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.
