[ad_1]
Sail GP Season 3 leaders Australia avoided what they thought was a rudder disaster but the disadvantage of a more natural issue still dented them on day one in Lyttelton.
Australia’s driver Tom Slingsby believed it was seaweed that saw them plummet out of contention in the third and final race.
The defending and two-time Sail GP champions were racing in third – after a solid fourth and a second in the opening two races – when they suddenly dropped out halfway down the first downwind leg.
“We actually thought we’d broken our rudder wing in half because we couldn’t clear it,” Slingsby said.
READ MORE:
* SailGP: Trailblazing Liv Mackay aiming for wins and to inspire next generation of Kiwi female sailors
* Joe Bennett: Cruise ships and sail boats mean a Samaritan’s work is never done
* Why Aussie ace Tom Slingsby thinks New Zealand got an unfair advantage ahead of SailGP
“We were just behind the Kiwis, very close to the British team and then we caught weed.”
KAI SCHWOERER/Stuff
Australia and New Zealand battle for position as they round a mark in Lyttelton Harbour on Saturday.
The Australians tried a number of tacks and sharp turns but couldn’t dislodge the weed that was causing serious drag, hence the concern for a broken rudder wing.
“We limped around the course in last place and then right at the finish, somehow the weed cleared itself,” Slingsby said.
“We were off and going but everyone else had finished by that stage.”
A broken rudder would have been unlikely to be terminal for Australia’s weekend, but it would have made for a long and uncomfortable night for the crew.
Australia weren’t the only team to suffer a seaweed issue.
ALDEN WILLIAMS/Stuff
Australia Sail GP team driver Tom Slingsby is hoping for a better day on Sunday.
Jimmy Spithill confirmed USA had a similar problem with seaweed in the rudder when they struggled home for eighth in race one.
“In one of the manoeuvres we got caught with one of our rudders, but it’s the same for everyone,” he said. “It’s just the way it is.”
After that disappointing result in race three, Australia dropped to be in fifth position on the points ladder after three races of the New Zealand Sail Grand Prix with 18 points.
“We could have probably finished with a top result in about third place [overall] but that’s just the way it goes,” Slingsby said.
New Zealand held the lead after day one with 28 points ahead of Canada 24, Great Britain 23, France 21 then Australia. After two more fleet races on Sunday, the top three on points for the Lyttelton event will contest the final.
ALDEN WILLIAMS/Stuff
New Zealand and Australia battle to the finish during race two on Saturday.
Australia, who have been the benchmark for most of the season, hold a comfortable lead overall in Sail GP Season 3 and are all but assured of qualifying for the winner-take-all final in San Francisco Bay in May.
Before Lyttelton, the penultimate round of Season 3, Australia held a comfortable lead with 76 points, clear of New Zealand 64, France 63 and Great Britain 61. Just three boats will contest the final after the completion of the final round in San Francisco Bay.
Because of that lead, Slingsby was more concerned with their own sailing and execution going into day two on Sunday. He felt the results would come if they perform better and felt the Australian team had to take some of the blame themselves.
“We sailed well in glimpses today, but we lacked a little bit in the boat handling and things like that.
“Our boat speed is fine, we’ve just got to improve our handling but we’ll aim for a good day tomorrow.
“We just didn’t execute as well as we could have.”
KAI SCHWOERER/Stuff
Fans watch on as Great Britain, France, USA, Canada and New Zealand race around Lyttelton Harbour.
Slingsby also felt they were handicapped by going into the course blind with Friday’s practice racing cancelled, due to adverse conditions, and limited time available before racing on Saturday due to a delay because of dolphins spotted on the course.
“A bit of practice would have been nice because we are a bit down on confidence. We’re not sailing as well as we have in the past.
“We didn’t know where the windshifts were and that sort of thing, but now we have got a day under our belt … but it’s the same situation for most teams too.”
Slingsby described the racing as tight and was a fan of the Lyttelton harbour course, as was Spithill.
”I thought it was an awesome racetrack,” Spithill said.
“It was just epic, seeing the stands full and you could hear the people cheering.”
[ad_2]