We were lucky enough to be in San Francisco at the same time as the Sail GP Mubadala Season 3 Grand Final. Before the racing began, we booked in for a Team Base Tour led by American Olympic match racing sailor Genevieve Tulloch, where we got to see each team’s boat and hanger base. It was awesome to learn about the mechanics of the one-design boats, the different wing sizes and the behind-the-scenes work of the tech team and young interns in the Sail GP inspire program.
Saturday and Sunday were huge days on the water. On Saturday the wind across the course was patchy and allowed for big changes in positions throughout the afternoon. All eyes were on France and GB to see who could grab a place in the grand final. The Aussies didn’t need to prove anything, but still came out guns blazing.
The wind picked up a little on Sunday and was more consistent across the course. Team AUS faced off GB for the San Francisco Cup, and then all but the final three boats cleared the course for the final championship race. While NZ had been dragging their heels all weekend, the final was an intense tooth and nail fight to the finish, with team AUS coming off their foils right before the final top mark, leaving them open for NZ to take the inside. Thankfully, Slingsby held on long enough to cross the line ahead, winning the cup. It was awesome to be the Aussies in a crowd of Americans when we won!
Zoe Blochlinger
