2021–22 SailGP championship explained

2021–22 SailGP Championship
Year:2020–22
Dates:April 23, 2021 to March 27, 2022
Yachts:F50
Prev:2019
Next:2022–23
Winner: Australia
Award1 Title:Impact League
Award1: New Zealand

The 2021–22 SailGP Championship was the second season of the SailGP championship. Originally due to be contested in 2020, the season was postponed to 2021 after the first round in Sydney due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and was then extended into the early months of 2022.

The championship was again won by the Australian team. New Zealand was the inaugural winner of the Impact League.

Entries

!Team!Helmsman!Rounds
Australia SailGP Team Tom Slingsby1–8
Denmark SailGP Team presented by ROCKWOOL Nicolai Sehested1–8
France SailGP Team Billy Besson1–5
Quentin Delapierre6–8
Ben Ainslie1, 4–8
Paul Goodison2–3
Japan SailGP Team Nathan Outteridge1–8
New Zealand SailGP Team Peter Burling1, 4–8
Arnaud Psarofaghis2–3
Spain SailGP Team Phil Robertson1–7
Jordi Xammar8
United States SailGP Team Rome KirbyNone
Jimmy Spithill1–8
Citations:[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Team changes

After only one season, China left the championship.[7] Denmark and Spain joined the championship in Sydney,[8] [9] while New Zealand entered in Bermuda.

Calendar

!!Host!Title!Dates!Winning team
Sydney, AustraliaSydney Sail Grand PrixFebruary 28–29, 2020 Great Britain
1 BermudaBermuda Sail Grand Prix presented by Hamilton PrincessApril 23–25, 2021 Great Britain
New York City, USANew York Sail Grand PrixJune 4–5, 2021Removed
2 Taranto, ItalyItaly Sail Grand Prix | Taranto|June 5–6, 2021| Japan|-!3| Plymouth, England|Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | PlymouthJuly 17–18, 2021 Australia
4 Aarhus, DenmarkROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix | Aarhus|August 20–21, 2021| Australia|-!5| Saint-Tropez, France|France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-TropezSeptember 11–12, 2021 Japan
6 Cádiz, SpainSpain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía - Cádiz October 9–10, 2021 Australia
7 Sydney, AustraliaAustralia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney presented by KPMGDecember 17–18, 2021 Australia
Christchurch, New ZealandNew Zealand Sail Grand PrixJanuary 29–30, 2022Removed
8 San Francisco, USAMubadala United States Sail Grand Prix | San FranciscoMarch 26–27, 2022 Australia
Citations:[10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]
Although the opening round in Sydney proceeded as planned, results from the race were declared void upon the postponement of the season until 2021. Nine races were expected in the expanded calendar,[19] and eight were announced before the addition of a new Sydney round. The New Zealand event was removed after organisers were denied permission to enter the country.

Season

Sydney

The season originally began in Sydney with new teams Spain and Denmark joining, with the former coming second in several fleet races. The British team dominated the opening round ahead of 2019 champions Australia[20] and led the standings 47 to 42 points, with Japan in third on 39 points.[21] Both Spain and Denmark received penalties, Spain for contact with the French boat and Denmark for a rule infringement. However, the eventual postponement of the season to 2021–22 reset the standings.[22]

Results

Team
SYD
Points
12345F
1 Great Britain11114147
2 Australia23521242
3 Japan3433339
4 Spain5224231
54645531
6 Denmark7567622
7 France6DNSDNS6714
Citation:

Round 1: Bermuda

New Zealand joined the resumed season in Bermuda, where the first day of racing was brought forward to the Friday to avoid poor conditions on Saturday.[23] The Australian team won the first three races, with Britain finishing farther back in the field in the first two races while being penalised in the first race for cutting off the US team.[24] Japan heavily collided with the US in the fourth race which the British team ultimately won, while the Australians won the fifth. Neither the US nor Japan finished race four and neither started race five.[25] This meant that Australia, Great Britain and France progressed to the final, which Britain won.[26]

Round 2: Taranto

The Italian SailGP saw the introduction of harsher penalties for teams involved in collisions after the incident involving the US and Japanese teams in Bermuda.[27] The Australian team suffered hydraulic failure in the first race and retired. The US team won the first and third fleet races with Japan winning the second. On the second day, New Zealand won the fourth fleet race while Japan won the fifth fleet race.[28] The US, Japan, and Spain qualified for the final, which Japan won. This was the first SailGP final the Australian team did not qualify for. During the final, the US suffered an impact with a submerged object in the water which damaged their rudder, causing it to break down.[29] [30]

Round 3: Plymouth

Most teams competed with substitute sailors at the Plymouth regatta due to 2020 Summer Olympics commitments. The first two races were won by the Australian team. In the third race, the US team narrowly avoided a collision with the Spanish boat at the race start. Spain was disqualified for the manoeuvre, the first time any competitor had been disqualified in the championship. The US went on to win the third race.[31] Japan won the fourth fleet race and Great Britain the fifth, leaving France, the US, and Australia to compete in the final. Australia won the event, moving them to first place in the championship, drawn on points with Great Britain.[32]

Round 4: Aarhus

Spain capsized their F50 before the first fleet race and sustained significant damage to the boat's foil. As a result, they did not compete in the first day's races. Denmark won the first fleet race, taking their first victory in the series at their home event. The second fleet race was won by the US team, and the third by the UK. Japan won the fourth and fifth, and were joined by Australia and the UK for the final. Australia won the final race, their second victory of the season.

Round 5: Saint-Tropez

Great Britain won the first fleet race for the French round, with the US winning the next two. Championship leader Australia suffered hydraulic and electrical failures and consistently finished in the last few positions.[33] Japan won the fourth race and Denmark the fifth, with the former also winning the final to take the championship lead.[34]

Round 6: Cádiz

The first fleet race was won by Great Britain, with Spain winning on home waters in the second race. The US won the final race of day one. Before the beginning of the second day's racing, the Spanish capsized and caused substantial damage to the F50's wing. Spain was unable to start any of the remaining races, which were won by New Zealand and Australia, with Australia, Great Britain, and the US making the final. Great Britain capsized in the final, allowing Australia to take the win.[35] For the first time of the season, female competitors joined each boat as part of the Female Halfway program.

Round 8: San Francisco

Results

Points were awarded per race for the round leaderboard, with 8 points for the winner, 7 points for second place, 6 points for third, and so on.[36]

Each event hosted multiple races, with the three highest scoring teams after each round facing off to decide the podium order. The winner of that final race won the event, with the final standings of the event leaderboard used to award points for the championship standings, with the winner awarded 10 points, second awarded 9, and so on. The three highest scoring teams at the end of the season competed one-on-one with the winning team awarded the championship.

! rowspan="2"
Team
BMU

TRN

PLY

AAR

STP

CDZ

SYD

SFN
Points
12345F12345F12345F12345F12345F12345F12345F12345GF
1 Australia111212DNF68521177412252718668624241137142124321165
2 Japan325DNFDNS213311585175361122271714256371DNF1162164259 (60)
3463DNFDNS141283251463713555117423513526323425755DNF358
4 Great Britain77212163764872314514231583517422DNF24DNFWHWH16432
5 New Zealand688453851766428362834332856816585233581347 (48)
6 Denmark857667564372653147686725163357454754167545
7 Spain5363342475244DSQ55DNSDNSDNS34344623716DNSDNS1236638328DNF42 (44)
8 France24454357286333822674767854388774866577874639 (40)
Citations:[37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44]
Notes
  • Great Britain was penalised four points in the championship.
  • Spain was penalised two points in the championship.
  • France was penalised one point in the championship.
  • Japan was penalised one point in the championship.
  • New Zealand was penalised one point in the championship.

Impact League

As part of SailGP's sustainability initiatives, the championship introduced a second leaderboard on which teams compete to have the greatest improvement in the sustainability of the sport. Teams are externally audited after each round against 10 criteria, with the top three ranked teams awarded prize money to be donated to the teams' sustainability partners.[45]

Standings

!!Team!
BMU!
TRN!
PLY!
AAR!
STP!
CDZ!
SYD!
SFN!Points
1 New Zealand891331631651771681721801246
2 Great Britain541341571761651611661771192
3 Australia601181531601641741681641161
4 Spain82991441451491561471761094
5 France701011411641501201691661081
6 Japan26811521401561691581661048
7381161431411421331481631024
8 Denmark75119119102125144139145967
Citation:[46]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Koravos. Jillian. 2020-02-16. SailGP Season 2 Media Guide. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20200820131627/https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FmWWDRcGyKjzJvbEXzv_bMhBb9lwUuFe/view?usp=embed_facebook. 2020-08-20. 2020-08-20. PDF.
  2. Web site: 7 August 2020. SailGP announces addition of New Zealand team, led by Olympic and America's Cup champions Peter Burling and Blair Tuke. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200820131655/https://sailgp.com/news/sailgp-announces-addition-of-new-zealand-team/. 2020-08-20. 2020-08-20. SailGP. en.
  3. Web site: New Zealand. live. 2021-03-01. SailGP. en. 2021-04-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20210418113655/https://sailgp.com/teams/new-zealand/.
  4. Web site: 2021-05-22. New crew for New Zealand SailGP Team. live. 2021-05-28. Scuttlebutt Sailing News. en-US. May 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210523223708/https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2021/05/22/new-crew-for-new-zealand-sailgp-team/.
  5. Web site: 2021-05-19. SailGP Season 2 leader shuffles line-up. live. 2021-05-28. Scuttlebutt Sailing News. en-US. June 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210607014043/https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2021/05/19/sailgp-season-2-leader-shuffles-line-up/.
  6. Web site: Thurston. Emma. 2021-10-08. SailGP: Female athletes to race alongside men for first time in Cadiz, Andalusia. live. 2021-10-09. Sky Sports. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20211008185808/https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/sailing/news/30786/12429186/sailgp-female-athletes-to-race-alongside-men-for-first-time-in-cadiz-andalusia . October 8, 2021 .
  7. Web site: 2019-12-17. China out for SailGP 2020. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200104225329/https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2019/12/17/china-out-for-sailgp-2020/. 2020-01-04. 2020-08-20. Scuttlebutt Sailing News. en-US.
  8. News: 2019-12-17. Spain sets sights on SailGP after China jumps ship. en. Reuters. Radnedge. Christian. live. 2021-01-04. 2021-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20210104102702/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sailing-sailgp-idUSKBN1YL1QQ.
  9. Web site: 2019-12-11. Denmark SailGP Team to join world-class lineup for Season 2. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210104102713/http://www.mysailing.com.au/latest/denmark-sailgp-team-to-join-world-class-lineup-for-season-2. 2021-01-04. 2021-01-04. mysailing.com.au. en.
  10. Web site: 4 May 2020. SailGP Season 2 rescheduled for 2021. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200506042753/https://sailgp.com/news/sailgp-season2-rescheduled-for-2021/. 2020-05-06. 2020-08-20. SailGP. en.
  11. Web site: 4 September 2020. Britain's Ocean City selected to host SailGP in Season 2. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201125091521/https://sailgp.com/news/plymouth-selected-to-host-sailgp-in-season-two/. 2020-11-25. 2020-09-04. SailGP. en.
  12. Web site: 12 September 2020. Aarhus selected to host fourth SailGP event of Season 2. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210104102716/https://sailgp.com/news/aarhus-selected-to-host-fourth-sailgp-event-of-season-2/. 2021-01-04. 2020-09-13. SailGP. en.
  13. Web site: 2020-11-23. SailGP revises schedule due to COVID-19. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201125091541/https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2020/11/23/sailgp-revises-schedule-due-to-covid-19/. 2020-11-25. 2020-11-25. Scuttlebutt Sailing News. en-US.
  14. Web site: 2020-12-18. Saint-Tropez and Cádiz added to SailGP Season 2. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201218080515/https://sailgp.com/news/saint-tropez-and-cadiz-added-to-season-two/. 2020-12-18. 2020-12-18. SailGP. en.
  15. Web site: 2021-01-21. Australia absent from calendar as SailGP unveils season schedule. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210120224358/https://www.smh.com.au/sport/sailing/australia-absent-from-calendar-as-sailgp-unveils-season-schedule-20210121-p56vqe.html. 2021-01-20. 2021-01-21. The Sydney Morning Herald. en-AU.
  16. Web site: Passa . Dennis . SailGP: flying catamarans back on Sydney Harbour in December . AP News . June 17, 2021 . 2021-06-17.
  17. Web site: Woods . Melissa . SailGP series returning to Sydney Harbour . Perth Now . June 17, 2021 . 2021-06-17.
  18. Web site: 2021-08-16. New Zealand Government denies MIQ spots for SailGP in Christchurch. live. 2021-08-16. NZ Herald. en-NZ. https://web.archive.org/web/20210816000719/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/sailing-new-zealand-government-denies-miq-spots-for-sailgp-in-christchurch/TA3SKNZYYRFOQOVEVBN3EPR7IQ/ . August 16, 2021 .
  19. Web site: 2020-08-06. Burling and Tuke join SailGP. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201125091522/https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2020/08/06/burling-and-tuke-join-sailgp/. 2020-11-25. 2020-11-25. Scuttlebutt Sailing News. en-US.
  20. Web site: 2020-02-29. Ainslie and team win SailGP Sydney. live. 2021-04-24. Scuttlebutt Sailing News. en-US. 2020-03-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20200301144342/https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2020/02/29/ainslie-and-team-win-sydney-sailgp/.
  21. Web site: 29 February 2020. SailGP Sydney Results. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200318154452/https://sailgp.com/results/sydney/. 2020-03-18. 2020-08-20. SailGP. en.
  22. Web site: 2020-05-04. SailGP Season 2 is postponed. live. 2021-04-24. Scuttlebutt Sailing News. en-US. 2021-01-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20210120175015/https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2020/05/04/sailgp-season-2-is-postponed/.
  23. Web site: Gladwell. Richard. 2021-04-23. Burling and Tuke get sailing in Bermuda, but will race a day early. live. 2021-04-24. Sail-World.com. 2021-04-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20210423050917/https://www.sail-world.com/news/236968/Revised-SailGP-schedule-makes-Kiwis-task-tougher.
  24. Web site: Wilson. Bernie. 2021-04-23. Slingsby, Aussies dominate SailGP opener. live. 2021-04-24. The West Australian. en. June 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210607014041/https://thewest.com.au/sport/sailing/slingsby-aussies-dominate-sailgp-opener-c-2674196.
  25. Web site: 2021-04-25. Britain beats Slingsby's Aussies in SailGP. live. 2021-04-26. The West Australian. en. June 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210607014044/https://thewest.com.au/sport/britain-beats-slingsbys-aussies-in-sailgp-c-2687453.
  26. Web site: Thurston. Emma. 2021-04-25. Sir Ben Ainslie and Great Britain win first final in Bermuda. live. 2021-04-25. Sky Sports. en. June 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210607014048/https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/sailing/news/30786/12286475/sailgp-sir-ben-ainslie-and-great-britain-win-first-final-in-bermuda.
  27. Web site: Penalties . sailgp.com . 2021-06-06 . June 3, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210603050519/https://sailgp.com/general/sailgp-penalties/ . live .
  28. Web site: Japan crowned Italy Sail Grand Prix Champions . SailGP . 2021-06-06 . June 7, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210607014012/https://sailgp.com/races/21/italy-report-japan-wins-spain-season-championship/ . live .
  29. Web site: SailGP: Nathan Outteridge's Japan victorious in Taranto; Jimmy Spithill's USA crash in final. 2021-06-06. Sky Sports. en. June 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210607014050/https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/sailing/news/29876/12326100/sailgp-nathan-outteridges-japan-victorious-in-taranto-jimmy-spithills-usa-crash-in-final. live.
  30. News: Clarke. John. 2021-10-09. A Sailing Season Full of Drama. en-US. A13. The New York Times. 2021-10-13. 0362-4331.
  31. Web site: 2021-07-17. Spithill steers US into SailGP lead on Plymouth Sound. live. 2021-07-18. AP News. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20210717221006/https://apnews.com/article/sports-2020-tokyo-olympics-australia-england-australia-olympic-team-6b482bec179971895f146d32a916d130 . July 17, 2021 .
  32. Web site: 2021-07-18. Slingsby steers Aussies to SailGP victory. 2021-07-19. 7NEWS. en.
  33. Web site: 2021-09-11. Spithill's US crew wins 2 races, leads SailGP regatta. 2021-09-27. The Seattle Times. en-US.
  34. Web site: Darling. Jordan B. 2021-09-23. U.S. SailGP Team Climbs Leaderboard in Saint Tropez. live. 2021-09-27. The Log. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20210924190228/https://www.thelog.com/news-departments/u-s-sailgp-team-climbs-leaderboard-in-saint-tropez/ . September 24, 2021 .
  35. News: 2021-10-11. Aussies sail to victory after dramatic crashes for British and Spanish boats. en-AU. ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2021-10-13.
  36. Web site: SailGP Explained // How Scoring Works. 2021-06-07. SailGP. en. June 3, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210603024714/https://sailgp.com/general/sailgp-scoring-points-leaderboard/. live.
  37. Web site: 2021-04-25. Bermuda Sail Grand Prix Results. live. 2021-04-26. SailGP. en. June 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210607014116/https://sailgp.com/results/21/bermuda/.
  38. Web site: Italy Sail Grand Prix results. 2021-06-07. SailGP. en. June 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210607014028/https://sailgp.com/results/21/italy/. live.
  39. Web site: Great Britain Sail Grand Prix results. 2021-07-19. SailGP. en.
  40. Web site: 2021-08-21. ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix Aarhus Rankings, Leaderboards. 2021-08-21. SailGP. en.
  41. Web site: 2021-09-12. France Sail Grand Prix Saint-Tropez Rankings, Leaderboards. 2021-10-09. SailGP. en.
  42. Web site: 2021-10-10. Spain Sail Grand Prix Andalucía - Cádiz Rankings, Leaderboards. 2021-10-11. SailGP. en.
  43. Web site: 2021-12-18. Australia Sail Grand Prix Sydney Results, Rankings, Leaderboards. 2021-12-18. SailGP. en.
  44. Web site: 2022-03-27 . SailGP Results - United States Sail Grand Prix: Sydney Rankings, Leaderboards . 2022-03-28 . SailGP . en.
  45. Web site: 2021-07-14. A Race For The Future: SailGP becomes first sport to integrate positive impact into its global league. live. 2021-07-14. SailGP. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20210714091723/https://sailgp.com/news/race-for-the-future-sailgp-integrate-positive-impact-global-league/ . July 14, 2021 .
  46. Web site: 2022-03-27 . SailGP Impact League Results . 2022-03-28 . SailGP . en.