Two sailors, one from New Zealand’s Black Foils and one from France, were hospitalised after a high-speed collision during race three of the New Zealand SailGP event off Auckland’s Wynyard Point, forcing racing to be suspended.
The incident occurred on the opening leg when the New Zealand boat appeared to lose rudder control and spun into the French vessel, causing France to fly over the bow before both boats became entangled. All crew were accounted for, with New Zealand grinder Louis Sinclair later confirmed to be in stable condition with compound fractures to both legs, while the injured French sailor was not named.
The crash comes amid concerns over large fleet sizes and follows a previous Black Foils collision earlier in the season, with organisers now considering safety and race format adjustments as challenging weather conditions continue.
