Canada win New Zealand SailGP with Great Britain and France on collision course  

Canada claim first win in a SailGP event as their New Zealand skipper beats their compatriots and Australia in the tight Christchurch decider… with Great Britain and France now on a collision course for the end of the season

  • Canada edged out New Zealand and Australia to win the Christchurch SailGP event
  • His skipper, Phil Robertson, is a New Zealander, so the locals weren’t entirely disappointed.
  • Great Britain narrowly missed out on the podium race, finishing fourth overall.

Canada took their first win in a SailGP event by beating home favorites New Zealand and championship leaders Australia in a thrilling final race in Christchurch.

His skipper Phil Robertson hails from New Zealand and apologized to his compatriots when his foster team almost crossed the line in first place.

Nonetheless, the result left Australia and New Zealand strongly positioned to make it to the final grand winner-take-all race at the final event in San Francisco in May.

Whichever ship joins them in that final will come down to a battle between Great Britain and France in the best tradition.

Quentin Delapierre’s French boat will head to the city of the Golden Gate just one point ahead of Sir Ben Ainslie’s British crew in the overall standings, and someone will be bitterly disappointed.

Canada claimed victory in the waters off Lyttelton Harbor, beating New Zealand and Australia in a tight and tense finish to the weekend’s racing.

Canadian skipper Phil Robertson hails from New Zealand and has apologized to the home crowd after upsetting the New Zealand team.

Canadian skipper Phil Robertson hails from New Zealand and has apologized to the home crowd after upsetting the New Zealand team.

All nine boats in action in the waters of Lyttelton Harbor on the second day of racing

All nine boats in action in the waters of Lyttelton Harbor on the second day of racing

Great Britain enjoyed a consistent weekend here until finishing sixth in the fifth fleet race, after a below-average start saw them fall behind the Canadians in the leaderboard.

“We didn’t do a good job running the starts today,” Ainslie said. ‘Actually, we were in a very good position on both starts, but we didn’t do well.

‘We ended up with the French in that final start which didn’t work out for us. The team did a great job to get ahead, but we didn’t do enough to get into the podium race, which was frustrating.

‘But in terms of the overall, gaining a point over France [in the overall standings] it was very important to go to San Francisco.

SailGP’s unique format means the entire season of 11 regattas will come down to the final three-boat race in San Francisco, after all nine starters are whittled down over the course of the weekend.

“It’s been a while since we’ve won one of these events,” Ainslie added. “We haven’t won an event all season and if there is a time to do so, it will be in the final.”

Robertson’s Canadian boat went toe to toe with Peter Burling’s Kiwis and a partisan local support in Lyttelton Harbor after Australia fell behind early on.

Despite falling off the foils and also receiving a penalty at one point for deviating from the course boundary, the Canadians had more speed than their rivals.

Having lost the final races at Bermuda and Chicago earlier in the season, Robertson was delighted to “get the monkey off our shoulders.”

Ben Ainslie and the British crew narrowly missed out on the podium race in Christchurch.

Ben Ainslie and the British crew narrowly missed out on the podium race in Christchurch.

The British boat looking for Australia (centre) and New Zealand (left) during a race

The British boat looking for Australia (centre) and New Zealand (left) during a race

Crew from Canada spray champagne on their boat after winning the final race on Sunday

Crew from Canada spray champagne on their boat after winning the final race on Sunday

SailGP Ranking

1. Australia 84 points

2. New Zealand 73pts

3. France 69pts

4. Great Britain 68pts

5. Denmark 60pts

6. Canada 59 points

7. United States 57pts

8. Switzerland 29pts

9. Spain 29pts

He added: ‘It feels pretty good, especially to do it in New Zealand, my home country. I am enthusiastic.

‘It was quite special for everyone on the team; we’ve had some ups and downs, especially coming out of Sydney, we had to regroup, so to get a win off of that, we’re very excited.

“To get the win in New Zealand is amazing and as a good Canadian would say, ‘sorry New Zealand!’

The Canadians had knocked Great Britain out of the final in the closing moments of the fifth fleet race of the weekend.

Australia had bounced back from a disappointing Saturday to win both of Sunday’s fleet races and reach the three-boat final.

It means the Aussies are comfortably at the top of the season standings on 84 points and only an absolute disaster in San Francisco will deny them a place in the grand final.

New Zealand enjoyed a very good weekend here and are second on 73 points, using home advantage to slightly close the gap on Australia.

But it’s the cross-Channel clash between Great Britain and France that will provide the most intrigue on the final race weekend of the SailGP campaign.

Most of the home fans were disappointed when Canada beat New Zealand in the final.

Most of the home fans were disappointed when Canada beat New Zealand in the final.

The rolling Lyttelton Hills provided a stunning backdrop for the penultimate race of the year.

The rolling Lyttelton Hills provided a stunning backdrop for the penultimate race of the year.