The final stop on the European leg of SailGP Season 4 wrapped up this afternoon in Cádiz, the oldest city in the Western world, located in the Southernmost corner of Europe. Thousands of spectators lined the medieval city’s seawall to enjoy the racing, while the streets were filled with flamenco dancers and concerts played late into the night.
With ten teams back on the start line for the Spain Sail Grand Prix, competition was intense this weekend, yet light winds meant that consistency was hard to come by. Racing on the Atlantic Ocean, teams were optimistic for breezy conditions, but the top wind speed of the weekend was just over 12 knots.
The teams were racing with the 24 metre wings and five crew onboard on Saturday. Strategist Annie Haeger was on the grinding pedestals, together with Flight Controller Billy Gooderham in the five-up configuration. It was a tough day for the team though, with a few penalties, putting a 7th, 7th and 5th on the scoreboard.
Even lighter wind conditions on Sunday meant just four crew were onboard the team’s F50 SPIRIT for the two fleet races. The team pressed reset and fought back well, finishing 5th and 3rd to move up the leaderboard two places to finish 5th overall.
“It was light and fickle which makes it difficult to get these boats out of the water. It’s all down to technique and how you sail the boat in those conditions. We did alright, it’s a keeper. Five out of ten is not the worst for your season ranking,” said Phil.
A highlight for the team was a visit from Georgia and Antonia Lewin-Lafrance who took a day out of their Olympic training in Portugal to cheer on the team this weekend in Cadiz.
Support for the team keeps growing with fans from across the country tuning in to watch the racing. Youth and coaches taking part in the second edition of CAN Foil Week, which is supported by weCANfoil, took time out to host a watch party this weekend in Halifax and Canada SailGP Team members Billy Gooderham and Jareese Finch (grinder) will drop by to see the foilers later in the week. While Agustin Ferrario, weCANfoil Program Director, led the SailGP Inspire Racing Programme this weekend in Cadiz with 18 young women and men taking part.
The Canada SailGP Team moves up the leaderboard one place to 7th place in the Season 4 Championship and has set their sights on the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix on 10-11 December.
