Halifax SailGP Day 2

We were having a quiet morning in at the campground when I got a notice that they were starting racing 2 hours earlier than planned (they wanted wind!!!). So in the van, drove down closer to downtown and caught a bus to the waterfront. Grabbed a quick (not healthy) lunch (OK we each had a Beavertail , for the non-Canadians, a Beavertail is a fried piece of dough with a choice of toppings). After our gourmet lunch, we found the back of the line to get into the Grandstand and shuffled our way to the gate then up to find seats. We were settled in with about 30 minutes to spare before the first race started.

There was decent wind for the boats to foil and they were set up for the lighter conditions. Unfortunately the British boat did a nose dive at speed (pitch poled) during practice, and while everyone was OK, they damaged their wing sail so were out for the day.

They ran the event with a split fleet format again, so more opportunities for lead changes and much more exciting racing. Canada did well with 2 second place finishes but it wasn’t enough after their disastrous first day to make the final race.

In Cananda’s last race of the day, they crossed the start line early and had to drop behind the fleet. They managed to pull off some great maneuvers to take second, and the crowds in Halifax were going wild!

The final race was a new format for SailGP, with the top 2 boats from each group getting into the final. This was the first 4-boat final and it was spectacular. Spain pulled off the win, their first event win of the season. As we were heading off the grandstand, we got stopped to allow the dignitaries and the Spanish sailors up onto the stage for the prize giving. Cathy was getting high fives from the sailors as they came past us.

The quality of the event was fantastic, and hats off to Halifax as the host city. It all worked really well. The racing was great, the weather was better than expected, and we had a great time. Who knows, we may go back next year!