The second event of SailGP Season 4 took place this weekend, with ten teams battling it out on a tight race course in the Port of Los Angeles.
Racing with the 24M wings and small jibs on day one presented challenges for all the teams, especially as the wind conditions got lighter and shiftier. An issue with the jib halyard lock onboard the Canadian F50 SPIRIT just minutes before the start of race two put the team under extra pressure. Phil Robertson and the Canadians placed 5th, 7th and 3rd to round out the day in fifth place overall.
“It was a tricky day, but pretty good sailing. Overall, lots to work on, but lots of good takeaways,” said grinder Tom Ramshaw.
The teams had the largest (29M) wings and full complement of six crew onboard when racing got underway at 1610 PST today. The Canadian team started consistently and was very much in the mix, finishing in third and fourth place today. The team however, missed out on advancing to the event final by a mere point, to finish in fourth overall.
“We were sailing quite well today, but we lost a few points yesterday to our own doing and had a technical issue with our jib, that put us on the back foot massively. To review the weekend, we had a lot of points left out there and to come within one point of making the final is disappointing,’ said Phil.
With ten more events to go in the season and new ownership pending, there is lots more to come from the Canadian team. “A bid for the team has been accepted by SailGP so, it’s about finalizing all the paperwork. Hopefully, we’ll have a new ownership group and be on our way again very soon,” said Phil at the opening press conference of the Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix.
SailGP is also working hard to finalize the details of the Canadian event planned for this season. “It will be huge to have a home event. Since the start of this team, sailing in Canada has changed completely. The team has been a catalyst for a new generation of sailors and now we’re seeing so much foiling activity going on in Canada, so we can’t wait to race at home,” said Phil.
Joining the team in Los Angeles as an intern was weCANfoil Development Athlete Tate Howell. An aspiring foiler from Toronto, Tate took part in the SailGP Inspire regatta in Chicago and was the only career intern at the Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix. As part of the team’s commitment to developing new athletes and the SailGP Women’s Pathway Programme, the team will continue to offer opportunities to talented Canadian youth and grow the sport.
From Los Angeles, the fleet heads to Saint-Tropez, for the first of three European events in Season 4. Racing will take place on 9-10 September – save the date!
