SailGP Newsflash: Spain makes Finals debut and wins tense battle.
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com/nz 23 Jul 2023 17:25 PDT
24 July 2023
Spain SailGP Team pose for a photograph as they celebrate winning the Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix at the Port of Los Angeles, in California, USA. July 23, 2023 © Adam Warner/SailGP
Spain wrote another page in their sailing history in Los Angeles making their first ever SailGP Final, and topping that achievement with an end to end race win.
The Spanish win came at the expense of some big scalps - most of whom failed to fire at critical moments of the regatta - the last of those being Tom Slingsby (AUS), who finished third in the Final - unable to execute his usual Houdini Act which he seems to save for the big and critical moments of the SailGP series, and which has won him the last three World Finals.
The Final appeared to be set for a comfortable win by the Spanish after they won the start and edged away on every leg to led by 500 metres - almost a full leg length of the Los Angeles course.
Despite sailing with the towering 29metre super-rigs, and against the early wind expectations, the breeze dropped as the race progressed, and those who could foil in those conditions made big gains.
The breeze dropped to the point at the start of Leg 2, when the Spanish were able to foil but could not make a gain downwind, for risk of dropping boatspeed and apparent wind speed, and sailed across the wind, hoping for a puff and change of direction. That came as they neared the right hand boundary, and they seized the moment to head towards Mark 2, while their opponents were still in displacement mode.
Needless to say Botin and friends clocked up a big lead and looked to have the race and the Final win a certainty.
However it was not be to and the Spanish hit a soft spot in the breeze on the penultimate leg, and the other two - seeing the plight of the Spanish - and Denmark in second place closed the gap up to less than 100 metres, with Slingsby well astern.
A tense couple of tacks at the top end of the course, gave the Spanish the opportunity to whether they could perform under pressure, and they prove up to the task - making the right tactical calls, and getting themselves into the vital position at the final mark, where they were able to position themselves for a run at the mark on port tack, execute the rounding and then remain foil-born and built apparent wind-speed.
With this three boxes ticked, the Danes could only wave them farewell, while Slingsby watched from a safe third.
Ashore many of the big names of the sport could only watch and rue the errors which had seen them excluded from the Final. Those watching from the bleachers included multiple Olympic Gold medalists, multiple America's Cup winners, World Match Racing champions and the glitterati of the sailing world.
None more so than the Kiwis who muffed two starts in two days, and were twice sent by the Umpire to the back of the class; or the Brits who did the same in the fifth race, and recovered to finish eighth. USA's Jimmy Spithill who has been under pressure to perform showed flashed of his old form, but was unable to make his home Event Final.
Their performance was not just a result of a single error, which could have been easily dismissed by the team spin doctors, playing the "let's look ahead" card. In most cases there were multiple lapses, offset by good recoveries which were started but not able to be made to stick.
Maybe the shortness of the course, fickleness of the breeze on an unfamiliar venue could have been an antidotes to ease the chagrin of the rockstars of the sport.
But for SailGP the Spanish win along with the flashes of mid-fleet action by the German crew - sailing in their first regatta, means that SailGP can no longer be regarded as a procession dominated by the established teams.
To underline the point, tactician and grinder, Joan Cardona who won the Bronze medal in the Finn at Toyko2020, was arguably the mot accomplished sailor on board.
For some, it will be a very long six weeks to the next event in St Tropez, from September 10-11.