SailGP Christchurch: All you need to know for New Zealand debut in ...

SailGP makes its New Zealand debut this weekend. Photo: David Gray / SailGP

All you need to know ahead of SailGP’s New Zealand debut this weekend.

What exactly is SailGP?

The brainchild of Larry Ellison and Sir Russell Coutts, SailGP is a high-performance sailing series in which teams compete across a season with the ultimate goal of claiming the US$1 million (NZ$1.6m) prize at the end. The current season is the third edition of the competition — the second to feature a New Zealand team — and this weekend’s event in Christchurch will be the first time SailGP has held an event on our shores.

The series is contested in F50 foiling catamarans, similar to those used in the 2017 America’s Cup in Bermuda. Unlike in the America’s Cup, where boat design is a big part of getting an edge on an opponent, SailGP has a one-design fleet which means every team is sailing with the same equipment, and all nine teams compete at the same time in fleet races.

With the high-speed and precise movements of the vessels, and how busy the race course is, it makes for exciting racing, and the races are completed quickly. An average three-race day will take around 90 minutes to complete.

Each spot of the series — which has grown every year — sees the fleet compete in five races, before the top three on the leaderboard go into the event final, called the podium race. The winner of an event gets 10 points toward the season leaderboard, and the points allocation trickles down from there to two points for ninth place.

At the end of the fleet races for the grand finale in San Francisco next month, the top three teams on the overall leaderboard will contest a one-off race where the winner takes home the prize. So, the goal leading into San Francisco is a top-three finish; there is no benefit to ending the regular season atop the ladder when it comes to the Grand Final shootout race.

Who is racing?

There are nine teams in the current season: New Zealand, Australia (the two-time defending champions), Great Britain, USA, France, Denmark, Switzerland, Canada and Spain.

Across those teams there are several familiar faces. Among them, New Zealand features the likes of Blair Tuke and Peter Burling, USA is led by Jimmy Spithill, Sir Ben Ainslie is at the helm for Great Britain, and Kiwi Phil Robertson is the driver for Canada.

The season started with a fleet of 10, but the Japan entry was indefinitely withdrawn as only nine vessels were available.

The New Zealand SailGP team during a practice session in Christchurch. Photo / Photosport

Where are they racing then? And when?

In the season’s penultimate event, SailGP has descended upon Lyttelton Harbour, about 20 minutes outside of Christchurch. The sailing will take place from 3pm to 4.30pm this Saturday and Sunday.

Access to Lyttelton will be restricted between 12pm and 6pm on race days and with no public parking in town or on-site, shuttles will be the fastest, most reliable and most sustainable way for ticket holders to get to and from the venue. They can be caught from the city centre live site, located between Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre and Cathedral Square. The service runs to the venue from 11.30am to 2.15pm on Saturday and Sunday. Public buses to Lyttelton will continue to operate.

While branded taxis will be able to travel through closures, rideshare services such as Uber will not.

For those who don’t have a ticket to attend the event, the city centre live site will be showing the action on a big screen, and will have a range of activities for kids, food stalls and activations.

How are the Kiwis doing this year?

After some struggles in their debut campaign, the New Zealand SailGP team have been impressive this season and go into the Christchurch event second on the leaderboard. No team has won more races than the New Zealand team this year; however, penalties have cost them points on the leaderboard and they trail the Australians by 12. The remaining events (Christchurch and San Francisco) will be about consolidating their position in the top three for the Kiwis, who would back themselves against anyone when it came to a one-off race.

The team is primarily comprised of Peter Burling (driver), Blair Tuke (wing trimmer), Andy Maloney (flight controller), Liv Mackay (strategist), Josh Junior (grinder), Louis Sinclair (grinder), and Marcus Hansen (grinder), while Jo Aleh and Erica Dawson have also filled the strategist role throughout the season.

What’s this Impact League they keep talking about?

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke at the presentation of the 2022 Impact League trophy with Sylvia Earle. Photo / Photosport

The Impact League was introduced in the second season of SailGP, and tracks the positive actions teams make to reduce their overall carbon footprint and help accelerate inclusivity in sailing — essentially tracking the positive impact the teams have on the environment and promoting the sport.

It is judged through a wide criteria, with everything from the brand their team clothing comes from to the food they eat and fuel usage being tracked and factoring into their result for the event.

The New Zealand team won the Impact League last season, and are again at the top rung of the ladder heading into Christchurch — just three points ahead of Denmark.

How do I watch it if I’m not in Christchurch?

Sky Sport will be broadcasting the action live from 3pm to 4.30pm on Sky Sport 2 on Saturday and Sky Sport 4 on Sunday. Saturday’s racing will be live free-to-air on Three as well, with delayed coverage at 4.30pm on Sunday.