Coming off a forced break following Australia’s wing failure in San Francisco, the entire SailGP fleet entered New York with a sense of uncertainty. New Zealand in particular had questions to answer. Despite winning this venue last year, they arrived this time in fourth place on the Championship leaderboard. Their solution? Strip it back. With just three crew on board—Peter Burling, Blair Tuke, and Leo Takahashi—the Black Foils approached the race with a lean, streamlined configuration optimised for the light forecast.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time just brushing off the rust out here,” Burling said post-race. “We’ve been training for three days now, and honestly, there’s been quite a bit of work just to get comfortable again. That really helped going into today.”
That groundwork showed. The Kiwis had a clean start but dropped to mid-fleet by the first leg. Rather than chase aggressively, they focused on staying efficient and avoiding costly errors. By Gate 3, Spain had built a significant lead, with New Zealand trailing by 21 seconds. But the Kiwi team didn’t panic—instead, they chipped away steadily, cutting the gap to 15 seconds at the final gate.
In a fleet where a single mistake can drop you multiple positions, New Zealand’s conservative but effective sailing was notable.
“We’re just trying to stay composed and make sure we do our job out there,” Burling said. “There was a crash again—we’ve had a bit of an up-and-down morning.”
That level-headed mindset translated into one of the cleanest race executions of the day.
Speed-wise, the fleet struggled in the soft breeze. While some teams touched 63km/h during isolated bursts of foiling, most hovered around 50. Maintaining flight was a challenge, especially for teams like the U.S. and Switzerland, who found themselves stuck at the back. New Zealand, however, managed to stay airborne during the critical middle stages of the race, allowing them to overtake Denmark and secure second behind the Spanish.
Spain’s win was built on a textbook start and consistent speed across the course. They never relinquished their lead. Denmark slotted into third after some back-and-forth with Germany, while Australia—a team still recovering from both technical issues and a high-profile ownership change—finished fifth. Notably, Italy came last, over four minutes behind the winner—a performance that raises flags for a team reportedly under new ownership pressure.
New Zealand’s result doesn’t just lift them in the points standings—it signals a potential return to form. With their clean execution, trimmed-down crew, and focus on fundamentals, they appear to be building from the ground up with purpose. The forecast suggests slightly better wind conditions over the weekend, which may test the limits of the three-person configuration. But for now, Race 1 has offered the Black Foils what they needed most: a solid foundation.
More racing lies ahead (listening to the second race in the background I can hear Race 2 is a more exciting race), and the leaderboard remains tight. But New Zealand’s approach—technical, disciplined, and quietly confident—may prove the most consistent weapon in a fleet still re-finding its rhythm.
