SailGP Christchurch: Australian crew wiped out in crazy crash on day of drama and NZ success

On day one it was a dolphin causing havoc. On day two it was the sailors themselves as they turned SailGP Christchurch into a demolition derby with the Aussies wiped out in a crazy collision

Damage on the Australian boat in Christchurch. Picture: Supplied

An emotional Tom Slingsby said he feared he was going to kill a rival sailor if not for a sudden and extreme evasive manoeuvre which saw him plough into a finish buoy, causing major damage to his foiling 50-footer and leaving he and his crew in shock.

There were crashes, smashes with rivals, spectacular near capsizes and Australian devastation as their foiling cat was wiped-out out in a crazy collision with a mark as they avoided running into their Canadian rivals just minutes into the first race of SailGP Christchurch on Sunday.

Just a day after a dolphin cavorting on the racecourse forced the cancellation of all racing, Slingsby and his team limped home with hundreds of thousands worth of damage to their F50 and all shocked and emotional.

“I don’t really know what happened, all I know is we were going to hit Canada and our bow was aiming right for their strategist and I had a choice to make and I tried to keep people safe and not hurt people,’’ Slingsby said.

“So I just turned the boat as hard as I could into the mark. I knew it was there. I had seen it.

“It was either that or go straight through Canada.

Damage on the Australian boat in Christchurch. Picture: Supplied

“I’m just glad no one was hurt because it was pretty scary on board.

“I honestly don’t think it’s really sunk in. I don’t care about the results if I’m honest.

“I’m a bit in shock. It’s been pretty emotional. It’s a scary moment when you feel like your going to kill someone essentially. It’s been tough to process.’’

It was a devastating result for the Australians who are renown for their liking for the big wind conditions Christchurch delivered on the final day of the event.

It also saw them fall from the top of series leaderboard despite them going into the event with a hefty eight point league and making every final bar one this season.

Tom Slingsby looks over the damage sustained to the F50 catamaran after they hit a finish line marker. Picture: Ricardo Pinto/SailGP.

In a separate incident, the Danish crew incredibly got to the start of the next race despite a gapping hole in their bow before being smacked with an eight point penalty over an earlier race collision.

The race four final – contested only by the top three teams after the regular racing – was won by the New Zealand crew from France and Canada.

The fleet in action in Christchurch.

Each of these three teams won a race on Sunday to earn their spot in the three-boat finale.

The Black Foils are headed by Olympic champion Peter Burling with the crew now taking control of the leaderboard courtesy of their win on home waters.

Australia has slipped to second place with Canada in third.

The next event of the SailGP fourth season is in Bermuda in May.

The final two events in Halifax and New York will be raced in June with many of the sailors in the series then either competing at the Olympic Games in Paris or the America’s Cup in Barcelona.

Read more from sailing writer AMANDA LULHAM HERE