The Black Foils’ SailGP campaign is balanced on a knife-edge, but as of today, Amokura is back on site at SailGP’s Auckland technical base and moving into the final phase of reassembly ahead of this weekend’s ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix.
After suffering damage at the first meet of the season in Perth, the F50’s port hull was separated into two major sections. The forward hull was shipped from Perth to Auckland, while the aft section, including the transom, was fabricated by SailGP Technologies in the UK and then flown to New Zealand. The two components were reunited at C-Tech in Avondale, where the initial composite repair and structural blending work were completed.
Today, Amokura made the short but significant journey by truck from the repair facility back to SailGP’s technical area. From here, the SailGP Technologies team takes over, with the task now shifting from structural repair to full systems reintegration.
That process is extensive. Steering systems, hydraulics, electronics, and rudder, and board assemblies must all be reinstalled, aligned, powered up, calibrated, and verified before the boat can return to the water.
Luke Porter, SailGP Technical Manager, says the milestone of seeing the hull back in one piece is significant, but the critical work is still ahead.
“We’ve got to turn it back into a boat. Steering, rudder, boards, hydraulics, electronics, alignment, calibration. There are a lot of systems that run right through the hull, and when you do a repair like this, everything comes out and has to be recommissioned,” Porter said.
With just days remaining, the timeline leaves no room for surprises. Composite work is being wrapped up today, with systems teams scheduled to step in immediately afterwards. The target remains to roll the boat out of the shed on Friday morning and sail by lunchtime.
Richard O’Farrell, Wing department head, acknowledges how tight the schedule has become.
“It’s definitely a tight timeline, but we’ve got a plan. As long as things go to plan, we’ll be okay and get there,” Burling said.
Luke Porter, technical manager from SailGP Technologies says the physical reunion of the hull sections has gone better than hoped, but the complexity now lies in precision and data.
“The port hull has just arrived and it’s looking really promising. The repair itself is one thing, but calibration will be a big step. There are thousands of data points that need to line up before everyone’s confident,” O’Farrell said.
Co-CEO Blair Tuke and Wing Trimmer highlighted the global effort behind the repair, with teams in the UK and New Zealand working back-to-back shifts to make the timeline achievable.
“It’s been non-stop, from Southampton through to Auckland. Structurally it’s coming together now, and credit has to go to everyone involved to even make this possible,” Mackay said.
For Peter Burling, co-CEO and Driver, the speed of the response has been striking.
“Seeing how quickly the new stern was produced, flown here, and integrated has been incredible. There’s still a lot to finish, but structurally it’s there, and the job the tech team has done to get us back on the start line has been massive,” Tuke said.
Everyone involved agrees on one point. The plan is sound, the work is progressing, and the goal of racing at the home event remains achievable. But with margins this fine, any unexpected issue could still sideline the boat.
For now, Amokura is back where she needs to be. What happens next will be decided over the next few days, and possibly the final few hours.
