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Local Aussies Win Sydney SailGP

SailGP’s Sydney event has come to an end, and we’re all looking forward to the action of the F50 foiling cats tearing across San Francisco Bay next year. Will you have a front row seat? Our Down Under friend, Stewart Murray, was on Sydney Harbour this past weekend and had an up-close view of the boats racing around the course.

Team USA in classic foiling mode with the Sydney city skyline in the background.
© 2021 Stewart Murray
Sydney SailGP
Great Britain and Spain go head to head.
© 2021 Stewart Murray
How close can they get without touching?
© 2021 Stewart Murray
Denmark zips by in hopes of a win.
© 2021 Stewart Murray
Rounding the mark.
© 2021 Stewart Murray
Team USA scoots by on Thursday’s practice day. We just include this photo so you can see the iconic Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background.
© 2021 Stewart Murray

A big thank you to Stewart for sharing his photos. Some of our readers may have bumped into Stewart over the years and across the oceans. Stewart is as salty as they come, a pirate at heart, and all-around good guy. And if you happen to be one of those who were aboard when Stewart lost his lucky hat during the 59th annual Wirth M. Monroe Yacht Race in Florida all those years ago, fear not — he has a new lucky hat.

From Florida to the Bahamas, Maine to the Pacific, and everywhere in between, Stewart never stops sailing.
© 2021 Stewart Murray

Race Day 2

After an uneven first day of racing, Tom Slingsby’s Australia team pulled out the win on Day 2, to the great pleasure of the local crowd. The Aussies thus qualify for March’s Grand Final. USA took second place and also booked their ticket for the $1 million showdown in San Francisco.

Nathan Outteridge inspects broken bow
Nathan Outteridge, CEO and driver of Japan SailGP Team, looks at the damage to the F50 catamaran caused by a collision with the Great Britain SailGP team at the start of Race 3.
© 2021 Patrick Hamilton / SailGP

After the Brits sliced off their starboard bow on Friday, the Japan team used a hybrid boat on Day 2. The British team did not race, instead loaning their boat to the Japan team, led by Aussie Nathan Outteridge. Japan won the first two races of the day; Australia won the penultimate race. In the final, the Australia team vanquished the US and Spain.

Japan team on red Brit boat
The Japan team quickly rebranded the red boat borrowed from the Brits and raced successfully on Day 2. The hybrid boat comprised the Brits’ hull and the Japan team’s 24-meter wing sail and hydrofoils. Sir Ben Ainslie and his team gave up their boat so that Japan could compete.
© 2021 Phil Hilyard / SailGP

Sydney Event Results

  1. Australia, 3-7-1-4-2-(1); 28
  2. USA, 6-3-2-3-4-(2); 27
  3. Spain, 1-2-3-6-6-(3); 27
  4. Japan, 7-1-7-1-1; 26
  5. New Zealand, 5-8-5-2-3; 22
  6. Denmark, 4-5-4-7-5; 20
  7. France, 8-6-6-5-7; 11
  8. Great Britain, 2-4-7-8-8; 6

Great Britain received 6 penalty points; France received 2 penalty points.

Season 2 Leaderboard

  1. Australia, 55 points
  2. USA, 53
  3. Japan, 51
  4. Spain, 43
  5. New Zealand, 42
  6. Great Britain, 41
  7. Denmark, 38
  8. France, 35

2 Comments

  1. stephen yocom 2 years ago

    What are the dates for next year’s San Francisco event?

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