SailGP has been called out by Greenpeace’s executive director in New Zealand/Aotearoa over its response to a race cancellation prompted by the presence of dolphins on the racecourse.

Racing was postponed on Saturday 23 March at the second annual New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Christchurch, leading to a so-called ‘Super Sunday’ where Australia’s SailGP team suffered a massive collision that forced their retirement.

Following the event, SailGP co-founder Sir Russell Coutts had harsh words for what he described as an “extreme marine mammal management plan forced upon us”.

But Greenpeace’s chief in New Zealand wasn’t having any of that.

In an opinion piece for the NZ Herald, Dr Russel Norman characterised Sir Russell’s comments as “a Trumpian outburst”, emphasising that SailGP was fully aware of the Lyttelton Harbour venue’s status as a protected area for endangered Upokohue/Hector’s dolphins.

“So much for all the greenwash that SailGP cares about the environment,” Dr Norman says.

The NZ Herald has more HERE.

Australia’s SailGP team suffered a massive collision that forced their retirement from the second annual New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Christchurch at the weekend.

As Marine Industry News reports, Tom Slingsby and his crew were rocked by the collision with a course mark during the first fleet race on Sunday (24 March) — a so-called ‘Super Sunday’ due to the cancellation of Saturday’s racing over dolphins on the racecourse.

While the crash was a devastating blow for the team, who celebrated victory in their home event last month, it could have been much worse for them and for Canada’s F50 as it was the result of a split-second manoeuvre to avoid a catastrophic clash between the two boats.

“It all happened so quickly but at that moment I knew that we were going to hit Canada, so I had a choice to make and I wanted to keep people safe so I turned the boat as hard as I could into the course mark,” Australia Team driver Slingsby said. “I knew the mark was there but it was either that or go straight through Canada.”

New Zealand’s Peter Burling and crew went on to take the victory in their home race in this ninth round of the SailGP’s fourth season.

Marine Industry News has more on the story HERE.

Australia claimed its first SailGP Season 4 win by triumphing over ROCKWOOL Denmark and New Zealand in an action-packed, three-boat Final on Sydney Harbour at the weekend.

A dominant performance on home waters throughout the weekend saw the Aussies qualify for the Final alongside the Kiwis and ROCKWOOL DEN, with France once again falling short of a top-three finish by the narrowest of margins.

And following a hard-fought battle in the event-deciding clash, it was Tom Slingsby's team who secured the victory to delight the watching crowds who lined the shores of Genesis Island and Sydney Harbour this weekend.

Australia's Home Triumph at SailGP Sydney Harbour

New Zealand did the double in the UAE to secure back-to-back victories after winning the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council. Mastering the light conditions and its nemesis - the 29 metre wing - New Zealand beat Spain and the United States in front of a sold out crowd. In a change of favour, overall leaders Australia missed out on its first event final of the season to finish seventh.

The new-look US team - with Taylor Canfield in the driving seat - sailed well to secure a fourth and third, to make it into the first final since the team was sold, with the final spot secured by the Burling's Kiwi's.

In the three-boat event final, the Kiwis had the strongest start, crossing the line first and leading round the first mark from Spain and the United States.

The results from this weekend closes the gap between the Aussies - who still remain first overall on the leaderboard - ahead of New Zealand who have bumped their way up to second place - with only a six point gap between first and second. The Kiwis now record the most event wins across Season 4. A podium result for the US, sees them move up the leaderboard from fifth to third.

The SailGP fleet packs up and leaves the UAE and arrives at its first stop in APAC for the eighth event of Season 4 in the heart of Sydney, Australia. Fans don't have long to wait for their next fix of SailGP as the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix in Sydney takes place on February 24-25.

Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix Presented By Abu Dhabi Sports Council // Final Standings //

1 // New Zealand 10 points
2 // Spain 9 points
3 // United States 8 points
4 // France 7 points
5 // Germany 6 points
6 // Canada 5 points
7 // Australia 4 points
8 // Emirates GBR 3 points
9 // ROCKWOOL Denmark 2 points
10 // Switzerland 1 point

British sailing legend Sir Ben Ainslie is stepping down as driver of Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team, as Marine Industry News reports.

The Olympic Games’ most successful sailor to date will be succeeded by fellow Olympic medallist and America’s Cup teammate Giles Scott as he intends to set his focus on the latter event.

Sir Ben will continue as chief executive and majority owner of Emirates GBR.

Announcing his decision just weeks after his final SailGP race as driver in Dubai, Sir Ben said it is “time for the next generation to come through”.

He added: “As the CEO of both Emirates GBR and the INEOS Britannia America’s Cup Team, and most importantly, a husband and father, at some point, you’ve got to realise that you can’t do everything.”

Marine Industry News has more on the story HERE.

SailGP has cancelled its upcoming event scheduled for Auckland next March over a reported legal issue concerning land for a spectator stand.

According to Marine Industry News, a dispute has arisen over how much land would be made available for the seating area at Wynyard Point, a zone of reclaimed land on Waitematā Harbour where remediation works are ongoing and which is currently leased to America’s Cup winners Emirates Team New Zealand.

The city of Auckland said that it presented alternatives to SaulGP organisers but “the unavailability of Wynyard Point land as a spectator facility proved to be a barrier to holding the event in Auckland”.

A spokesperson for SailGP said that it “continues to work…to progress planning for its Season 4 New Zealand event, 23-24 March 2024”.

Marine Industry News has more on the story HERE.

Recently crowned World Sailor of the Year, Tom Slingsby will miss the upcoming Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix, it has been confirmed.

The Australian driver, who leads the three-time reigning and defending team, will skip the event to be with his wife Helena, who is expecting their first child.

It means a substitute driver will take the reins of the Flying Roos, who will continue their hunt for an elusive first win when Season 4 arrives in the United Arab Emirates next month. It is understood the identity of the driver will be revealed in the run-up to the event, which takes place on December 9-10.

Despite not winning an event so far this season, Australia currently sits at the top of the overall Championship leaderboard with 43 points. The Aussies have appeared in all five Finals of Chicago, L.A., Saint-Tropez, Taranto and Cadiz, but failed to clinch the overall victory. Speaking after Cadiz, Slingsby said he was 'sick of losing Finals' and reflected on the team's last win - the Season 3 title in San Francisco in March.

Nicolai Sehested's ROCKWOOL DEN currently sit in second place with 36 points thanks to consistent fleet racing, while the United States soared up the leaderboard to third with 32 points after winning in Cadiz.

Triple SailGP champions Australia have risen to the top of the leaderboard after the first day of aggressive racing in Cádiz on Saturday, but has just a one-point lead heading into day two.

Nicolai Sehested’s ROCKWOOL DEN are breathing down their necks in second place with 24 points after a day of consistent racing, while home favourites Spain are in third thanks to winning the first race of the day.

Despite a lukewarm 5th place in Fleet Race 1, Australia battled back to finish second in Fleet Race 2 and take the win in the final race of the day, topping the metrics of highest average speed, fly time, distance and manoeuvres.

Speaking after racing, driver Tom Slingsby said the team had worked hard to improve on their ‘shocking’ performance in practice racing.

“We learned a lot overnight; we looked at our rivals and saw what they were doing differently - it was just a few things we tidied up, but all in all we sailed way better,” he said.

It was a day of erratic performances, aggressive racing and tight boat-on-boat situations as the notoriously unstable sea state of Cádiz challenged flight controllers.

The first fleet race was packed with drama, with Switzerland disqualified after attempting to barge into the start line, forcing ROCKWOOL Denmark to avoid a collision.

A close call between France, Canada and Emirates GBR in the approach to the finish line almost resulted in a collision, and an 11th-hour penalty sent France to the back of the fleet.

Erik Heil’s Germany had a shocking start to the second fleet race when it was squeezed out of the line by the Swiss. Quentin Delapierre’s France meanwhile converted a dominating start into a commanding lead and took the second win of the day.

Elsewhere, a growing feud between the Spanish and Canadians - sparked by a fallout over a collision in Saint-Tropez - saw aggressive match racing tactics deployed by Phil Robertson’s Canada to land a painful penalty on Spain.

Switzerland had another close situation on the start line of the third fleet race with France, but Australia looked untroubled as they stretched away from the fleet to secure the last race win of the day.

New Zealand had a lukewarm return despite a convincing performance in practice racing, picking up 4-5-8 race results to finish 6th at the end of the day.

Ben Ainslie’s Emirates GBR also had a tricky day despite winning the last two events in Taranto and Saint-Tropez. The team suffered technical issues ahead of racing and finished with 8-10-6 results, making it almost impossible for the Brits to make tomorrow’s Final.

Racing resumes at 15:30 CEST on October 15.

New Zealand bounced back from its enforced racing hiatus by picking up two race wins and ending Cadiz’s practice racing at the top of the leaderboard, tied on points with ROCKWOOL DEN.

The result comes the day before the Spanish Sail Grand Prix at Andalucía-Cádiz on Saturday, October 14.

The Kiwis picked up a 1-4-1 race record across the three practice races, ending the day with 27 points. It comes after the team suffered significant wing damage at the end of the Saint-Tropez Race Day 1, which ruled them out of racing on day two and for the entire Taranto event.

The Kiwis currently sit 5th on the Season 4 Championship leaderboard and is under pressure to claw back precious points when the 5th event of the season gets underway in Cadiz.

ROCKWOOL DEN, which has had a strong season start, also performed well, picking up three 2nd place finishes in a consistent showing.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Spithill’s United States finished the day in 3rd with 23 points, picking up 4-3-3 finishes despite the absence of flight controller Hans Henken who is recovering from injuries sustained in Taranto. Former flight controller Taylor Canfield is subbing into the role at this event.

Elsewhere, it was a tricky day for Quentin Delapierre’s France, which finished the day at the bottom of the leaderboard, below Canada, Switzerland and Australia.

Emirates GBR also had a rocky practice day despite coming to Cadiz from back-to-back wins in Saint-Tropez and Taranto, finishing the day in 6th. The surprise of the day was the solid performance of Erik Heil’s young German team, which finished in 5th overall. Home favourites Spain meanwhile picked up one race win and finished the day in 4th.

The Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía-Cádiz takes place on October 14-15, with racing scheduled between 15:30-17:00 CEST.

Emirates GBR has secured its second consecutive event win in the three-boat Final in Taranto at the Italian SailGP regatta.

However, the race was terminated due to light winds, resulting in the top three teams, namely Australia, the United States, and Emirates GBR, failing to reach the third gate within the 16-minute race time limit. As a result, the top team from the fifth fleet race, Emirates GBR, clinched the overall event win, while Australia and the United States finished second and third, respectively.

Emirates GBR was the highest-performing team throughout the weekend, finishing never below third throughout all five fleet races. Ben Ainslie, the driver of the winning team, praised his squad's commendable efforts throughout the competition, saying, "The team did a great job all weekend - certainly we were lucky in that last race." He also lauded his team's consistency throughout the event.

Although Race Day 2 was entirely different from the high-octane racing of Taranto's opening day, Emirates GBR repeated their impressive opening day performance, securing a race win and a second-place finish in the final two fleet races. Meanwhile, the United States team, led by Jimmy Spithill, made a commendable comeback after an athlete's injury on day one, securing a third and first-place finish in fleet racing.

France was set to take the third place in the Final, but Canada pipped Quentin Delapierre's team to the finish line in Fleet Race 5, resulting in the United States taking the third position instead. Despite being unable to complete the Final, Spithill's team finished third overall, the team's best result since Sydney in Season 3.

Spain also proved itself as a light wind specialist, making a comeback from its 8-8-7 record on Race Day 1, securing a second and third-place finish in the last two fleet races.

SailGP fans can witness the F50 fleet in action at the Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía Cádiz, scheduled on October 14-15.