The Black Foils have missed out on the final of the Canada Sail Grand Prix | Halifax by a point to Spain’s Los Gallos.
Competing in the Rolex SailGP Championship for the first time since suffering major damage at February’s ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix, the New Zealand team needed to have at least one boat between them and the Spanish in the final Group A fleet race.
Despite a late charge from Denmark’s Rockwool Racing and some careful match racing by Black Foils Driver Peter Burling and an eventual three-boat-wide finish, Los Gallos just managed to finish ahead of Rockwool to book a place in the event final.
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Split fleet racing on Sunday in Halifax was moved two hours earlier to try and deliver the strongest possible racing conditions. The event also featured SailGP’s first ever four boat final that was eventually won by the Spanish.
The Black Foils fifth place finish overall lifts them off the bottom of the Rolex SailGP Championship, overtaking Mubadala Brazil to 12th overall.
Black Foils Driver and Co-CEO Peter Burling said it was great to be back racing.
“We wanted to compete from the start of this event returning to racing and I think it’s a really positive thing that we feel so disappointed to have missed the final. There were moments across the two days where we didn’t help ourselves but there were lots of positives, particularly competing so strongly after the time away and in a configuration we’ve not had as much experience sailing with compared to the rest of the fleet.”
“It was obviously very tight at the end there with the Spanish, and we will look at if we could’ve tried to change things up earlier but it was fun to give it a go and be in with a chance to the very end. It felt like we continued to improve across the weekend and it’s exciting to look ahead at where we can take things this season. We have fond memories from Portsmouth last season, so it’s a good feeling to be heading there next.”
