New Zealand SailGP Team helmed by Peter Burling competing in Los Angeles. Photo: Photosport
The New Zealand SailGP team have let victory slip from their grasp at the latest event in Los Angeles.
Pitted against Canada and Australia in the final, Black Foils skipper Peter Burling made a perfect start again as he had done throughout the regatta, winning the inside line to the first mark one, leaving NorthStar Canada trailing in its wake.
Tom Slingsby's Australia looked shut out from the beginning, trailing over the line and struggling to stay on the foils.
However, a crucial moment unfolded at the second mark, when leaders New Zealand and NorthStar Canada split the course.
As the Canadians executed silky smooth boat handling, Burling and his team struggled to replicate clean manoeuvres and fell off the foils on the third leg of the shortened six leg final.
The Canadians moved into first with unforced errors from the New Zealand and Australian teams handing them a dominant lead.
"It was great to lead at mark one, but then I felt like we made a few incorrect decisions out on the race track. There's a few things I look back on and kick myself on technically...real shame to let someone pass in a final when you are leading on mark one - you should win those ones," said Burling.
Despite the light wind conditions meaning a reduced four member crew configuration, the Canadians racked up the highest fly time of the day in the final - 99 percent, as well as the highest average speed of the day - 51.07km/h.
It's the first event win the NorthStar Canada has picked up since Christchurch two years ago.
New Zealand's second place finish moves them up to third on the overall championship with Great Britain first and Australia second.
The next event is in San Francisco next week.
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