SailGP Taranto: no wind, abandoned final, helicopter drama make tough going for Aussies

If they were allowed to paddle they could possibly have won their first event of the season. Instead, a crazy final race deprived the Australian SailGP crew of any chance of a win in Italy.

The Australia SailGP Team racing in the event in Taranto, Italy. Picture: Felix Diemer/SailGP

If they were allowed to have paddled the Australian SailGP team headed by Tom Slingsby might be celebrating their first win of the SailGP season in Italy.

Instead, a crazy final race in Taranto, Italy, in round four of the series has deprived the Australian crew of their first win of season four.

In sailing there’s only one thing worse than too much wind – and that’s not enough.

After a day where winds gusted in excess of 25 knots, the F50’s hit speeds in excess of 70km and there was action aplenty, the weather gods played a mean joke on the fleet in finals day.

In what has to be one of the slowest races in the series, the teams on the Australian, Great Britain and American F50s floated and drifted around a shorted course to no avail in the final.

France SailGP Team helmed by Quentin Delapierre, Australia SailGP Team helmed by Tom Slingsby and Germany SailGP Team helmed by Erik Heil. Picture: Ricardo Pinto/SailGP.

The bizarre scene finally came to an end when the time limit for the final of 16 minutes ran out and the race was deemed a non-event.

With the termination of the final, the Great Britain team lead by multiple Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie, were declared winners aa they had lead overall prior to the final, with Australia second and the American team skippered by James Spithill third.

A day after the fleet had hit speeds in excess of 70 km/h at times they were barely moving. as they drifted around the course.

At times, they were even pushed a little sideways rather than ahead due to the current

This made Australia is still with Erwin in season four of the event, but just hold onto their

“To be honest it was terrible racing,’’ said Australian crewman Jason Waterhouse.

The SailGP fleet in action in Italy.

Slingsby said while the Australians still lead there series overall he is hungry for a breakthrough win this season.

“We really want to win. I know it’s great for the overall but it’s the competitor inside me, I’m not happy when we don’t win.,’’ Slingsby said.

“It was so tough … those conditions are about as hard as it gets, especially as an Aussie we want wind and waves.’’

SAILGP OVERALL AFTER LEG 4: 1 Australia 35 points, 2 Emirates GBR 29 points, 3 Spain 29 points, 4 Denmark 27 points, 5 New Zealand 23 points*, 6 United States 22 points, 7 France 20 points, 8 Canada 18 points*, 9 Switzerland 10 points, 10 Germany 6 points*.

Australia racing in wind on the first day.

‘Scarier than I though’: Dramatic SailGP day blows Aussies into shared lead

EARLIER: A crewmen was taken to hospital off one boat and damage sustained to another on a day of high speed racing and drama in the fourth leg of the SailGP series in Taranto, Italy.

Hectic high-speed sailing threw up a major challenger to Australia winning its first SailGP leg of the season with Australian skipper Tom Slingsby and his team sharing the event lead with the British team headed by Ben Ainslie after the first chaotic day of the event.

But there’s a strong Australian presence in the British team with two Australian sailors aboard in Luke Parkinson and former Olympic medallist Iain Jensen from the NSW Central Coast.

That was close 😅 @SailGPAUSpic.twitter.com/MJIkHn9SaO

— Canada SailGP Team (@SailGPCAN) September 22, 2023

After two wins set-up by near-perfect starts, the Australians then went over early in the third race of the day, sacrificing valuable time carrying out a penalty on their hydrofoiling catamaran.

This put them in second place on the leaderboard but on equal points with Ainslie and his team heading into the final day.

The fleet were hit by 20 plus knot gusts at stages on the windiest day of the season to date.

“It’s a bit of a shock to our system. Going out there in that much wind,“ Slingsby said post race.

The Australians nailed two of their three starts.

And while he was annoyed at the broken start, it was a less stressful day for Slingsby and his crew than aboard the America’s F50, steered by yet another Australian in James Spithill.

One of their crew, flight controller Hans Henkel, was rushed to hospital with unspecified injuries.

There was also drama aboard the German boat which was forced out after a foil snapped.

Slingsby and Ainslie head into day 2 locked on 26 points each after the GBR team won the third race.

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Originally published as SailGP Taranto: no wind, abandoned final, helicopter drama make tough going for Aussies