February 19, 2025

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Byte Class Technology & Sports Update

Slingsby, Aussies take lead in SailGP’s Singapore regatta

Slingsby, Aussies take lead in SailGP’s Singapore regatta

Two-time defending SailGP winner Tom Slingsby and Crew Australia utilised two superior commences in fickle light-weight wind to end 2nd in the two races Saturday and just take the direct in the Singapore Sail Grand Prix.

The consistent general performance in situations that have been the Aussies’ weak point gave them a four-level guide above Britain and Canada, with the United States and Denmark a further point back again.

Just after Sunday’s fleet races, the top rated 3 boats will progress to the podium race. The routine on Saturday was slice from three races to two because of to the light winds. The 50-foot foiling catamarans used their largest wing sails and ended up crewed by four sailors as a substitute of 6. Nevertheless, the wind was so weak that the boats almost never could pop up on their foils.

Two-time defending America’s Cup winner Peter Burling skippered New Zealand to victory in the 1st race and Jimmy Spithill, a two-time America’s Cup champion, steered the United States to victory in the 2nd race. New Zealand began this regatta with a four-stage penalty following a collision with the United States in observe on Thursday and will be penalized two points in the year standings in tech tycoon Larry Ellison’s global league.

“It’s rough out there, but the good thing is for us, two very good begins saved us,” explained Slingsby, who is chasing his 3rd straight season championship and the accompanying $1 million prize. “It was seriously tricky conditions. We basically permit a couple of positions go in each races. But we’re stoked. We’re so delighted to arrive away with two seconds in circumstances like that. It puts us in the hunt tomorrow. But everything can happen out here, like if we have two bad commences tomorrow, we will not make the closing, so we have just got to concentrate on that.”

Slingsby is an Olympic gold medalist and previous America’s Cup champion who will sail with the New York Yacht Club’s American Magic in the 2024 America’s Cup.

He realized this could be a difficult regatta because of to the light-weight wind.

“For sure, light-weight air is an difficulty for us,” Slingsby said. “We are inconsistent. We can go out there and guide the working day like we did today and we can go out there and conclude up last, like we did in Dubai. We’re difficult to predict, the Aussies, I believe.”

Even however they were eighth in the nine-boat fleet right after the 1st working day of the Dubai regatta two months back, the Aussies squeaked into the podium race soon after New Zealand was penalized for a collision, and then sailed to victory after British skipper Sir Ben Ainslie experienced a very poor maneuver at the final mark.

Australia sits atop the season standings with 60 points, followed by New Zealand with 51, France 50 and Britain 48. There are 3 regattas left and the prime 3 teams will advance to the $1 million, winner-just take-all Grand Last at the finish of the San Francisco regatta May possibly 6-7.

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Adhere to Bernie Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/berniewilson