Sam Newton, grinder of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, Tom Slingsby, driver of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, Jason Waterhouse, flight controller of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, Tash Bryant, strategist of BONDS Flying Roos, Glenn Ashby, wing trimmer of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, and Kinley Fowler, grinder of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, celebrate on the podium with the winner wheel following winning the event on Race Day 2 of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland, New Zealand Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Felix Diemer/SailGP via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Tom Slingsby, driver of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, crosses the boat during a manoeuvre as Tash Bryant, strategist of BONDS Flying Roos, takes the wheel on Race Day 2 of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland, New Zealand Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Simon Bruty /SailGP via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Los Gallos SailGP Team helmed by Diego Botin ahead of Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team helmed by Dylan Fletcher and BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team helmed by Tom Slingsby race past the grandstand during the final race on Race Day 2 of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland, New Zealand Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Simon Bruty /SailGP via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
DS Automobiles SailGP Team France helmed by Quentin Delapierre, and Blair Tuke co-CEO and wing trimmer of Black Foils SailGP Team in action on race day 1 of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland, New Zealand, Saturday Feb. 14, 2026. (Brett Phibbs/SailGP via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team helmed by Tom Slingsby ahead of Los Gallos SailGP Team helmed by Diego Botin as they race past the grandstand of spectators on Race Day 2 of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland, New Zealand Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Simon Bruty /SailGP via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)1 / 5Sail GP New Zealand
Sam Newton, grinder of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, Tom Slingsby, driver of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, Jason Waterhouse, flight controller of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, Tash Bryant, strategist of BONDS Flying Roos, Glenn Ashby, wing trimmer of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, and Kinley Fowler, grinder of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, celebrate on the podium with the winner wheel following winning the event on Race Day 2 of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland, New Zealand Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Felix Diemer/SailGP via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)1 / 5Sail GP New Zealand
Sam Newton, grinder of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, Tom Slingsby, driver of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, Jason Waterhouse, flight controller of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, Tash Bryant, strategist of BONDS Flying Roos, Glenn Ashby, wing trimmer of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, and Kinley Fowler, grinder of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, celebrate on the podium with the winner wheel following winning the event on Race Day 2 of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland, New Zealand Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Felix Diemer/SailGP via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)2 / 5Sail GP New Zealand
Tom Slingsby, driver of BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team, crosses the boat during a manoeuvre as Tash Bryant, strategist of BONDS Flying Roos, takes the wheel on Race Day 2 of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland, New Zealand Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Simon Bruty /SailGP via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)3 / 5Sail GP New Zealand
Los Gallos SailGP Team helmed by Diego Botin ahead of Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team helmed by Dylan Fletcher and BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team helmed by Tom Slingsby race past the grandstand during the final race on Race Day 2 of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland, New Zealand Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Simon Bruty /SailGP via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)4 / 5New Zealand Sail Grand Prix
DS Automobiles SailGP Team France helmed by Quentin Delapierre, and Blair Tuke co-CEO and wing trimmer of Black Foils SailGP Team in action on race day 1 of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland, New Zealand, Saturday Feb. 14, 2026. (Brett Phibbs/SailGP via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)5 / 5Sail GP New Zealand
BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team helmed by Tom Slingsby ahead of Los Gallos SailGP Team helmed by Diego Botin as they race past the grandstand of spectators on Race Day 2 of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland, New Zealand Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Simon Bruty /SailGP via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)Associated PressFri, February 27, 2026 at 3:27 AM UTC·3 min readSYDNEY (AP) — SailGP organizers say the ultra-fast catamaran series is considering fitting the fleet with air bags and Kevlar safety straps after two sailors were seriously injured in the last race.
Two weeks ago, New Zealand grinder Louis Sinclair broke both his legs and France’s Manon Audinet spent two weeks in hospital with a chest injury when their boats crashed in a race at Auckland, New Zealand.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSailGP chief executive Russell Coutts said Friday on the eve of the Sydney races that the series is continuing its review into the Auckland crash, the most serious since the league’s inception in 2019.
Coutts, who won an Olympic gold medal for New Zealand and skippered three America's Cup victories, said SailGP is satisfied with the immediate emergency response, but will investigate whether better safety equipment could be implemented to minimize future risk.
“There are a whole host of ideas,” Coutts told Australian Associated Press. “Could you have air bags on the inside of the cockpit? A Kevlar strap (could) be on the outside of the cockpit, for example, stopping a penetration (by another boat)."
Sailors expect accidents will happen when 13 identical 50-foot foiling catamarans jostle for space on a tight course at speeds above 100 kilometers at hour (60 mph).
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTom Slingsby, skipper of the Australian team which won the Auckland event, says he does not expect more crashes this weekend on Sydney harbor. Calmer winds are forecast, although the easterly breeze will still make for challenging sailing.
“Getting rainy easterlies at this time of year is very uncommon,” Slingsby said. “This weekend’s forecast, I don’t see any danger (of more crashes). It should be moderate breezes, light to moderate breezes.”
But Slingsby said accidents are part of the high-speed racing.
“It’s an extreme sport and we will have injuries," he said. “As for the incident in Auckland, it’s tough, there’s no way of putting on an exciting show without a level of risk.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSlingsby, whose Australia team includes actors Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds as co-owners, believes sailors want that risk reduced but not removed.
“We’ve trained our whole lives for these situations and we want to be out there pushing our skills to the limit, not dulling them down in the name of safety,” he said. “At the same time, we don’t want to see people hurt. It’s a fine line.”
Both French and New Zealand boats will be absent for the Sydney event.
SailGP is hopeful damage to the French boat will be repaired in time for Quentin Delapierre’s team to line up in the next regatta off Rio de Janeiro in April. But New Zealand’s hopes of reaching this season’s $2 million event final are in jeopardy as the crew expects to miss Sydney, Rio and possibly the two events to follow.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTwilight racing — the seventh time SailGP has been raced on Sydney harbor — will be held on Saturday and Sunday, with the winning boat to be determined on Sunday.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
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