New Zealand in SailGP practice off Auckland. Photo: Photosport
Sail Grand Prix Auckland
Racing starts 4pm, Saturday 18 January
Wynyard Point, Auckland
Live blog updates on RNZ Sport
Black Foils driver Peter Burling chuckles at the scuttlebutt over new technology installed on the F50 boats for SailGP Auckland this week.
All 12 teams are coming to grips with a new T-foil configuration that make the boats faster and more stable, with the Kiwis - almost inevitably - clocking the fastest speed of 97km/h during practice on Monday.
You'd expect nothing less from Burling and his crew, many of whom are used to pushing the limits, as members of successful America's Cup campaigns.
The foils have been developed over the past two years, with Canada reportedly clocking 101.98km/h at San Francisco last year, but the Kiwi maestro insists the SailGP fleet is only scratching the surface of their capabilities.
"It was our first day on the foils and, to be honest, we weren't pushing the boat that hard," he claims. "We weren't trying to set a top speed or anything like that.
"We probably got over the 95 mark five or six times, but I'm sure that speed will keep going up, as we get more comfortable and dialled in."
By definition, SailGP is designed for on-water entertainment, with boats honed for high speeds close to the shore, within easy viewing of spectators. A massive grandstand on the end of Wynyard Point will ensure the best vantage point.
The new tech raises questions over how far these craft can be pushed.
"I don't think you're anywhere near the maximum yet," mused Burling. "It's an interesting problem for SailGP, because a lot of this development is twofold - how do you make the boats faster and how do you make them more reliable, so they need less maintenance between events, and assemble and dissemble quicker.
Peter Burling and his Black Foils are welcomed into the SailGP village. Photo: Photosport
"If you make a change, you have to make it over the whole fleet, you've got to build enough for the whole 12 boats and then roll it out into a race weekend. You want to make sure you're heading in the right direction before you do that.
"To be honest, the teams don't have a massive amount of say over that, it's all decided at a SailGP lead level."
The third essential element is safety - how far should these boats be pushed? Burling is confident this is well under control, as long as the changes are incremental and not wholesale.
"Definitely something to the forefront of our mind is how do you keep everyone safe out there, particularly keeping the boats apart and looking after crew," he said.
"As a skipper on board, it's one of your priorities, but everyone's getting a lot more comfortable with the boats and the equipment, how you can get in and out of situations, and you can tell what sort of situations will unfold a lot earlier."
The tech tweak comes at a venue where high winds are expected, adding another wrinkle of risk to an already fraught situation.
New Zealand currently lead SailGP standings, after prevailing in light winds off Dubai in November. Conditions on home waters present a very different challenge.
"If you look at the season-opener, it was super light the whole way through and you're using a different end of your toolbox to what you'll be using this weekend," said Burling.
"I think we're pretty happy across the range, to be honest. We pride ourselves on being able to go out there and meet the challenge, no matter what the conditions are.
Black Foils training off Auckland. Photo: Photosport
"I think there are definitely conditions that are easier and harder than high winds, it's more about boat handling - how you're actually sailing the boat and, in lighter winds, where you're putting it on the racecourse.
"They're completely different skillsets, but at the end of the day, you've still got to beat someone else around the racecourse and that's what we'll be trying to do this weekend."
Burling won on home waters last year, albeit at the totally different setting of Lyttelton Harbour, but insists his experience on the Waitematā counts for little this weekend, with most of his previous racing taking place out towards the Hauraki Gulf.
"I've sailed through this part of the harbour a lot, but generally when we're sailing through, there's a lot of traffic, whether its ferries or recreational boats, so it will be exciting to sail there with no other boats, except your competitors.
"It's sailing, so you'll get something completely different to what you statistically would on the weekend. It's like any sport that relies on weather.
"The forecast right now is for an easterly, which is a pretty nice breeze for this part of the water, but it's the first easterlies we've had for a couple of months. We've been getting these windy southwesterlies for forever, so it's been a different summer on the weather pattern side."
