Canada takes its first victory at a SailGP event, with its captain Kiwi beating his countrymen and Australia in the tight Christchurch decider… with Great Britain and France now on a collision course towards the end of the season
- Canada overcame New Zealand and Australia to win the Christchurch SailGP event
- Their skipper, Phil Robertson, is a Kiwi, so the locals weren’t entirely disappointed.
- Great Britain narrowly missed out on the podium race, finishing fourth overall
Canada claimed its first victory at a SailGP event by defeating home favorites New Zealand and championship leaders Australia in a thrilling final race in Christchurch.
Their captain, Phil Robertson, is from New Zealand and has apologized to his countrymen as his adopted squad almost crossed the line in the first place.
The result, however, left Australia and New Zealand strongly positioned to reach the grand finale of the winner-take-all race at the last event in San Francisco in May.
Which boat will join them in this final will be a battle between Great Britain and France in the best tradition.
Quentin Delapierre’s French boat will head to the city of Golden Gate just one point ahead of Sir Ben Ainslie’s British crew in the general classification – and someone will be bitterly disappointed.
Canada took victory in the waters of Lyttelton Harbour, outlasting New Zealand and Australia in a tight and tense finish to the weekend’s racing
Canadian captain Phil Robertson is from New Zealand and apologized to the home crowd after upsetting the Kiwi team
The nine boats in action in the waters of Lyttelton Harbor on the second day of racing
Great Britain had a consistent weekend here until a sixth-place finish in the fleet’s fifth race, after a sub-par start, saw them fall behind the Canadians on the leaderboard.
“We didn’t do a good job running the starts today,” said Ainslie. ‘Actually, we were in good positions at both starts, but we didn’t get it right.
‘We fell behind with the French in that final start that didn’t work out for us. The team did a great job to overcome, but we didn’t do enough to get on the podium, which was frustrating.
‘But overall, winning a point in France [in the overall standings] it was very important to go to San Francisco.’
SailGP’s unique format means that the entire 11-race season will come down to the final three-boat race in San Francisco after the nine-strong field is whittled down over the weekend.
“It’s been a while since we’ve won one of these events,” added Ainslie. ‘We haven’t won an event all season and if there’s time for it, it will be in the final.’
Robertson’s Canadian boat faced Peter Burling’s Kiwis and a partisan home support at Lyttelton Harbor after Australia fell behind early on.
Despite falling off the foils and also receiving a one-stage penalty for straying from the course boundaries, the Canadians had more speed than their rivals.
Having missed the final races in Bermuda and Chicago earlier in the season, Robertson was thrilled to ‘take the monkey off our shoulder’.
Ben Ainslie and the British crew narrowly missed the podium race in Christchurch
The British boat in pursuit of Australia (middle) and New Zealand (left) during a race
The crew from Canada sprayed their boat with champagne after winning the last race on Sunday
He added: ‘It feels really good, especially doing this in New Zealand, my home country. I am happy.
‘It was very special for everyone on the team; we’ve had some ups and downs, especially coming out of Sydney, we’ve had to regroup, so to get a win off of that, we’re really excited.
‘To get the win in New Zealand is amazing and as a good Canadian would say, “sorry New Zealand!”
The Canadians knocked Great Britain out of the final in the closing stages of the fifth fleet race of the weekend.
Australia bounced back from a disappointing Saturday to win both fleet races on Sunday to reach the three-boat final.
That means the Aussies sit comfortably at the top of the season standings on 84 points and only an unmitigated disaster in San Francisco will deny them a spot in the grand final.
New Zealand had a great weekend here and are in second place on 73 points, taking advantage of home field advantage to close the gap slightly on Australia.
But it’s the showdown between Britain and France in the English Channel that will provide the most intrigue in the final weekend of the SailGP campaign.
Most home fans were disappointed when Canada defeated New Zealand in the final
The Lyttelton Hills provided a stunning backdrop for the penultimate race of the year.