The world's best sailors are descending on the south coast this weekend as the SailGP season continues. After their explosive start to the SailGP season was derailed by an enormous crash and a horror injury, Liv Mackay and Black Foils are hoping to hit the comeback trail at the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth this weekend.
Traumatic Crash in Auckland
The Kiwis lost control of their F50 in gusty conditions in front of their home crowd in Auckland, crashing into the French boat and leaving grinder Louis Sinclair with compound fractures in both legs following a sickening crash. But after their return to the water and competitive action last time out in Halifax, Canada, Mackay believes this weekend’s Portsmouth race – which will see the world's best athletes compete in close-to-shore, short races at speeds of more than 100km/h – can be the perfect reset.
She said: “It was definitely the most traumatic experience I've ever had. There was a huge crowd, big grandstands, and it was obviously a home event. We'd been doing really well in the first two races and had a really good energy about it. But the crash itself was a loss of control of the boat, and we weren't able to regain that control on the breach. And unfortunately, when we did regain some sense of control we got hit. The whole experience was very short but long. Louis was stuck in the water and that was probably the most traumatic thing about all of it for quite some time. We were very fortunate that he didn't panic. He was very calm.”
Current Standings and Past Success
Thanks to months out with a broken boat, Black Foils currently sit 12th in the 13-team strong championship, leaving them targeting individual races rather than the overall standings. But last year, they finished third across the championship, racking up more points than second placed Bonds Flying Roos, thanks to a memorable victory in Portsmouth.
Mackay said: “We're definitely a bit rusty when sailing together. But it's always a good feeling when you come back to where you won before, and it does bring back good memories, which is really nice. There are a lot of Kiwis that live in England. A lot of my family's actually from England, so there are really strong ties here. The weather forecast is looking nice and windy, which is always fun. So yes, I'd say it's a pretty good feeling.”
Gender-Integrated Competition
The 30-year-old is the Black Foils’ strategist and competes alongside male counterparts in SailGP’s rare gender-integrated competition. Emirates GBR may be the reigning world champions - and will be looking to get a home win in front of a sold-out crowd this weekend but the Kiwis have other ideas. Portsmouth is just about as far as you can get from Mackay’s childhood upbringing in rural New Zealand, but it won’t curb her enthusiasm in Portsmouth.
She said: “We are excited about this weekend, and we want to make our mark – we will be competitive. Most of our team members are actually from more rural parts of New Zealand. I definitely think it brings a different side to it, which is quite fun and makes us closer as a group. My parents didn't sail so my route into sailing was quite different to the typical one. I think it really shows my love for the sport. And my brother's the same. It's just a genuine journey. There's been no pressure. Our team is very proud of who we are as Kiwis. Being from different parts of New Zealand brings a unique team together.”
The Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix returns to Portsmouth on 25-26 July. Limited tickets are still available via SailGP.com/Portsmouth.
