All 10 of SailGP’s national teams have opted to sail with fleet’s largest 29m wing on the second day of Dubai to compensate for the light wind forecast.
SailGP has three different sized wings; 18m for use in high winds, 24m for moderate winds, and 29m for light winds. However, the 29m wing was temporarily taken out of action following the failure of New Zealand’s wingsail in Saint-Tropez.
But after racing on December 9, SailGP CEO Russell Coutts offered teams the choice of the 24m or 29m wing when racing continues in Dubai.
“For the first time ever in SailGP, Russell has said it’s up to you which wing you use with tomorrow,” said Canada wing trimmer Paul Campbell-James. “With the forecast as it is, it’s maxing out at 10 knots. At 10 knots, the little wing is probably faster, but at less than 10, we think the big wing is faster.”
He added: “We’re going to go big - big wings win big races.”
Switzerland driver Sebastien Schneiter added: “Looking at the forecast, we believe the 29m wing will be better - it will give us the extra power to go into H1 a bit earlier. Also we feel very safe using that wing, we know more about why the wing of New Zealand broke in Saint-Tropez.”
