SailGP Auckland: A weekend of world-class racing

After two days of watching the New Zealand SailGP team, the Black Foils, racing on Waitematā Harbour, we are proud that New Zealand is, once again, showcasing our world-class sailing ability to the world. Crowds covered every viewing spot and balcony that overlooked the inner harbour, the grandstand - dominating the end of Wynyard Point - was full of 8000 admiring fans on both days and 300 boats and 20 super yachts watched from on the water. The atmosphere felt like the America’s Cup but fans were brought closer to the action where they could see the athletes taking on the nail-biting competition, nose dives and near misses - especially as they rounded the final marker towards the finish line.

‍

The ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Auckland 2025 was won by the Australian’s who made a stand-out performance on SailGP’s tightest racecourse yet, racing the F50 catamaran in gusty winds and mastering the brand-new T-foiling system. During Driver Tom Slingsby’s victory speech, he light-heartedly said that although it must be hard for local fans to witness Australia winning, they were grateful for the strong support they received.

Sponsorship Event

Alvarium staff, clients and families got right behind the event watching it from the office, the waterfront and the grandstand. We were also fortunate to host some of the Black Foil team, SailGP CEO and co-founder Sir Russell Coutts and other sponsors in our office.

‍

Sir Russell co-founded SailGP with Larry Ellison in 2018 with the ambition that the league would redefine the future of the sport. Reflecting on the Auckland event, he said,

“This weekend in Auckland has been an incredible showcase for our sport – with thousands of spectators, passionate fans and top-flight racing, right in the heart of the city. We’re enormously grateful for the support of the city, our partners, fans and local stakeholders in making the inaugural ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix’s Auckland debut an event we won’t soon forget.”

‍

SailGP Tech Tour

Staff were treated to a Tech Tour at the SailGP Tech Site on Friday 17 January before racing began. This gave us the opportunity to see the boats off the water, learn about the SailGP F50 simulators and see the new T-foils, that replaced the L-foils used in previous races, for the first time. We witnessed the incredible team of around 30 people carefully taking each boat in and out of the water and went inside the impressive Oracle insights container where racing data is processed.

“Each F50 boat is a marvel of engineering and is made up of advanced composite materials, complex control systems, and a plethora of sensors which generate over 1 billion points of telemetry per boat per day!” Avinash de Silva, Head of Technology.

One of the things Alvarium likes about SailGP’s fast and furious racing action is that the league has ambitions to be the world's most sustainable and purpose-driven sports and entertainment platform. SailGP’s Impact League is key to this ambition; it’s a world-first initiative that sees teams compete in a second leaderboard that tracks the positive actions each team makes to reduce their carbon footprint and help accelerate inclusivity in sailing.

‍

Sports and investing both require a terrific team, cooperation, effective communication and a powerful drive to achieve excellence. But it’s not just a similar mindset that made Alvarium want to sponsor the New Zealand SailGP team- it is also our shared passion for protecting the diverse ecosystems of our great oceans through their charity Live Ocean.

“We care deeply about building a healthier future and admire how SailGP is using sport as a catalyst to shift attitudes and behaviour around environmental and social issues alike. That is something we are hugely excited to stand alongside” says Brett Gamble, Alvarium owner and director.

Results for the championship after races in Dubai and Auckland see Great Britain leading with 17 points, New Zealand in second place also on 17 points and Australia in third on 16 points. The next event is in Sydney on 8-9 February 2025.

Read a beginner's guide to the championship here and find out more about up-and-coming SailGP action here.

‍