SailGP Auckland winners Australia sound warning to rivals after comeback from gear drama

Mishaps and drama rattle most sailors but when things don’t go Tom Slingsby’s way it just brings out the best in the Australian SailGP skipper and his crew as they proved with a crucial win

Not everything went to plan for Australia in Auckland but they still got the win. Picture: Phil Walter/Getty Images

Mishaps and drama rattle most sailors but when things don’t go Tom Slingsby’s way it just brings out the best in the Australian SailGP skipper - as he proved with a crucial win in Auckland on Sunday.

Slingsby and his Flying Roo crew overcame a major scare in the race before the final which forced them on to the sidelines to effect repairs but came back to take out the second round of the 2024/2025 SailGP season in Auckland.

“It is extremely hard to beat the Kiwis in any sport, let alone in their own country,’’ Slingsby said.

“Coming to their home town and beating them is very hard to do and we are stoked with the way we sailed. We sailed our best this weekend and out best is good enough to beat anyone I feel.’’

It was a much-needed result for the Australian crew after a fifth in round one and puts them just a point off equal series leaders Great Britain and New Zealand.

The Australia SailGP team celebrating in Auckland. Picture: Brett Phibbs for SailGP.

AUCKLAND: Collision, capsizes, anything could happen

But a day that started so well for the Australian crew could well have ended in disaster if the cool-headed Slingsby had not made the tough decision to retire from a race so his shore crew could try and repair a major fault with his foiling catamarans steering.

“We had something happen with our steering system, had a failure at some point,’’ said flight controller Jason Waterhouse after the win.

“We decided to pull out because we had already m, made the final and access the situation.

“We never found out what it was, the steering cables went loose and felt different, but it did hinder us.’’

Not that their rivals noticed with Slingsby and his team leading from go to woe in the final race to claim the leg victory from Spain and Great Britain.

It is a major morale booster for Australia ahead of what they consider to be the second most important leg of the series behind the grand final later this year - the Sydney round of the SailGP in February.

“This is a big motivation for us. We want to win in Sydney. For us it’s very special.’’

Slingsby agreed.

“This sets us up so well,’’ he said.

But he believes there is major room for improvement.

“We had so many moments out there today,’’ Slingsby said.

“We are an experience team, a tight knit unit, and had a lot of issues.

“It was very hard for us. Hats off to the new teams, the inexperience teams in those conditions.

“It was as hard as sailing as I have ever done on that racetrack with those puffs and gusts.’’