After a turbulent first day on the Hudson River, Black Foils skipper Peter Burling says his team is feeling confident despite a mixed set of results at SailGP New York. While Black Foils recorded a superb win in Race 3 and a solid second-place finish in Race 1, a mid-fleet shocker in Race 2 leaves them just shy of the top three on the overnight leaderboard.
Speaking immediately after returning to land, Burling described the racing as tougher than expected—but also highlighted plenty of positives.
“There was actually a lot more wind than we thought out there today,” he said.
“So it was just about getting off the start line cleanly, trying not to make too many mistakes around the course. We felt like we did a really good job of that in the first race and the third. In the middle one… we just didn’t take our opportunities.”
Fine margins, high stakes
With the fleet tightly packed across all three races and foiling conditions right on the edge, execution proved everything. While Spain leads the event after day one with 25 points, New Zealand sits fourth on 19—just one point behind France and Denmark.
The second race saw the Black Foils drop off the foils and struggle to recover, finishing a painful 11th. Burling admitted the result was frustrating.
“We made a tiny mistake at the start and really didn’t take our opportunities in that middle one,” he said.
“definitely lots to work on. A bit of frustration that we’re not a few points higher in the leaderboard, but we’re really happy with how we ended the day.”
Back to L-foils on the F50
One of the key changes for the New York, due to the predictable low wind speeds, the boats reverted back to the L-foils which do perform better in the low wind environments. Burling said he felt at ease jumping back into the more familiar configuration.
“I don’t notice too much difference jumping back to the F50s with the L-foils—especially in those lighter conditions,” he explained.
“It actually simplifies things a little bit not having to worry about the more complex foils in these light airs.”
Small improvements the focus for Sunday
With only one more day of racing left in the New York event, the margins will be razor thin. New Zealand sits within striking distance of a Finals berth and will be looking to maintain the precision and confidence shown in Race 3.
The goal now is to analyse the data, tidy up execution, and get a clean run across Sunday’s races. Tonight will be a key review of the days activity in preparation for tomorrow.
“You always go back and review everthing,” Burling said.
“We felt like we did some things really well and obviously make a few mistakes. It’s going to be all about tidying up those little details and getting ready for tomorrow.”
With a 2-11-1 scorecard and a boat clearly capable of winning in New York’s conditions, the Black Foils remain a real threat. And if Sunday delivers, New York may be a meet win to the Black Foils, just like last year!
