World News ‘Really sad’ SailGP final leaving San Fran: Slingsby Blog

by
url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url

Australian driver Tom Slingsby is “really sad” that SailGP will move its grand finale from San Francisco, admitting the impending move could expose the reigning champion’s weaknesses.

High-speed sailing league bosses announced this week that Abu Dhabi will host the 14th and final regatta on the 2024/25 calendar, while San Francisco, which hosted the decider for three years, will be pushed back to the fifth event of next season.

AAP believes this move will pay off financially for a league that is still working to build a loyal audience around the world.

But SailGP’s decision was unpopular with the Australian boat, which took advantage of the difficult conditions to win the last two major finals in San Francisco Bay.

As Australia attempts to secure a place in the playoffs in the USA for the fourth consecutive year starting Saturday (local time), Slingsby reflected on the end of an era.

“It’s really sad that it’s not going to stay here in San Francisco,” he told AAP.

“The conditions, the history of this place; SailGP and San Francisco have a great history.

“If I speak as a sailor who does not have commercial considerations and does not look at the event and how to keep it profitable, San Francisco is the right venue.

“But when it comes to paying the bills and maintaining the profitability of the event, Abu Dhabi may be the right decision. These decisions are made way beyond my horizon.”

Australia finished seventh in this year’s inaugural regatta in Abu Dhabi and was unable to make the most of the weaker winds.

However, with three events in the Middle East scheduled for next season, Slingsby’s All-Star F50 risks losing ground to its rivals if it fails to master these conditions in the future.

“Moving the final to Abu Dhabi is our weakest point,” said Slingsby.

“We need to work on our weaknesses, light wind, very flat water, probably not much foiling. That’s something we need to improve on.”

The worsening conditions have resulted in inconsistent results for the Australian boat, which has won the championship three times this season. SailGP’s trips to the Middle East were its first season.

Australia will have to make the most of a league-wide pre-season camp in Dubai before the new season begins there in November.

“We are starting to sail a lot more in the Middle East,” Australia coach Ben Durham told AAP.

“We will try to focus on these conditions and the new challenge.”

Leave a Comment