and full race replay 48 hours after race completion.

Get the SailGP app on Apple or on Android .

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SailGP Teams, Back at Full Strength, Power to the $1 Million Prize

Japan is the leader as racing begins in Cádiz, and with crews back from the Olympics, boats now have their A-teams.

By David Schmidt

With $1 million and a season’s title up for grabs, attracting some of the world’s best sailors to SailGP was easy. But, with the allure of the Olympics and one star sailor’s paternity leave, keeping them on the boats for every race has been harder.

SailGP’s second season began in April in Bermuda, where eight teams from as many countries competed aboard identical F50 catamarans. The 36th America’s Cup had just concluded, so crew members who had competed in that regatta had time to return to their SailGP teams for the start of the season.

But then came the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and some SailGP teams were stripped of their best sailors as they headed for Japan. The Great Britain SailGP Team also lost Ben Ainslie , its driver, who had won an America’s Cup and five Olympic medals, for two events when he took leave around the birth of his son.

The absences caused the racing in Italy in June and Britain in July to be less competitive.

“The fact of the matter is, in any sport, if you don’t have your best athletes who you can field on the field, you’re more than likely not going to get as strong a result,” said Russell Coutts, SailGP’s chief executive and a five-time America’s Cup winner. “You can’t just sub a good sailor in that hasn’t had the training on a F50. The teams that have tried that this year, it hasn’t worked, it’s failed.”

But the top talent, including Ainslie , returned before the regattas in Denmark in August and France in September, and now — with just three left in Season 2 — competition is stiffening ahead of the regatta in Spain, which will take place at Cádiz on Saturday and Sunday.

The teams will be seeking to increase their chances of qualifying for the season finale in San Francisco next March. Only the three highest-ranked teams will advance to the Grand Final, which comes with the championship title and that $1 million.

Ainslie’s team is in fourth place. Asked if the absence of top sailors had made a difference in the level of competition, he said, “How much of a difference, that’s arguable, but definitely [it] would have made a difference.”

Instead, Ainslie points to the teamwork needed to sail these boats at top form as more critical. “That’s just as important, if not more important, than who’s steering the thing,” he said.

Teamwork may be crucial aboard boats that race on hydrofoils at highway speeds, but losing a significant percentage of A-listers early in the season was still challenging.

“The positive parts of having so many Olympians on your team is that you have an incredibly high level of sailing talent in the group,” said Peter Burling , driver of the New Zealand SailGP Team , which is in sixth place. “We had five out of our team competing at the Olympics.”

This group included Burling and Blair Tuke , the team’s wing trimmer. They arrived in SailGP after helping Emirates Team New Zealand win the America’s Cup, but left after Bermuda for the Olympics, where they won silver .

“The Olympics ended up right in the middle of SailGP season, and there’s a lot of us on the team [for whom] the Olympics and Tokyo had been a goal for a long time,” Tuke said. “So that was where the priority lay, but now that’s fully shifted and everyone is focused.”

Focus matters, but so do results.

“You could say it was definitely difficult,” Burling said about maintaining leadership continuity throughout the season. Despite the team’s standing, he sees its Olympic involvement as a positive. “It really does help sharpen your skills.”

Coutts did not agree and said the Olympic timeout had “been a disadvantage.”

“You’re racing against the best guys in the world,” he said “If you give them more time against you, you’re going to get hurt, aren’t you?”

Time matters greatly. SailGP’s rules restrict each team’s on-the-water practices. Unlike Olympic-class boats, F50s regularly see 90-knot closing speeds, so learning curves are steep, and experience brings results.

“The biggest thing is really, how consistent can you keep your roster?” said Jimmy Spithill, a two-time America’s Cup winner and the driver of the United States SailGP Team. “This fleet is very short time as it is — there’s not very much practice, you can’t really train between the events — so the time you spend together is very important.”

The boats, which cost about $4 million each, are identical. Larry Ellison, a two-time America’s Cup winner and the founder of Oracle, is the majority owner of SailGP. Ellison also owns seven of the teams, Coutts said. The boats may be the same, but how each team sails them is not. So much of practice is spent developing a playbook of choreographed maneuvers.

“We feel a lot more competitive now than we were in Bermuda,” said Rome Kirby , an America’s Cup winner and the United States SailGP Team’s flight controller. It is “time in the boat, time together as a team.” And time spent polishing the playbook. “You need to do it together. There’s no cheat code.”

Each boat is equipped with electronic sensors that constantly gather data and send it to an Oracle-run cloud where it is available — along with onboard video footage and audio from microphones worn by the crew — to all the teams.

“It speeds up the learning and therefore the competitiveness,” Coutts said about the shared data.

Teams also receive the same hardware and software upgrades. “No one can completely dominate, because you can’t get every decision right,” he said. “The fact that the boats are so close in performance, even with the technique differences, means that we see different winners at events regularly.

“The design teams are just continuously working on improving the performance of the boats, and also we’re looking at the racing and seeing how” it can be enhanced it, Coutts said.

So the boats constantly evolve, but if sailors miss events, they can find themselves and their team less competitive. Spithill said the entire fleet was more competitive now because crews “have more races and more time on the boats.”

Japan is currently on top of the standings, followed by the United States and Australia, which are tied. Those three teams are separated by just two points.

“All of the teams are acutely aware that we’re halfway through the season and every race is critical,” Coutts said. “There’s definitely an added dimension to that.”

This awareness and the bolstered rosters mean that racing in Spain, and beyond, should intensify.

“We’re at a point now where we’re very similar to the crews that people sailed with in Bermuda,” Burling said. “And I think each team had their best foot forward in Bermuda.”

While having stronger teams is great for fans, it is telling that even some teams that are led by America’s Cup- and Olympic-winning sailors have not even managed to finish in third place this season.

“SailGP is probably one of the most competitive classes or circuits” in the world right now, Kirby said. “I would say that it’s probably more competitive than the America’s Cup.”

SailGP also puts something else in play: serious money.

When asked what was the bigger motivator — the title or the cash — teams had different answers.

“The prize purse is something that would be very nice to split around the team, but for us, the focus is definitely on trying to win the competition,” Burling said.

Others are more pragmatic.

“I mean, how could you not be motivated for a million dollars?” said Spithill, whose team has battled adversity this season, including collisions, a capsize and a serious injury, yet is still in second place. And if other teams do not care about the money, “then no worries, we won’t give them the million dollars.”

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Australia and Denmark share the lead after the 1st day of racing at SailGP on Sydney harbor

USA SailGP Team helmed by Taylor Canfield leads the SailGP fleet in fleet race one, with the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge in the distance on Race Day 1 of the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. (Simon Bruty/SailGP via AP)

USA SailGP Team helmed by Taylor Canfield leads the SailGP fleet in fleet race one on Race Day 1 of the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. (Simon Bruty/SailGP via AP)

In this photo provided by SailGP, drivers and athletes for the Australia Sail Grand Prix pose for a group photo near the Royal Botanic Gardens on Mrs Macquaries Point in Sydney on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, overlooking the Australia Sail Grand Prix racecourse featuring the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Racing takes places in Sydney Harbour this weekend. Three-time SailGP champion and current Season 4 league leader Tom Slingsby, center front, driver of Australia SailGP Team, stands alongside Nathan Outteridge, back from left, interim driver of New Zealand SailGP Team, Sebastien Schneiter, driver of Switzerland SailGP Team, Phil Robertson, driver of Canada SailGP Team, Quentin Delapierre, driver of France SailGP Team, Anna Barth, strategist of Germany SailGP Team, Nicolai Sehested, driver of ROCKWOOL Denmark SailGP Team, Diego Botin, driver of Spain SailGP Team, Anna Weis, strategist of USA SailGP Team, and Giles Scott, driver of Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team. (Bob Martin/SailGP via AP)

In this photo provided by SailGP, three-time SailGP champion and current Season 4 league leader Tom Slingsby, driver of Australia SailGP Team, stands near the Royal Botanic Gardens on Mrs Macquaries Point in Sydney on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, overlooking the Australia Sail Grand Prix racecourse featuring the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Racing takes places in Sydney Harbour this weekend. (Bob Martin/SailGP via AP)

The German SailGP catamaran sails past the Sydney Opera House during a practice session on Sydney Harbour, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. The finals of the Australia Sail Grand Prix will race on the harbor on Sunday. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

The German SailGP catamaran sails past the Sydney Harbour bridge during a practice session on Sydney Harbour, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. The finals of the Australia Sail Grand Prix will race on the harbor on Sunday. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

The German, right, and United States SailGP catamarans sail past the Sydney Harbour bridge during a practice session on Sydney Harbour, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. The finals of the Australia Sail Grand Prix will race on the harbor on Sunday. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Australia SailGP Team helmed by Tom Slingsby leads New Zealand SailGP Team helmed by interim driver Nathan Outteridge, Spain SailGP Team helmed by Diego Botin and Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team helmed by Giles Scott as they sail past the Sydney skyline on Race Day 1 of the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. (Simon Bruty/SailGP via AP)

The United States SailGP catamaran sails past the Sydney Harbour Bridge during a practice session on Sydney Harbour, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. The finals of the Australia Sail Grand Prix will race on the harbor on Sunday. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

The United States SailGP catamaran sails past the Sydney Opera House during a practice session on Sydney Harbour, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. The finals of the Australia Sail Grand Prix will race on the harbor on Sunday. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

The German SailGP catamaran sails past the Sydney skyline as a seaplane takes off during a practice session on Sydney Harbour, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. The finals of the Australia Sail Grand Prix will race on the harbor on Sunday. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

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SYDNEY (AP) — Australia shared the lead with Denmark after the first day of SailGP racing on Sydney harbor, with the home side in pursuit of its first overall win of the season.

In stronger winds than at any of the seven previous events, Denmark and Tom Slingsby’s Australia finished level after three races. Team New Zealand was in third place.

Looking to recover from a season-worst seventh-place finish at last month’s Abu Dhabi SailGP, Australia won the first race, came second in the second and finished fourth in the third.

“I felt like we sailed as well as we have all season,” skipper Tom Slingsby said. “It would’ve been so easy to over-react after Abu Dhabi and change processes which have worked really well for us for a few years. But we didn’t really change much.

“We’re going to go into tomorrow with a good chance of winning.”

Three-time defending champion Team Australia went into the race having not won a regatta in Season 4 of the global league that features F50 foiling catamarans. S lingsby admitted his team needed to stop Team New Zealand, which had won three straight and four overall this season.

Racing will continue on Sunday in Sydney with two more fleet races and a final for the three best-performing boats across the event to that point.

The Canadian and German boats were at the center of drama on Saturday. Languishing in eighth spot on the rankings ahead of the Sydney races, Canada withdrew after experiencing mechanical issues and finishing last in the first race, reducing the fleet to nine boats.

Contesting their first Sydney SailGP, Germany came close to capsizing late in the second race as they attempted to evade the French crew around the penultimate mark. The boat had to give way to France, the defending Sydney SailGP champions, but hesitated and missed the mark, eventually finishing the race in eighth spot.

Australia dominated race one, foiling on its way to the third mark to take the lead over the American entry. Slingsby quickly turned the race into a runaway and finished 65 seconds ahead of the second-place Danes.

Just after the fourth mark in the second race, Australia made the best of upwind conditions to sail past Denmark and to the top of the chasing pack. Around the penultimate mark, Slingsby’s boat was closing in on the young Spanish team but could not take the lead and had to be content with second.

Under the guidance of fill-in driver Nathan Outteridge, New Zealand built up a big lead sailing downwind from the second mark of the final race.

“I don’t think there’s anyone we’d rather beat than the Aussies tomorrow. That’d be good, but let’s see,” Danish driver Nicolai Sehested, back for his first race since paternity leave, said. “They’re a great team. We’ve just got to keep our cool.”

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

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SailGP Ranks 5th In Fast Company List

SailGP ranked fifth in Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024 list.

A spokesperson said, “SailGP, one of the fastest growing global sports and entertainment leagues, has been named to Fast Company’s prestigious list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024. In its first time entering, SailGP secured a No. 5 ranking in the sports category, recognized as ‘a racing league that is providing a more exciting [and sustainable] experience for fans.’

“This year’s list shines a spotlight on businesses that are shaping industry and culture through their innovations. These organizations are setting new standards and achieving remarkable milestones in all sectors of the economy. Alongside the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies, Fast Company recognizes 606 organizations across 58 sectors and regions.

“Fast Company congratulated SailGP for ‘bringing sustainability to racing sports, reimagining both coverage and competition to reduce its carbon footprint—just one of this year’s companies whose contributions could transcend sport itself.’

“SailGP features high-tech, high-speed 50-foot foiling catamarans that are raced by the world’s best athletes in 10 national teams and broadcast in over 200+ markets [CBS and YouTube in the U.S.]. In Season 4, underway now, the global sailing league hosts 13 events at the most iconic waterfront locations around the world – four of which take place in the U.S. including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.”

SailGP CEO Russell Coutts said, “It’s an incredible achievement to have SailGP honored by such a distinguished media outlet like Fast Company. SailGP has accomplished so much in its first five years and 2024 is set to be our biggest year yet, as we continue to break through to new audiences with our fan friendly, high speed and drama-filled racing.”

The spokesperson said, “While technology and purpose in SailGP’s DNA, it’s surrounded by athleticism, adrenaline and incredible competition. Since its inception in 2019, the league pushes the boundaries of sports technology and sustainability through innovations such as the Impact League – the league’s second podium for the planet that runs alongside the competition on the water – to using technology and augmented reality graphics to make the sport understandable to non-sailing fans via ‘LiveLineFX’, and leading the way in extreme sports production and embedding remote broadcast since its inception.

“SailGP competes this weekend in Christchurch for the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix, and then returns to North America to finish Season 4 in Bermuda, May 4-5, followed by the first ever Canada Sail Grand Prix in Halifax on June 1-2. The league then returns to New York City, June 22-23, for the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix and finishes in San Francisco for its Season 4 Grand Final showdown, July 13-14.”

Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan said, “Our list of the Most Innovative Companies is both a comprehensive look at the innovation economy and a snapshot of the business trends that defined the year.

“We saw extraordinary innovation across the board in 2023, but we also saw a handful of clear patterns: the growing footprint and impact of AI, the triumphant return of live events, and great leaps forward in climate tech. We face daunting challenges on many fronts, but the solutions we celebrate in MIC give me plenty of hope about the future.”

The spokesperson said, “Fast Company’s editors and writers identified the companies driving progress around the world and across industries, evaluating thousands of submissions through a competitive application process. The result is a globe-spanning guide to innovation today, from early-stage startups to some of the most valuable companies in the world. Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies package is available online, as well as in-app form via iTunes, and on newsstands beginning March 26. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative.”

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‘Are you taking the p***?’: Aussie ‘wind whisperer’ lands new SailGP gig

An Aussie star nicknamed the “wind whisperer” has landed a new gig in the SailGP league after years of being the resident fill-in guy.

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Australian sailing star Nathan Outteridge has landed a semi-permanent gig at the helm of a SailGP team for the remainder of the league’s fourth season.

After leading the Japanese team to runner-up in the first two seasons of SailGP behind Australia, Outteridge has become SailGP’s unofficial gun for hire.

He’s served as an advisor to Switzerland’s Sebastian Schneiter and filled in for several teams this season when their skippers missed an event to be at the birth of a child.

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Now Schneiter has made the decision to focus on sailing in the 49er class at the Paris Olympics in late July, Outteridge will take over as the driver on Switzerland’s boat for the remaining five races this season.

Switzerland sit last in the standings out of the 10-team fleet and realistically won’t qualify for the three-boat season final in San Francisco in July.

But Outteridge welcomed the chance to have some much needed continuinity with one team.

The 38-year-old has has driven for Switzerland, Denmark and New Zealand — steering the Kiwis to a second placed finish behind Australia at last month’s SailGP event in Sydney .

“Seb’s decided he’s just going to fully focus on the Olympics now and he’s asked if I can fill in for the five remaining events of the season and drive the boat,” Outteridge told news.com.au.

“I know the team really well and it’ll be great to be back in the driver’s seat.

“I don’t think it’ll roll into next season. There’s nothing on the horizon for me for season five but if I can get some good results that might change things.”

In latest episode of SailGP’s Racing On The Edge documentary, Outteridge revealed he received an offer from a team after his impressive performance in Sydney.

Speaking to his wife Emma on the phone, Outteridge said: “Obviously that’s the end of New Zealand but I got another offer while I was here this weekend.

“I can’t tell you til I get home though.”

His wife replies: “Are you taking the piss?” as the episode ends on a cliffhanger.

“I feel the pressure, I understand the pressure – and it’s like asking a driver who doesn’t have a seat in F1 to come and drive a Mercedes or Red Bull, have some fun and do some hot laps and see how you go,” he said in the documentary.

Outteridge said it has been “a very hard couple of years for me to be honest, to be in a supporting role when you are in the prime of your career”.

He added: “It’s hard to do that, and you hope you will be able to find a drive again in the future. But for one reason or another it’s not happening at the moment.”

When questioned on his plan for the next season, and if he will go sailing around the world if nothing comes forward, Outteridge explains that “if I don’t get a good opportunity in SailGP for Season 5, then we have some ideas what we will do as a family.”

Nicknamed the “wind whisperer”, Outteridge grew up with Australian driver Tom Slingsby and the duo’s careers have followed similar paths.

Both Aussies won gold medals at the London 2012 Olympics, and Outteridge won silver in 2016 to go with a slew of world sailing titles.

Slingsby and Outteridge could go head-to-head in this year’s America’s Cup if Slingsby’s American Magic team qualify for the two-boat final against two-time defending champions New Zealand, of which Outteridge is a member of the crew.

But it could have easily been a different story for Outteridge.

Aged 18, he suffered a near catastrophic car accident driving to Melbourne after sailing “20 days straight” when he fell asleep at the wheel and hit a tree.

He lost consciousness and a heap of blood while he was treated by surgeons.

Outteridge’s mum tells the documentary: “After, they still weren’t sure he was going to walk again.”

“I was in the hospital recovering and when I told the surgeon what I wanted to do with my life, I showed him a boat I wanted to sail,” Outteridge recalled.

“He smiled at me and said ‘It’s good to have ambitious goals’.

“Now we’re here almost 20 years later being able to race at the top of the sport against the best in the world. This little tingle in my back doesn’t hold me back at all.”

The Australian said the accident has given him perspective on life and his sailing career.

“Twenty years ago I could have not ever sailed again,” he said.

“So when I win, I’m stoked. When I don’t win, I get frustrated. But what an opportunity I’ve had to come and sail these boats and absolutely let it rip.

“To race against the best, get to know the best in the world, be friends with everyone — that’s what I live for. Sure, I’d love a drive in future seasons. But there’s a lot more to life than racing and winning. I have a huge appreciation for the sport.”

Juggling SailGP and America’s Cup campaigns

Outteridge is working full-time as part of New Zealand’s crew that will defend the Americas Cup in October.

The historic competition is all about each team’s unique boat design, whereas every team in SailGP has the exact same F50 and access to the other teams’ on-board data.

“In general for the sport of sailing, having these two competitions and being involved in them is pretty amazing,” he told news.com.au.

“There’s only a handful of us who get to work across both circuits. They work really well together, you can’t say one’s more important than the other. They’re just different circuits.

“Looking forward to the last five events of the season and following that, the Cup’s going to be pretty exciting.

“Seeing the best ‘one-design’ sailors from SailGP show up with their custom boats and go against each other is going to be cool.”

More Coverage

There are five events left in the SailGP season before the grand final in San Francisco in July.

The ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix gets underway in just over one week’s time in Ōtautahi Christchurch, March 23-24, 2024.

Watch the latest episodes of SailGP’s Racing On The Edge documentary on Kayo Sports .

A damning Auditor-General report has exposed Victoria’s Commonwealth Games debacle as one of the greatest blunders in Australian sport.

Cate Campbell has turned a flamethrower on the Queensland government with the Brisbane Olympics turning into a farce.

One of the all-time greats of Australian swimming has launched a furious tirade on organisers of the proposed Enhanced Games.

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High hopes for fan support at sailgp on lyttelton harbour.

The SailGP F50 catamaran fleet in action on Lyttelton Harbour in 2023. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

SailGP is hoping to make its New Zealand leg the largest ticketed sailing event in the world.

Fifteen thousand tickets have already been sold for the weekend of racing on Christchurch's Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour on March 23 and 24.

SailGP chief executive Sir Russell Coutts said organisers were hoping to sell out the 22,000 seats available.

"Christchurch has proven to be one of our very best events to date - with fantastic racing, thousands of fans and spectacular scenery in a natural amphitheatre. We can't wait to return later this month for another brilliant weekend of racing in front of a record-setting crowd," Sir Russell said.

He said SailGP athletes voted it the best event on the season three calendar and there were hopes the season four version would be "bigger and even better, with increased capacity across stadium-style seating".

The view from the grandstand in the fan village looking onto the racecourse at Lyttleton Harbour in 2023. Photo: Supplied / SailGP / Felix Diemer

Ticket sales did not include on-water spectators who could buy "Bring Your Own Boat" tickets.

The Platinum Lawn and Shoreline Villas had already sold out, SailGP said.

The fees for the event and its Marine Mammal Management Plan were yet to be finalised earlier this week.

The New Zealand team were placed second in the standings coming into the event.

Team driver Peter Burling said: "We've always enjoyed incredible support at home. New Zealand fans are among the most passionate in the world and after a season of watching us compete halfway across the globe, we can't wait to reward them with an incredible weekend of racing on Whakaraupō, Lyttelton Harbour."

Spectators were also expected to watch from vantage points across the Port Hills.

The races will be livestreamed on TV channel Three and ThreeNow from 3pm each day.

Copyright © 2024 , Radio New Zealand

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A premature start didn't help New Zealand's cause as they finished third in Sail GP Sydney to remain second in the overall standings.

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New Zealand have completed a victorious double in the UAE, posting victory in Abu Dhabi to climb to second in the SailGP standings.

SailGP event contributes more than $4m to Christchurch economy

About 10,000 people attended the sailing regatta at Whakaraupō-Lyttelton Harbour, with almost 70 percent of them coming from out of the region, data shows.

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Quality worth making room for

Dolphin expert questions independence of new SailGP decision-maker

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SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days.

However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates.

A year ago, SailGP’s inaugural New Zealand race, in Whakaraupō/Lyttelton Harbour, over the hill from Ōtautahi/Christchurch, was hailed as a commercial and sporting success, attracting thousands of spectators and pumping millions of dollars into the local economy. (For the record, the title was won by Canada, skippered by Kiwi Phil Robertson.)

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Doc dropped second probe into sailgp race.

Beneath the surface, all wasn’t well, however.

During the final, on March 19, the race controller ignored instructions to stop the race after observers determined two nationally vulnerable Upokohue/Hector’s dolphins were too close to the boats.

No dolphins were harmed during the race, which was held in a marine mammal sanctuary. But experts say vessel strikes are likely to kill dolphins.

The Department of Conservation started investigating. However, SailGP didn’t provide GPS data , despite a request, and department officials were unable to establish whether an offence took place.

A second probe , into whether “spotter” boats herded dolphins away from the super-fast catamarans, was dropped after the department decided a full investigation wasn’t in the public interest.

Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke, which exercises rangatiratanga (right to exercise authority) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship) over Whakaraupō, said its continued support for SailGP depended on a review of the marine mammal management plan, and it wanted “genuine improvement”.

A return to Lyttelton Harbour wasn’t meant to happen until 2025, but when the pin was pulled on Auckland for 2024, it was seen as the only viable option.

In December, details dribbled out about agreed changes to the plan (MMMP) for Whakaraupō, but the full version wasn’t released publicly until this past week – nine days before racing starts.

“This year’s plan builds on robust measures which worked well in season three, as well as what we now know about delivering events in this unique marine environment,” SailGP managing director Andrew Thompson said in an accompanying statement.

ChristchurchNZ general manager of destination and attraction Loren Aberhart said: “As was shown by last year’s 45-minute delay to the racing to wait for Hector’s dolphins to leave the course during the broadcast window, the MMMP prioritises marine mammal safety over racing.”

(We asked how ChristchurchNZ – the city’s economic development agency, which is paying millions of dollars to host SailGP – could omit from that statement any reference to the conservation department’s investigations, including the race controller ignoring instructions to halt racing to protect dolphins. An anonymised statement, provided by senior communications manager Alastair Paulin, said: “We have nothing further to add.”)

In the March 14 statement, Mishele Radford, chair of Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke, Rāpaki, said: “The successful implementation of the revised MMMP is critical for the protection of our taonga, the safety of all marine mammals, and ultimately the success of SailGP 2024.”

“Asking Jared Pettersson about dolphins is like asking me about fashion.” University of Otago Emeritus Professor Steve Dawson

A new role created this year is an “independent decision-maker”, with the power to delay or pause racing in line with agreed protocols. The person appointed to that role is Jared Pettersson, a director of environmental consultancy Enviser Ltd.

“Pettersson is the lead author of the MMMP and his role is to oversee its implementation,” said the March 14 statement, issued jointly by SailGP, ChristchurchNZ, and Ngāti Wheke.

Marine scientist Steve Dawson, Professor Emeritus at the University of Otago, questions the appointment.

Dawson, who gave expert advice for SailGP’s original MMMP, says in his opinion Pettersson can’t be independent when he “actively facilitated” SailGP’s project. Petterson’s expertise is in engineering, not dolphin behaviour or ecology. 

“Asking Jared Pettersson about dolphins is like asking me about fashion,” Dawson says. “It is a farce.”

(Dawson is also disappointed SailGP has dropped real-time acoustic sensors from Lyttelton. “The development of a fully functioning acoustic detection system could have been a way that SailGP could have contributed something with a positive environmental benefit.”) 

In the lead-up to the 2023 race, SailGP referred to Enviser as “our consultants”. Indeed, Enviser helped with SailGP’s application to DoC to use an acoustic deterrent device – an application that was eventually dropped – and Pettersson himself provided the department with additional information.

(According to an email from Ngāti Wheke’s Nuk Korako, on March 20 this past year, Pettersson was in the control room during the previous event’s final race, and “confirmed to SailGP that they were in breach of the MMMPlan”.)

Newsroom asked SailGP, ChristchurchNZ, and Ngāti Wheke how Pettersson could be considered independent given the firm had been in SailGP’s employ, and why they appointed an engineer to the role.

Nat Fortier, NZ SailGP team’s senior manager of marketing and communications, chose not to directly answer the conflict of appointing a paid adviser. She says ChristchurchNZ will pay Enviser for the decision-maker role.

“Given the televised event has more than 50 million world-wide viewers, a collision leading to dead or injured dolphins is not ideal for New Zealand’s tourism image.” Briefing to Conservation Minister Tama Potaka

“The role of the independent decision-maker is to oversee the delivery of the MMMP, ensuring the integrity of the plan in all training and racing scenarios. That includes the power to delay or pause racing if there is a risk of harm to dolphins.”

Highly skilled marine mammal experts are employed to implement the plan, Fortier says, including the Hector’s dolphin observer manager who coordinates land-based and on-water observers, and passes information to the event’s control room.

“This [decision-maker] role draws on extensive expertise and experience – both of environmental management and SailGP racing. As such, it is a paid function like any other consultant.”

The appointment of Pettersson – the author of original and amended plans – was “unanimously supported” by Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke, DoC and ChristchurchNZ. 

Radford, chair of Ngāti Wheke, Rāpaki, confirms the hapū’s support for Pettersson.

“We believe that appointing an independent decision-maker who is knowledgeable of the MMMP, and the environment of Whakaraupō, is crucial for ensuring the integrity and effectiveness of the MMMP.”

Initially, ChristchurchNZ said it thought Newsroom was asking for a collective response, and SailGP would answer on its behalf. We gave the public agency, funded by the city’s ratepayers, an extra day to comment but comms manager Paulin confirmed SailGP’s response on its behalf stood.

In February, Aberhart, ChristchurchNZ’s general manager of destination and attraction confirmed SailGP’s marine mammal management plan “does not have the force of law”.

“However, the plan is designed to keep marine mammals safe and as such it is underpinned by the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978. Under that Act, it is an offence to harass, disturb, injure or kill marine mammals.”

Since November 2021, 47 Upokohue have been reported dead – 17 of those since November this past year. Most of the reported deaths have been in Canterbury, says Māui and Hector’s Dolphin Defenders chair Christine Rose.

“Yet race organisers are putting dollars before dolphins with this high-speed boat race in the heart of Hector’s home.”

Already, the Department of Conservation has briefed skippers, and other event staff, about their obligations under marine mammal legislation, including the expected behaviour of observer vessels, and the significance of Upokohue/Hector’s dolphins.

The department will brief marine mammal observer staff before the race.

Newsroom quizzed the department’s Mahaanui operations manager Andy Thompson about the difference between SailGP’s original and updated MMMP, given the original also had a requirement to halt racing if dolphins were present – which wasn’t followed, with no consequence.

Thompson, who was in the control room during the previous event’s final and issued an instruction to stop racing, says the amended plan belongs to SailGP, at which this question should be directed.

“In our feedback on this year’s plan, we supported the idea of a person in the control room who is independent of SailGP, and able to make the decision to halt racing, rather than having that decision sit with the race director.” 

An objective of the plan is to ensure the event complies with the Marine Mammals Protection Act and regulations, Thompson says. “Therefore, some breaches of the plan may also result in breaches of the legislation.” 

A big question is: What has been learned in 12 months?

We asked Thompson if the exact circumstances of the inaugural race occurred again this time, would the result be the same result (ie. instructions not followed, and no prosecution)? 

Thompson won’t speculate on hypotheticals, but says any potential breach, and decision to prosecute or otherwise, would be based on an investigation.  

“One change this year is that DoC will have a compliance officer in the control room. They have a range of powers under the Conservation Act and marine mammals legislation, including the power to intervene if it’s thought offending is occurring or is about to occur.”

A briefing to Conservation Minister Tama Potaka, in December, said the main risk to avoid during the SailGP race is Hector’s dolphins colliding with the boats’ sharp foils.

“Given the televised event has more than 50 million world-wide viewers, a collision leading to dead or injured dolphins is not ideal for New Zealand’s tourism image.”

Join the Conversation

Unacceptably in an already stressed dolphin sanctuary. Have any journalists done an assessment of the emissions created in staging such an event – including the manufacture and transport of yachts around the world, the travel involved in crew and viewers getting to the event, and the creation of the infrastructure required to host it?

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