SailGP: Canada top leaderboard on opening day of New York as light winds shorten racing schedule

Excellent tactical decision making and consistent 4th and 2nd place finishes in the day’s two fleet races saw Canada finish on top with 16 points.

Peter Burling’s New Zealand rounded out the top three after picking up 5th and 3rd place finishes.

However, with just 5 points separating Canada in 1st and Spain in 7th, there’s everything to play for when racing resumes.

The third fleet race of the day was abandoned shortly after starting when wind conditions dropped below 3.5 km/h. While there is no official lower end wind limit, the conditions were deemed too light to ensure a fair race.

Speaking after racing, Robertson said the day’s conditions of light, shifty winds and a strong current had made for ‘extremely tricky’ sailing.

“There’s a lot of current as well so the boat feels really horrible with current going in all different directions – it’s frustrating at times, you’re not feeling fat and loose,” he said.

He added that spotting the wind pressure across the course was almost impossible. “You’ve just got to trust your instincts and go where the gut tells you,” he said.

Elsewhere, Emirates GBR kicked off the event with purpose, converting an excellent start to Fleet Race 1 into a commanding race win. Giles Scott’s team will begin day two in fourth, tied on points with New Zealand in third.

Germany meanwhile started the event with a -4 point penalty after hitting Australia in practice racing. Poor race results of an 8th and 9th place saw Erik Heil’s team finish the day in 10th place overall.

This was despite home team the United States finishing dead last in both fleet races. This means Taylor Canfield’s team has finished 10th in the last 5 fleet races spanning New York and Halifax.

The Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix continues on June 23.