Source: Radio New Zealand
The shot that sold Auckland to SailGP fans as the Black Foils sail past the grandstand. Felix Diemer for SailGP
Great photos, terrific facilities and enthusiastic crowds don’t necessarily mean Sail GP is a certainty for the city in the future
It’s got the action and suspense of a Hollywood blockbuster, it’s got movie star backing, it’s even got its own song, and the “carnage” in Fremantle has set the scene for SailGP racing in Auckland this weekend.
The pressure is on in more ways than one with the bottom-of-the-table Black Foils battling to get their boat, Amokura, repaired in time and to get points on the board after their big crash at the first event of the year in Western Australia last month.
Even the repair job has been a dramatic race against time, involving high tech work at SailGP’s headquarters in Southampton, England before the parts were flown back to Auckland to be put back together, says Sail-World‘s New Zealand writer Richard Gladwell.
He says the thrill of what he calls the Formula 1 of sailing kicked off in Freemantle in a reminder of the heydays of the America’s Cup in the 1980s.
“There was plenty of action, short sharp seas, these boats have never been sailed in conditions like that before,” he tells The Detail.
Interest has been fuelled by close-up videos posted on social media, being able to tap into the live race talk on the boats as well as the “UmpApp” or Umpire App.
It means that spectators can see what the umpires use to call who is wrong in the incident. In the case of the spectacular Freemantle crash it was the Black Foils.
“It was pretty obvious from the Umpire App that the New Zealand guys were in the wrong,” he says.
Kiwis playing catch up
But the Kiwi team’s chances of a win on Waitematā Harbour are as good as any of the top ranked boats.
“They should be in the top five. They’d be pretty disappointed if they weren’t,” Gladwell says.
Whether the Kiwis can claw their way back to the top by the end of 2026 and the 13 events around the world is another question.
“Instead of coming out of Freemantle with five points, they’ve got negative three.
“They’re going to be playing catchup for the other 12 events in the year.”
There are also big expectations of Auckland with ongoing doubts over its future as a host SailGP venue.
The city became the marquee event last year with its grandstand for 10,000 spectators perched on the edge of the water, and thousands more watching the foiling catamarans hitting speeds of up to 100 kilometres an hour.
“That really set the benchmark for all the other events,” says Gladwell. “The photo of the year was basically shot with the Black Foils heading into this wall of people on the grandstand. It’s spectacular stuff.”
So spectacular that SailGP organisers have played clips of the Auckland event to potential bidders around the world, showing this “massive grandstand with these boats hurtling in towards it literally throwing the spray on the spectators’ feed”.
But that’s no guarantee, with cities around the world clamouring to host the event, recognising its growing popularity to fans and financial backers.
“The problem with Auckland is that they find it very difficult to match the prices that are being offered overseas.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
