SailGP’s first visit to Abu Dhabi was packed with drama, with collisions and close calls in challenging light wind conditions.
But one of the most dramatic moments of the event unfolded in the fifth fleet race when Canada collided with a race mark, which maneuvered onto the course.
Canada driver Phil Robertson was able to turn the F50 away from the mark, but wasn’t able to completely avoid a collision.
Speaking after racing, he explained: “It was a really tricky situation for us - we were sailing upwind, just crossing in front of the Swiss boat and then when I first saw the mark we were below it and then suddenly it was right in front of us.”
He added: “That will be reviewed for sure to see how we can improve without marks running into boats.”
Reflecting on the highs of the weekend, Robertson pointed the team’s ability to ‘pass a lot of boats all weekend’.
“It was tough to get off the start line, but we passed a lot of boats so that was a huge high.”
The team finished the event with a 3-6-5-7-5 race record to finish in 6th overall. The team sits in 8th overall on the Season 4 leaderboard, but remains just 6 points off 3rd.
