Confusion, Chaos, Carnage and Celebrities in NYC SailGP!
“Nobody panics when things go ‘according to plan’ even if the plan is horrifying,” says Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight. “Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I’m an agent of chaos.”
Trying to make sense of a multitude of the decisions that were made over the extended SailGP race weekend were somewhat baffling as it ultimately became survival of the “unlikely” and fastest with Australia’s Bonds Flying Roos winning the star-spangled red, white and blue winner’s wheel as Tom Slingsby pulled magic out of a hat once again!
Opening day on Saturday delivered a chaotic shootout among just four teams as they battled wet and wild conditions. Gusts of up to 40 km/h wreaked havoc as extreme winds limited pre-race craning operations. The pecking order of the F50 catamarans that did hit the water was determined by the current championship standings, with the Aussies, Brits, Spanish and Americans hitting the turbulent waters and currents of New York Harbor, where the East and Hudson rivers converge at Governors Island. Needless to say, this left a lot of disappointed sailors on shore, along with team sponsors and their guests who had flown in from all around the world to attend SailGP’s premier and only American event.
Mother Nature didn’t provide any favors as a fresh northerly breeze cutting directly over Manhattan skyscrapers created highly turbulent, gusty and shifty conditions across the racecourse as three races were staged and discarded. “To be honest, with all the problems with the cranes, the stress was high,” Spain driver Diego Botín said. “The conditions also required the 24-meter wing, which makes the boat way harder to sail in these conditions.” Unfortunately the Spanish were unable to compete on Sunday due to technical failures, losing critical season points.
“It was very gusty, just a crazy racecourse. At times, it was fully under control and everything felt normal,” Team USA’s Taylor Canfield said. “Then you’re bearing away in a 20-plus-knot puff, doing nearly 100 km/h coming into a rock wall.” But, given the risks that all the boats faced that day, and with the Australian Bonds Flying Roos suffering a dramatic pre-race nosedive caused by a hydraulic issue onboard, it was ultimately decided that no points would be awarded.
When Super Sunday arrived, SailGP determined that with projected lighter and more shifty winds, the 27.5-meter wings would go in, ultimately leaving the fleet somewhat overpowered as winds came in stronger than forecast. Regardless, the Americans got off to a super start, continuing their momentum this season by placing second in Race 1, and first in Race 2. With the abbreviated schedule of just three races, this all but guaranteed Canfield and crew a spot in the Podium Finale. But don’t count your chickens before they hatch. At the start of Race 3, Team USA got shuffled mid-pack with Brazil aggressively alongside when Red Bull Italy, with “wildcard” Phil Robertson at the wheel, made a bonsai, yet legal maneuver, crossing the fleet at the line that led to a catastrophic collision among USA, Brazil and Italy. After they had put themselves firmly in the hunt for a first home event win, the US was now out of contention.
“It’s always nice to move up after a day like that, but disappointing to finish how we did,” said Canfield. “Things unfolded quickly, and when we became aware there was going to be a big crash, there wasn’t much time to react. When we noticed it, we did everything we could.”
“I’m still a bit baffled by it. You know, we’re a boat that’s clear ahead on the start line, sort of coming up the startline to stay behind it, and you’ve got two boats run into you from coming in fast from behind,” explained Robertson. “I am not sure what I can do, you know? As soon as it came into my vision, I made a pretty evasive action to try and avoid it. And you know, that’s about as close as you want to come to losing your life there. You’re at the mercy of the others and you’ve got five humans on the boat, on that side of the boat, and getting run into at 60 km an hour by another boat is not very fun.”
The carnage was complete and thankfully no one was hurt. The three boats ended up parked in the middle of the course while the fleet continued racing. Race Control abandoned the race on Leg 4 with the Canadians in the lead. All of a sudden the podium was Canada, Great Britain and Australia. The Bonds Flying Roos claimed a third consecutive event victory, defeating Emirates GBR and the NorthStar SailGP Team in a final that went down to the wire. It was a dramatic, come-from-behind win that capped a remarkable day for the Australians, who swapped a broken rudder before the start of Race 1 and left everyone in attendance both on and off the water wondering what the hell had just happened!
“To be able to win after the start of our day. It’s an absolute roller coaster, every day and every weekend, really, after yesterday too. We were just really stoked,” Australian skipper Tom Slingsby said. “The shore crew and tech team did an amazing job to get our boat back in shape and actually get us on the water today. We hit a few objects in the water, and again the shore team came in clutch and helped us get back on the racetrack.”
What was missing this year were people, as lawns and picnic tables replaced grandstands while the Spectator Village was located in Lower Manhattan at Pier 17, miles from the racecourse. But the celebrities certainly showed up in style in the expanded VIP Adrenaline Lounge. Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, Caitlin Collins (CNN), Brianna Stewart (New York Liberty) and other notables graced the red carpet under tight security.
Latitude 38 June Issue Out Now
June is here, and along with it, the 588th edition of Latitude 38 sailing magazine. This month’s mashup of words, photos, stories and letters includes a feature story on a mashed-up catamaran owned by a sailor who started sailing a decade ago in the Baja Ha-Ha, and who has since rescued a hurricane-damaged catamaran. He’s just finished sailing it to the Marquesas in the Pacific Puddle Jump. We also cover what’s going on at San Francisco Marina, a boat re-power project while on the hook, Nicole Breault and the She-Wolves, a gentle delivery from Baja to Ensenada, and much more. Here’s a preview:
‘She-Wolves’ Prepare for NYYC’s Women’s International Championship
Nicole Breault and an all-star team of Bay Area women sailors will head to Newport, Rhode Island, this September to compete in the inaugural New York Yacht Club (NYYC) Women’s International Championship. Representing the St. Francis Yacht Club, Nicole and her self-styled She-Wolves team will be up against 19 other teams from 14 countries racing the IC37 sailboats supplied by the host club.
A Gentle Bash to Ensenada — Dispatches From the V-Berth
“The weather is the boss. When it’s good, we go; when it’s bad, we stop.” That’s what Arnstein Mustad said to me and Carla Deykin on April 6, the night before we departed Marina La Cruz de Huanacaxtle in Nayarit, Mexico. This was my third delivery with Arnstein, so I had a pretty good idea what he meant. As a delivery skipper, Arnstein has sailed more than 250,000 ocean miles, and these are not pleasure cruises. Arnstein is Icelandic for Eagle Stone, but as we progressed, I wondered what was Icelandic for “I only stop for fuel.”
Going Dutch — Huub’s Pacific Puddle Jump
Experience, it is said, is a harsh teacher: You get the test first and the lesson afterward. That was certainly how Huub van der Mark came to sailing and cruising. A bit over a decade ago, in his late 20s, he moved from the Netherlands to New York to study acting. Instead, he got exposed to sailing, and became almost instantly enamored with the romantic notion of sailing over far horizons. He jumped in with both feet, crewing on other people’s boats in the Baja Ha-Ha and Pacific Puddle Jump. One thing led to another, and just 10 years after he’d first stepped onto a boat, knowing nothing, he did this year’s Pacific Puddle Jump on his own 38-ft catamaran — singlehanded. Here’s his story of that journey.
Plus this month’s regular columns:
Letters: The Adventurous Good Old Days; Will Ferry Plans Be Foiled?; Seasonal Weirdness = Fun; A Sailor’s Protracted Battle Against Inflated Tax Assessments; and stacks more readers’ letters.
Sightings: Forty Years of Running Aground at San Francisco Marina; Cayard’s Winning Ways Continue; Summer Sailstice 2026; An Epic E27 Shakedown to Hawaii; and many other stories.
Max Ebb: “Closing the Gap”
Racing Sheet: The Racing Season is in full swing on San Francisco Bay (at least for boats that aren’t blocked into the San Francisco Marina West Harbor). This month’s edition of Racing Sheet covers the ever-popular Great Vallejo Race, and the Moore 24 fleet racing in Santa Cruz. Then, we head south and to the world of match racing, where a Long Beach local is victorious at the Ficker Cup, and a 23-year-old Australian rising star registers a shock win at the 61st Congressional Cup. Finally, we wrap up with some of the best women skippers on the Bay duking it out in the J/105 fleet, and the LYSA Spring Regatta sailed in boisterous conditions.
Changes in Latitudes: With reports this month from Ondina’s fun encounters with fellow cruisers; Nirvana’s post-Ha-Ha adventures; Simpatico’s cruise on the Coast of Joy; and some fun and interesting Cruise Notes.
Plus, see all the latest in sailboats and sailboat gear for sale in Classy Classifieds.
Our drivers were out yesterday, delivering the June issue to Bay Area locations. Pick up your copy from your nearest distributor.
Check the map for your nearest distributor here, and go grab a copy of Latitude 38’s June issue.
Steering the Dream With Hydrovane
Hydrovane is your best crew member: an independent self-steering windvane and emergency rudder/steering system … ready to go!
St. Francis Yacht Club Three-Peats as Women’s 2v2 Champs at NYYC
St. Francis Yacht Club (StFYC) sailors have won the Women’s 2v2 Team Racing Championship for the third consecutive year. The event was hosted by New York Yacht Club (NYYC) on May 30–31.
“We’re super-lucky to have the same team three years in a row, so we’ve got the benefit of being able to practice together at St. Francis,” StFYC team captain Kate Shiber said in a press release. The team closed out the regatta undefeated, with a score of 7-0.
“We have a phenomenal team. The teamwork amongst the eight of us is really fantastic,” skipper Molly Carapiet said in the press release. “I think we have really good boat handling and communication on both of the boats, and I think we’re really resilient when things go a little sideways in a race, so we have a lot of trust in each other to help each other out.” The Californian team consisted of Kate Shiber, Lindsey Baab, Helen Lord, Elena VandenBerg, Molly Carapiet, Rosalind Meade, Sammy Steele and McKenzie Wilson.
First run in 2021, the Women’s 2v2 Team Race is one of five highly regarded team-race regattas held each summer by the New York Yacht Club. The event, held in early June, attracts top female sailors from across the country. The inaugural event was won by the host club, with Lauderdale Yacht Club winning in 2022 and Bristol Yacht Club in 2023. St. Francis Yacht Club won in 2024 and 2025. As with the other four regattas, the Morgan, Hinman, Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters, the Women’s 2v2 utilizes the club’s fleet of 22 identical Sonar sailboats.
Mother Nature had her own plans for the weekend. A northerly surge of up to 45 knots and low temperatures canceled the first day of racing. Light breeze Sunday morning gradually built into heavy-air, high-intensity racing, with teams exchanging the lead throughout the races and many of the wins coming down to the final leg. The first round robin completed 20 races before heading into a gold round robin with the top two teams from each mini-round. Larchmont Yacht Club came in second with 5-2, and Newport Harbor Yacht Club finished third, 4-3.
“We love to compete. We had good starts, but mostly it’s just boat handling. We would just draw people into tacking duels,” said Shiber. “We’re lucky we still sail J/22s multiple times a week, which are very similar to Sonars, so we just got that stuff dialed.” Carapiet continued, “We also do a lot of match racing too. I think that helps with a lot of the boat-to-boat situations.”
Good Jibes #246: Gerry Gragg on Being a Latitude 38 Ambassador, With Host John Arndt
This week we’re joined by Gerry Gragg to chat about his lifetime of sailing, with stories near and far from the Bay Area. Gerry is a Latitude 38 ambassador who has been a fan of the magazine for over 30 years, and credits it with shaping his sailing career.
Tune in as Gerry shares with host John Arndt stories from how he learned to sail and race, how he and his wife sailed left out the Gate and never looked back, his favorite memories from many years in the Med, how they learned Spanish and Italian, and why sailing volunteers are so crucial to teaching the next generation of sailors.
Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:
- Getting into sailing at 40
- Crossing the Atlantic with two hired professionals and 15 crossings of experience between them
- COVID ends six years of living in Italy after 62 days quarantined in their apartment
- Surfing at 17 knots under spinnaker all night and earning the nickname “Pops”
- Five years prepping the boat in Alameda
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your other favorite podcast spots — follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re feeling the Good Jibes!
Learn more about Gerry here: https://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/latitude-ambassador-sports-basement/
Check out the episode and show notes for much more detail.
We’re looking for additional ambassadors. If you’d like to join Gerry and become a Latitude 38 ambassador, email us at: [email protected]. It’s a lot of fun!
Sailboat Racing Heating Up in June
From the Yacht Racing Association
The YRA’s Farallones Race will sail this Saturday, June 6. Register by 5 p.m. PDT today, or sit on the dock crying! This is the only Farallones Race that allows full crews. As of this morning, 10 boats had signed up.
The YRA and HMBYC invite offshore sailors to head down the coast in the Half Moon Bay Race. “Our only Offshore Destination Regatta, the Half Moon Bay race is an exciting and fun event, taking boats out the Golden Gate, down the coast, to Pillar Point, where the fantastic hospitality at Half Moon Bay Yacht Club greets racers. An always popular, always delicious paella dinner waits for everyone after the race. To enter, sign up as a Single Race Entry in the Offshore Series, and select the June 20 Half Moon Race as your race day.” Remember that offshore races have special equipment requirements, which can be found at https://yra.org/coastalser. Register on Jibeset.
The Women’s Championship Series will kick off its sophomore year with Encinal YC’s Shirley Temming Regatta on June 27.
On Sunday, June 28, the YRA’s Doublehanded Series will continue with Race #3, the Island Tour.
Fleet Regattas on San Francisco Bay
This weekend, June 6-7, Encinal YC will host a regatta for J/105, J/88 and Express 37 fleets, and Sausalito YC will host the Spring Classic Boat Invitational for Knarrs, Folkboats, Birds and Bears.
San Francisco YC will run the Hart Nunes Regatta for Mercurys on June 13-14.
On June 19-21, St. Francis YC will host the Junior Heavy Weather for Optis and RS Teras. The Slalom will be that Friday. The following weekend, June 26-28, StFYC offers a Woodies Invitational for Alerion 28s, Folkboats and Knarrs.
Continuing this section’s theme of one-design events, South Beach YC will welcome J/105 and J/88 fleets on June 20-21.
More in Northern California
Santa Cruz YC will host the International 14 NorCal Championship on June 6-7.
The Delta Ditch Run will return for its 35th edition on Saturday, June 13. “If you haven’t done the Ditch Run, you are missing one of the most fun events on the West Coast,” says the YRA newsletter. “Round up the crew and join the fun. It should be another great 65-mile downwind run from the Richmond Yacht Club, up the Bays and rivers, to the Stockton Sailing Club.” Not only a destination race to a great party in a warm venue, the Ditch is a destination weekend for travelers from all over the western United States. You’ll see boats that trailer down from the Northwest, up from Southern California and west from landlocked lakes. See https://stocktonsc.org/on-the-water/regatta/ddr. Sign up by Sunday, June 7, to save a late fee. Registrations close on at midnight on Wednesday, June 10.
The Singlehanded Sailing Society will start the Great Pacific Longitude Race (LongPac) on June 20. The race is open to both singlehanded and doublehanded crews. For singlehanders, it’s a qualifier for the 2027 Singlehanded Transpacific Yacht Race. (Registration is already open for that, too!) Boats have one week to complete the 400-mile course. Be sure to read the Notice of Race and Safety Equipment Requirements carefully.
The US Sailing Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship for the Ida Lewis Trophy will come to Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation in Redwood City on June 29-July 2. The regatta will use 29er skiffs and Club 420 dinghies.
In Southern California
Del Rey YC’s Berger/Stein Series will conclude on June 6-7 with a Catalina weekend, the Cat Harbor Layover and Eagle Rock-Marina del Rey Race.
California YC in Marina del Rey will host the C420 State Championships on June 13-14.
San Diego YC’s qualifier for the US Sailing Area J Sears Cup Triplehanded will be on June 23. The following weekend, June 27-28, SDYC will host an Olympic Classes Regatta.
Epic Journey in the Pacific Northwest
The Race to Alaska will begin with Leg 1 (the Proving Ground) on June 14, from Port Townsend, WA, to Victoria, BC. Leg 2, to Ketchikan, AK, will depart Victoria Harbor on June 17. The website, www.r2ak.com, provides hours of entertaining reading.
San Francisco on the Bay: “The List”
Dine, Drink, Smoke, Stay, Play and Shop. Discover San Francisco Bay and all that inspires those of us who live or visit here.