Did a system limit cause the Auckland crash? Matt Sheahan looks at the technical gaps and the software updates SailGP isn’t discussingThe Black Foils SailGP Team helmed by Peter Burling collides with the DS Automobiles SailGP Team France helmed by Quentin Delapierre whilst in action on Race Day 1 of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland, New Zealand. Saturday 14 February 2026. Rolex SailGP Championship Event 2 2026 Season. Photo: Iain McGregor for SailGP. Handout image supplied by SailGPThe shockwaves from Auckland in February are still resonating. Since the dramatic collision in the second event of the current SailGP season, at the time of writing few official answers have yet been given as to what would be done to reduce the risks in future.
\nMeanwhile the crash, which left two crewmembers in hospital with serious injuries, has prompted much discussion, especially among professional sailors.
\nMany remain shaken by just how close the collision between the French DS Automobiles team and the Kiwi Black Foils came to tragedy. Luck played a huge part in avoiding a tragedy and that\u2019s what\u2019s been so unsettling.
\nAnd it\u2019s not just sailors. I\u2019ve been told there\u2019s growing unease within some technical and support areas, to the point that some are questioning whether they can continue. Choosing between career and principles is not an easy decision to make and so it\u2019s hardly surprising that few, if any, want to speak publicly.
\nI fully accept that it\u2019s easy to be wise after the event, to call for changes and expect things to happen in an instant when the reality is far more complex and where speculation and knee jerk responses are far from helpful. It\u2019s not an easy path to tread, especially when the frenetic pace of a busy and ambitious schedule means that the show has to go on.
\nSailGP
\nBut what worries me is the radio silence from the organisation following the accident. Aside from some words from SailGP CEO Russell Coutts in the press conference at the Sydney event two weeks later, and a single feature on their website about the initial findings, there has been barely anything else said.
\nAs you might expect I asked SailGP several times for an interview but, despite agreeing in principle initially, I was told just before their next GP in Sydney started that no-one was available for comment. Instead, I was re-directed to the press conference.
\nIn this rather one-sided affair Coutts acknowledged there\u2019d always be things to learn. He pointed out that the process is more involved than people might imagine, that the details of the crash were being investigated and that there could be future modifications both to the boats and their systems. He also said changes to crew clothing along with physical changes to the boats to offer more protection were all under consideration.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s a lot to go through,\u201d he said before adding that actions taken for the Sydney weekend were a big step forward. Yet there was no mention of what those changes actually were. Split fleet racing was also discussed where Coutts said that while this wouldn\u2019t remove all the risk, this format was already the intention for next season where there\u2019d be 14 boats taking part.
\nThe cause of the Kiwi F50\u2019s spin out has been discussed in detail. Essentially, SailGP\u2019s findings point to an excess of ride height allowing the boat to skid sideways, developing more lift than could be scrubbed off with a change in angle of attack of the foil before they found their grip and, along with a nose dive, spun into the path of the French.
\nArticle continues below\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAussies win SailGP Brazil: \u201cI\u2019ve been holding my breath a bit around the race track\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIt was a tricky second race day at the Enel Rio SailGP in Brazil on Sunday, 12 April. As is\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAussies win Auckland SailGP as injuries overshadow racing<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTom Slingsby and his Australian team claimed victory at the ITM New Zealand SailGP this weekend, though the event was\u2026<\/p>\n
The following day, on the same leg of the course, the Italian team seemed to suffer a very similar broach. Nothing was mentioned of this or any apparent similarity with the Kiwi experience.
\nBut a few days after the incident, Black Foils\u2019 skipper Peter Burling faced the Kiwi press where he said they\u2019d hit a \u2018system limit\u2019 which \u2018dramatically escalated the situation\u2019 forcing them to take drastic action to avoid the boat to leeward before then rounding up.
\nIn the SailGP report posted the following week there was no mention of reaching the system limit or the Italian spin out. This seemed to leave Burling out on a limb. And yet midway through the live broadcast of the opening day in Sydney, in a short video package between racing, Alex Reid, the director of performance engineering said the flight controller software aboard the F50 cats had now been modified to detect when the boat is sliding sideways and would allow more negative lift on the foil to be achieved. So, had Burling been right? We never found out.
\nOf course, SailGP are under no obligation to tell us how they\u2019re investigating and how they might respond. I don\u2019t doubt there are some very good minds and people on the case right now, but the sense that the most serious crash we\u2019ve seen in SailGP so far is not up for discussion is making some feel very uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
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The post The unsettling silence following the Auckland SailGP collision \u2013 Matt Sheahan appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Did a system limit cause the Auckland crash? Matt Sheahan looks at the technical gaps and the software updates SailGP isn’t discussingThe Black Foils SailGP Team helmed by Peter Burling collides with the DS Automobiles SailGP Team France helmed by … <\/p>\n