‘Electric buzz’ ahead of SailGP on Lyttelton Harbour

A buzz is taking over Christchurch and Lyttelton ahead of New Zealand’s inaugural Sail Grand Prix (SailGP), with one sailor excited to “put on a good show”.

SailGP, the sailing league dreamed up by Kiwi sailing great Sir Russell Coutts and American billionaire Larry Ellison, makes its New Zealand debut in Lyttelton Harbour on Saturday, hosting the penultimate round of the global championship.

The racing, which uses 50-feet foiling catamarans, will get underway at 3pm. Some of world’s leading sailors will take to the waves, including Peter Burling, Blair Tuke, Jimmy Spithill, and Sir Ben Ainslie.

Over two days of racing 15,000 people are expected to watch the sailors battle it out from the harbourside Naval Point site.

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Among them will be SailGP fan Brad Cummings, who said he would be cheering on the New Zealand team from the platinum lawn.

“It should be good racing … hopefully there’s enough wind and it’s blowing a good easterly up the harbour,” he said.

Cummings said he loved the concept of SailGP and it was massive to have it in Christchurch.

“I don’t do much sailing, but do a lot of boating. The Lyttelton marina is looking outstanding at the minute, which is so good for the city because it was a little bit rundown [before] this event.

“It’s good to see some life back into Lyttelton. The atmosphere is starting to pick up a bit now.”

Josh Junior, a grinder – or winch handler – for the New Zealand SailGP team, said having a round at home had “been a long time coming” after racing abroad for a year and a half.

“The city’s pumping, it’s a pretty cool place and everyone seems really into it,” he said. “We’re excited to get our there and hopefully put on a good show.”

The Lyttelton Harbour setting was stunning, he said, because the big hills made it a natural amphitheatre.

“It’s a northeasterly breeze, you don’t get that very often around the world, so it’s pretty unique how it comes in and funnels straight down [the harbour].”

Junior was among a group of SailGP competitors signing autographs at the central Christchurch fan zone on Friday evening.

Jordan Finnie, 9, said getting autographs from the sailors felt pretty good.

He said he was going to the SailGP on Sunday and when asked how he was feeling about it, he commented: “I hope New Zealand wins.”

Meanwhile, Julian Flamank, who is the head brewer at Lyttelton-based Eruption Brewing, said he had been planning how to brew enough beer for the event for about four months.

“It’s going to be a full-on day. We’re going to have the racing on TV here, and we have a top deck as well that actually looks right out over the harbour,” he said.

“You’ll actually be able to watch the races as they happen and probably able to see the starts and finish.”

Flamank said teams and support crews had already been coming into the bar during the evenings this week.

“Just talking to them, the whole buzz is just electric,” he said. “I don’t think there’s been anything quite like this.”