We spoke with Peter Burling in Auckland today as preparations intensify for SailGP Auckland, now just 10 days away. The Black Foils skipper took time to speak with media amid a busy schedule, offering insight into a campaign that has already tested the New Zealand team’s resilience before it has truly begun.
The opening round in Perth was meant to be about finding early-season rhythm. Instead, it became an exercise in damage control. Moments into the first race, the Black Foils’ F50 suffered major stern damage following an on-water incident with Switzerland. Burling spent the remainder of the regatta sidelined while the rest of the fleet raced on.
The scale of the repair has dominated much of the build-up to Auckland. SailGP Technologies elected to rebuild the damaged section from scratch rather than draw parts from other boats in the fleet, a decision driven by fairness across the league but one that reduced timelines dramatically.
“The challenge hasn’t really been the job itself, it’s been the timeframe,” Burling said. “To build the whole thing from scratch and turn it around in about ten days has been pretty impressive.”
Burling is confident the boat would be ready to sail in Auckland, with commissioning handled within the same training window available to the rest of the fleet.
“We’ve always been very confident we’d be on the water here,” he said. “The SailGP Technologies team has done an amazing job getting everything back together.”
From a performance perspective, the cost of the Perth incident is not measured in points alone. SailGP teams rely heavily on race weekends to refine systems, test communication, and make incremental gains under pressure. Missing two full days of racing at the very start of the season removes that valuable layer of learning.
“You learn a lot during race weekends,” Burling said. “SailGP is very much about evolving while you’re racing, so missing that is definitely a cost.”
While Switzerland was nominally in the right under the rules, Burling remains unconvinced by the umpiring decision that placed fault on New Zealand. He pointed to the complexity of right-of-way transitions during aggressive manoeuvres, particularly when boats are turning at speed and responsibilities shift rapidly.
“For us, we still don’t really agree with the call,” he said. “But you’ve got to live by what the umpires say. That’s part of the sport.”
Rather than framing the issue as a grievance, Burling positioned it as part of a wider conversation about safety. In his view, close-quarters foiling at this level will always produce moments of drama, but the priority is about maintaining safe separation so crews stay protected and boats remain racing.
“For me, the boat doing the aggressive manoeuvre always has the opportunity to veer away,” he said. “I’d love to see people give a bit more margin if they’re going to try and swing over someone’s transom.”
For SailGP to deliver the spectacle it promises, Burling made it clear, the boats have to stay on the water, not in the shed.
Despite the disruption, the Black Foils camp does not feel rattled. Burling spoke positively about continuity within the sailing group and the impact of new coaching staff, suggesting the foundations remain solid.
“We’ve managed to keep a consistent line-up,” he said. “The new coaching staff are starting to add real value, and that fresh energy brings good momentum.”
That momentum is mirrored on the Auckland waterfront. The SailGP stadium is nearing completion, while the SailGP village beside Emirates Team New Zealand’s base is rapidly taking shape. Forklifts move constantly through the site, installing power, cooling, and technical infrastructure to support teams, boats, and support crews.
It is a physical reminder of how close the event now is.
For the Black Foils, SailGP Auckland represents a reset rather than a reckoning. Perth delivered frustration, debate, and downtime. Auckland offers something simpler and more important: racing. Getting back on the foils, rebuilding rhythm, and doing so in front of a home crowd will matter far more than what happened in the opening minutes of the season.
