Auckland Sail Grand Prix Data Dive: What The Numbers Reveal
Auckland Sail Grand Prix Data Dive: What The Numbers Reveal
Published 02/19/2026
The ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland promised plenty – and it certainly delivered.
Top-end wind conditions led to thrilling, high-speed racing across the weekend, with three teams exceeding 100 km/hr. There was also the introduction of a split fleet format due to strong wind conditions.
But what did we learn from the second event of the 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship?
1. Aussies are the overtake kings
For the second year in a row, the BONDS Flying Roos left Auckland as victors.
The secret to their success? Efficient sailing. Nobody completed more overtakes across the weekend than Tom Slingsby’s crew with a total of 20 – 14 of which came on Day 1.
However, they did so while also performing just 25 maneuvers on the opening day of racing – fewer than any other team on the race track.
Making their success all the more impressive was the fact the Roos were never really in the mix at the start. Their mean position at Mark One was P7 and they were an average of 18m behind the start line – four teams were closer.
A victory for good situational awareness and precision timing.
2. Emirates GBR bounce back on Day 2
Day 1 was a write-off following the collision between France and New Zealand – and Emirates GBR were able to take full advantage.
The 2025 Season Champions picked up just 9 points and were looking a shadow of their usual selves. But that all changed in the split-fleet format on Day 2.
No one sailed a shorter distance than Dylan Fletcher’s crew (7802 meters), while the Brits had the highest mean boat speed (64 km/hr) and the third-best max boat speed on the day as one of three teams to hit triple digits (101.6).
In doing so, they collected 10 points with two race wins - more than anyone else on Day 2 - and made the Final alongside the BONDS Flying Roos and Los Gallos.
3. U.S. SailGP Team makes further strides
An overall P7 for the weekend was testament to a stunning Sunday for Taylor Canfield’s team, as they picked up a P3 and a P1 in the split fleets. That added 8 points to their tally – only Australia (9) and Britain (10) could better that.
However, had the previous day’s pointscoring system been in place instead of points being halved, the U.S. SailGP Team would have finished fourth, missing out on a place in the Final by just a single point (19 v 20).
A Super Sunday showing that saw the Crew record a 100% flight time and achieve the highest average ride height (1108mm) was another feather in their caps in shifty, puffy conditions in Auckland.
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