SailGP: Black Foils finish 5th

SailGP: Black Foils finish 5th – narrowly miss the cut for Portsmouth Final

by James Rigby/NZSailGP 27 Jul 00:25 BST

New Zealand’s Black Foils missed the final of the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix by two points, falling just short after leading their group at the halfway point.

In their second event back on a new boat, the two-time champions on British waters were in the mix for a final place until the closing stages of a fiercely competitive weekend on the Solent.

A tougher opening race on Super Sunday left the Black Foils level with Canada’s NorthStar and Australia’s Bonds Flying Roos on 12 points, with Spain’s Los Gallos moving to the top of the group and the second final place to be decided in the closing race.

The Black Foils held a top-two position deep into that decider, but were edged out as NorthStar took the second spot alongside Los Gallos, leaving the Kiwis two points short.

The Black Foils finished fifth at the event and sit 12th in the season championship.

Spain’s Los Gallos went on to win the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix, backing up their victory at the last event in Halifax, with Artemis second and NorthStar third.

Black Foils co-CEO and wing trimmer Blair Tuke said there was disappointment in the group after another fine-margins finish.

“It was another close one, even closer than Halifax. Everyone’s pretty flat, to be honest,” Tuke said. “We sailed really well yesterday and put ourselves in with a chance, and then today we let ourselves down in a few areas. We definitely sailed well enough at times to make the final.”

Tuke was candid about where the weekend turned.

“The last race was a case in point. We were there in a qualifying position, and then a few small mistakes, some bad decisions and bad execution, and two boats go past you, and that’s your weekend,” he said.

He said the bigger picture still gave the team plenty to build on.

“We have to remind ourselves this is only our second event of the season, and the foundation is there,” Tuke said. “How today unfolded is probably a reflection of the level we’re at. We’re not quite where we want to be, with small areas letting us down, but this group learns fast. We’ll go away, do our homework and come back stronger, and if we do that, we’ll be right up at the front.”

The Rolex SailGP Championship’s European leg continues at Sassnitz, Germany, on 22-23 August.