New Zealand sailing's golden boys are poised for further global success with Peter Burling and Blair Tuke aiming to add a SailGP title to their CVs this weekend.
The New Zealand team is preparing for the final weekend of the season in San Francisco, culminating in the $1.5 million finale on Sunday.
“It's extremely exciting, this is a weekend we've been preparing for for 18 months,” Tuke told 1News.
Last season the New Zealand team finished fifth out of eight GP teams in their debut season, but this season has been a very different story as the New Zealanders currently sit in second place overall with three regatta wins out of ten sailed.
Teams are rarely allowed to train in the F50s, so Burling, Tuke and the New Zealanders learned from racing.
The Warkworth-built boats have reached almost 100km/h this season – a mark Tuke and Burling are happy with given the similar speeds they have experienced with Team New Zealand.
But Burling said there actually is a point where the boats can go too fast for their comfort.
“We came across this phenomenon called cavitation, where the water starts to boil off the foils, the pressure becomes extremely low, which creates enormous resistance,” Burling explained.
“That’s why we hit the wall at about 50 knots.”
However, SailGP continues to heat up, with 12 stops planned for next season, including Auckland next March, filling the void in the America's Cup left by Team New Zealand's decision to bring the Auld Mug to Barcelona .
Burling said organizers are exploring downtown course options for the regatta.
“One of them is between Bayswater and Westhaven – it looks tight but it’s doable and it would make a fantastic amphitheater.”
“It would be pretty amazing.”
The same goes for a win on Sunday after a season with ups, downs and the odd lightning strike.
