The race began with New Zealand crossed the start line cleanly — just one second behind the lead boat. That placed them second to Mark 1, only 2.1 seconds back. But instead of holding their line, the Kiwis made a bold early call to gybe immediately and go for the strong left-hand side. It was a split-second decision, taken before any other team had turned.
That tactical move — anticipating pressure on the left — changed the race. New Zealand popped the boat into full flight, rolled clean and fast into the next reach, and gained the lead by Mark 2. From there, they stayed ahead of the chaos unfolding behind.
Home glory, Kiwi comebacks and Aussie grit: SailGP Portsmouth Day 1 delivers drama
Mid-race mayhem: Canada, Emirates GBR, and the fight for second
By Mark 3, the Black Foils were sailing fast and low, conserving manoeuvres and finding clean air. At this point, the Canadians were their closest threat, but a key moment came near Gate 5. Canada attempted to match the Black Foils’ low line, but didn’t quite pull it off — their foils came dangerously close to stalling out during a mistimed tack. It was enough for the Black Foils to break clear.
Meanwhile, Emirates GBR were fighting hard in third but couldn’t find a clean lane. Under pressure from Canada and shadowed closely by Spain, they were forced into a high line on the upwind and couldn’t execute their desired layline to the final gate.
Australia, deep in the fleet early, recovered with smart split calls mid-race. They clawed back to sixth at the finish — but had been out of contention from the start after a slow rounding of Mark 1.
Boundary drama for Switzerland and France
Switzerland struggled throughout, and just as the front three boats were locking into their final turns, the Swiss were hit with a boundary penalty on approach to Mark 6. It was their third penalty of the race, effectively removing them from contention.
France, returning to racing after missing all of Day 1, were aggressive early but were also twice penalised for boundary infringements. The French boat showed flashes of speed but couldn’t translate that into race position amid the packed midfleet.
Wire-to-wire finish
The Black Foils crossed the finish line with a commanding lead. They were the only team to post 100% flight time — clean on all manoeuvres, no boundary penalties, and the fastest time of the race (9 minutes and 2 seconds). Canada held on for second, crossing 17 seconds later, followed by Emirates GBR another 19 seconds back.
Despite heavy pressure in the middle phase of the race, the Kiwis managed their angles perfectly, tacked less than the boats around them, and showed textbook positioning around every mark.
Back in form — and back in the hunt
New Zealand’s performance in Race 5 confirms their strength across a range of conditions. With one poor result in Race 4, the rest of the regatta has seen them consistently inside the top three. This race, in particular, showed not just pace — but sharp, tactical awareness.
Their early gybe to the left side was the race-winning move, executed confidently at Mark 1 and held with discipline through to the finish.
Race 5 result
- New Zealand Black Foils, 10 points
- Canada, 9 points
- Emirates GBR
- BONDS Flying Roos
- Spain
- ROCKWOOL DEN
- GER Deutsche Bank
- Switzerland
- Mubadala Brazil
- Red Bull Italy
- France, 0 points
With USA out of this race.
Fleet race total
- Emirates GBR, 44 points
- New Zealand Black Foils, 36 points
- BONDS Flying roos, 33 points
- Switzerland, 33 points
- Spain, 26 points
- Red Bull Italy, 25 points
- ROCKWOOL DEN, 22 points
- Canada, 19 points
- GER Deutsche Bank, 15 points
- Mubadala Brazil, 12 points
- United States, 10 points
- France, 0 points
