The second installment of Season 4 saw SailGP’s 10-strong F50 fleet reconvene in the Port of Los Angeles, going head to head on SailGP’s tightest racetrack yet. From New Zealand’s poor performance to Germany’s collision, we round up five moments you might have missed from the weekend of high intensity racing.
Germany collides with Switzerland
LA was only the second event for newcomer Germany and one small misjudgment on the start line of Fleet Race 4 cost the team two season points. The Germans were attempting to maneuver in light airs when they shunted the stern of Switzerland - earning them four penalty points and two season points, meaning the team finished the event with 0. Despite this, Germany picked up its best race result so far in the following race - netting a fifth place finish.
Aussies sweep seaweed from their foils
There were creative solutions on board the Australian boat in LA, with grinder Kinley Fowler sweeping seaweed from the F50’s foil with a boat hook. The weed had wrapped itself around the foil during the Final and was slowing the Aussie boat down.
New Zealand fails to perform
It was a tough weekend for Peter Burling’s New Zealand. Despite coming into LA fresh from winning Season 4’s opening event in Chicago, the team had a lackluster fleet racing performance, finishing with 4-5-10-7-6 results and finishing 7th overall. This means that New Zealand has been knocked off the top spot of the Championship leaderboard, replaced by Season 3 champions Australia.
The tightest SailGP racetrack yet
Declared the tightest racetrack in SailGP history, the Port of Los Angeles challenged crews like never before. There were plenty of close crosses, contentious penalties and near misses as teams converged on the start line and mark roundings.
Spain claims its first ever win
With consistent results throughout the weekend, Spain squeaked into the Final with a one-point margin, going head to head against Australia and ROCKWOOL Denmark for the LA title. After securing a good start, the Spanish sailed a clean race to cross the finish line first - sealing their historic first ever event victory since entering the league.
