It's been fantastic to see the progress made on the new boat
Four months after a catastrophic collision on Auckland's Waitematā Harbour shattered both a boat and a crew member's legs, New Zealand's Black Foils sailing team will return to competition at the Canada Sail Grand Prix in Halifax this June. What was lost — an F50 deemed beyond repair, a grinder's season, four races of standing — has been met with the quiet, determined work of rebuilding: a new vessel constructed from scratch in Southampton, loaned athletes kept sharp on rival teams, and a mathematical thread of hope still intact. Sport, at its most human, is often less about winning than about the will to return.
- A February collision on Auckland Harbour destroyed the Black Foils' F50 and left grinder Louis Sinclair with compound fractures to both legs — one of the most serious injuries in recent SailGP history.
- With their boat deemed unrepairable and a crew member sidelined indefinitely, the team faced the rare and daunting task of building an entirely new F50 from the ground up in Southampton.
- Missing four consecutive events sent the Black Foils to the bottom of the 13-team standings, but seven races remain — just enough to keep a Grand Final berth mathematically alive.
- To prevent crew members from losing race fitness, the team loaned strategist Liv Mackay to France and grinder Marcus Hansen to Rockwool Racing, keeping both sharp until the Halifax reunion.
- The new boat's components are already in transit, the team is arriving early to commission the vessel, and Peter Burling has called the return a watershed moment after months away from the water.
Four months after a collision on Auckland's Waitematā Harbour left their F50 destroyed and crew member Louis Sinclair with compound fractures to both legs, New Zealand's Black Foils are ready to race again. The team will return at the Canada Sail Grand Prix in Halifax on June 20-21 — their first competition since the February crash with the French team.
The damage was severe enough that engineers declared the original boat beyond repair. SailGP Technologies in Southampton built an entirely new F50 from scratch, with components already en route to Halifax. Under racing protocols, salvageable parts from the wreck were used to repair the French boat — a small, practical consolation. Co-CEO and driver Peter Burling described the return as a watershed moment, saying the team "couldn't be more excited" to be back on the water.
The absence has been costly in the standings. The Black Foils sit last among 13 teams after missing four events, but with seven races remaining on the 2026 calendar, a path to the season Grand Final — however narrow — still exists.
Rather than leave crew members idle during the rebuild, the team loaned out two athletes: strategist Liv Mackay raced with France in Rio and Bermuda, while grinder Marcus Hansen competed for Rockwool Racing in Bermuda. Both will finish their loan arrangements at this weekend's New York event before rejoining the Black Foils. Sinclair, whose recovery remains incomplete, will not be available for Halifax; experienced SailGP athlete Stewart Dodson has been named as cover for the remainder of the season.
Co-CEO Blair Tuke acknowledged the weight of the past months plainly: "It's not been an easy time, but we are proud of how we have stuck together as a team." The Black Foils will arrive in Halifax early to commission their new boat — and, after everything, finally race again.
Four months after a collision tore through their boat and left a crew member with shattered legs, New Zealand's Black Foils are ready to race again. The team will compete at the Canada Sail Grand Prix in Halifax on June 20-21, marking their return to SailGP competition since the February crash on Auckland's Waitematā Harbour.
That collision with the French team's boat was catastrophic. The impact damaged the Black Foils' F50 so severely that engineers deemed it beyond repair. Grinder Louis Sinclair bore the worst of it—compound fractures to both legs that have kept him sidelined through the long months of recovery. The wreckage wasn't total loss, though. Under SailGP's incident protocols, salvageable parts from the Black Foils' destroyed boat were used to repair the French F50, a small consolation in an otherwise brutal setback.
The team's path forward required building from scratch. SailGP Technologies in Southampton constructed an entirely new F50 for the Black Foils, and the boat's components are already in transit to Halifax. Peter Burling, the team's co-CEO and driver, described the confirmation of their return as a watershed moment after months away from the water. "We couldn't be more excited as a team to be back racing again," he said, noting that visits to the Southampton facility had shown real progress on the new vessel.
The absence has been costly. The Black Foils missed four events while rebuilding, and they now sit at the bottom of the 13-team Rolex SailGP Championship standings. But mathematics still offers a thread of hope. With seven races remaining on the 2026 calendar, including Halifax, they retain a theoretical chance of reaching the season Grand Final—though the margin for error is nonexistent.
The team's resilience extended beyond the leadership. Rather than let crew members sit idle, the Black Foils loaned out two athletes to keep them race-ready. Strategist Liv Mackay raced with France in Rio and Bermuda. Grinder Marcus Hansen stepped in for Rockwool Racing in Bermuda. Both will continue those arrangements through this weekend's New York event before rejoining the Black Foils setup.
Sinclair's recovery remains incomplete. He will not be available for Halifax or, likely, the immediate races beyond. Stewart Dodson, an experienced SailGP athlete announced as cover in May, will take his place for the remainder of the season. Co-CEO Blair Tuke reflected on the difficult chapter the team had endured. "It's not been an easy time," he said, "but we are proud of how we have stuck together as a team during this period."
The Black Foils will arrive in Halifax early to commission the new boat and prepare for racing. After four months of absence, of rebuilding, of watching from the sidelines while competitors raced on, they will finally have the chance to do what they were built to do.
Citas Notables
We couldn't be more excited as a team to be back racing again. It's been fantastic to see the progress made on the new boat.— Peter Burling, Black Foils co-CEO and driver
It's not been an easy time but we are proud of how we have stuck together as a team during this period.— Blair Tuke, Black Foils co-CEO and wing trimmer
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
When you say the boat was "too badly damaged to repair," what does that actually mean? Could they have fixed it?
The impact was that severe. The F50 is a precision machine—foils, hull, systems all integrated. Once structural integrity is compromised at that level, the cost and time to rebuild exceeds starting fresh. SailGP made the call that a new boat was the only viable path.
So they built an entirely new one in Southampton. How long does that take?
Months. They've been working since February. The fact that parts are only now arriving in Halifax tells you this wasn't a quick turnaround—it was a full reconstruction.
Louis Sinclair got compound fractures to both legs. Is he done for the season?
He's still recovering. He won't race in Halifax, and realistically, the timeline for compound fractures is long. Stewart Dodson is stepping in, but Sinclair's absence is a real loss—he's a grinder, a core crew position.
The team loaned out two athletes to other teams. Why?
Pragmatism. You can't ask people to sit idle for four months. Liv Mackay and Marcus Hansen needed to stay sharp, stay racing. It kept them in the sport and kept the team's relationships intact across the circuit.
They're last in the standings now. Can they actually make the Grand Final?
Mathematically, yes. But barely. Seven races left, and they need to climb from thirteenth. It's possible, but there's no room for mistakes.
What does it feel like for them to finally get back out there?
Relief, probably. And hunger. They've had four months to think about what went wrong and what they want to prove.