A tough day on the water
The opening races saw the Kiwis fighting hard in the thick of the action, but small errors proved costly. After finishing eighth in the first race and seventh in the second, the team was looking to gain ground in race three. However, a critical moment with the German team on the course boundary led to an unfortunate sequence of events that saw the boat take on water and suffer significant damage.
“It was a really tough day for us. We felt like we were right in the hunt in those first couple of races but just made a few too many mistakes,” said Burling. “It will be interesting to go back and look at the data. We were really struggling just to get nice and stable, and then obviously we had a big nosedive. Part of the system shut down, so it meant we couldn’t foil at the end of that race. Then we were asked by the Tech Team to stop for the last one, which was a real shame.”
Blair Tuke echoed the sentiment, acknowledging that while the team showed moments of strength, the day was one of the toughest they’ve had as a unit.
“We were in the thick of it, really, but a couple of unforced errors put us back. We bounced back nicely, but in that third race, we had a tight moment with the Germans,” Tuke explained. “On review, we probably feel a little hard done by. We should have handled the situation a bit differently, but it went from mid-fleet to a pretty big nosedive at the bottom mark. The boat took on water, fairings got ripped off, and we had an issue with the rudder rake ram on the starboard side. Whether it was a sensor issue or an electronic issue, we couldn’t control it, so we couldn’t race the last one properly.”
Technical trouble and an early exit
Following the dramatic nosedive, the Black Foils struggled to regain control. The team attempted to start the final fleet race of the day, but SailGP’s Tech Team ultimately made the call for them to retire.
The issue, identified as a problem with the rudder control system, meant the team was unable to control one of their rudders, effectively taking foiling out of the equation.
“Nothing structural,” Burling clarified. “It’s just a hydraulic or electronic issue. One of the rams for the rudders was jammed at the max extreme end of the range, and we couldn’t control it as we normally would. That’s something you can’t really tell the boat to just ‘harden up’ on. You put too much load through them. It’s always tough sitting out races, but we’ve got to roll with the punches.”
Despite the setback, the team is optimistic that the issue will be resolved in time for the second day of racing.
“We’ll certainly be back out there tomorrow. The issue we had that stopped us in the last race wasn’t a structural one, so we’ll get that right,” said Tuke. “There’s a bit of fairing damage that our tech team and shore team will sort out. We’ve just finished a pretty thorough debrief—obviously some areas to iron out, but the team will take the learnings from today and move forward into tomorrow.”
Looking ahead
With three more fleet races on the schedule before the final, the Black Foils are keen to turn the tide and put in a strong performance.
“We’re definitely hopeful there’s three fleet races tomorrow,” Burling said. “We felt like we were starting to sail the boat really nicely in that third race before the issue. We made that mistake with Germany, and it was tough to recover, but we’re excited to give it another crack.”
The forecast for the second day of racing is set to bring different conditions, with the wind expected to shift to a southerly or south-easterly direction. This could provide an opportunity for the team to reset and execute a stronger game plan.
“Quite a different forecast tomorrow, with the wind coming out of Rose Bay,” Tuke noted. “We’ll go out there and try to put three good ones on the board and claw some points back.”
Currently sitting ninth on the leaderboard with just seven points, the Kiwis have work to do if they want to secure a spot in the final race of the event. With strong competition from the likes of Australia, Emirates Great Britain, and France, the pressure is on for Burling and his crew to deliver when it matters most.
A crucial test for the Black Foils
After a challenging first day, the Black Foils’ ability to bounce back will be a key test of their resilience. With repairs underway and a fresh opportunity ahead, the team remains focused on delivering their best performance.
As Burling and Tuke lead the charge, Kiwi fans will be watching closely, hoping for a turnaround that keeps New Zealand in the hunt for the SailGP title.
