High‑speed Auckland collision halts racing and reignites SailGP format debate

Racing at the New Zealand SailGP was suspended on Saturday, February 14, 2026, after New Zealand and France collided at high speed on Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour during the sprint to mark one in race three. All sailors were quickly accounted for; two — one from each team — were injured and taken ashore to hospital for observation. Organisers called off the contest as the rest of the fleet returned to the incident, with the two boats still entangled mid‑course and debris drifting downwind toward the spectator zone.

The French F50 was later towed to Wynyard Basin. New Zealand’s catamaran, Amokura, was left in pieces on the harbour and is expected to be sidelined for some time, a development that could shape the remainder of the team’s home event and broader championship ambitions in a competition decided on cumulative points across the season.

Event essentials

• Venue: Wynyard Point, Auckland, with racing on the inner Waitematā Harbour
• Revised start: 11.30am, Sunday, February 15 (brought forward to avoid the worst of an incoming weather system)
• Race status: Saturday’s racing suspended following the mid‑fleet collision in race three
• Teams involved in incident: New Zealand (Amokura) and France; two sailors injured (one per team), both taken ashore for medical assessment
• Fleet size: 13 boats, with Artemis Sweden joining the championship this year and expanding SailGP’s largest‑ever starting grid

Crash on the shortest course, with the biggest fleet yet

Replays indicated New Zealand’s Black Foils lost rudder control and spun into the path of France, whose boat rode over Amokura’s bow. The collision occurred amid compressed racing lines near mark one on what drivers described as SailGP’s shortest course — a demanding setup on a blustery afternoon and the first time the league has run a 13‑boat fleet on such a tight, city‑front racetrack.

Italian team driver Phil Robertson, an Auckland native, said it was “pretty hectic” and a shock for the fleet. He recounted that before the crash the New Zealand boat had slid toward his Italy F50 before appearing to regain control. “You trust they’re going to get grip again and they did,” he said of that earlier moment, before the separate incident unfolded between New Zealand and France.

Italy driver Phil Robertson holds court at the SailGP media conference.
Photo: Alan Lee/Photosport

Format under scrutiny as SailGP scales up

The incident immediately sharpened an existing discussion about race formats in bigger fleets on tight, near‑shore courses. SailGP has tested split‑fleet qualifying — running two heats of seven — and expects to expand the roster again next year. Robertson suggested that in short‑course, high‑wind scenarios, dividing the fleet would reduce risk by providing more runway to the first mark and clearer lanes for overtakes.

Defending champion Dylan Fletcher took the opposite view, saying he prefers a single‑fleet format and that the difference between 11 and 13 boats is not as significant as it might appear. The debate captures a core trade‑off for the league: the spectacle and tactical depth of a large fleet versus the spatial and safety margins demanded by 50‑knot, foiling catamarans racing metres from packed shorelines.

The question is no longer only sporting. As SailGP adds teams and stages more events in busy urban harbours, local authorities and harbourmasters — operating under national maritime safety laws and the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs) — are under pressure to be confident that race formats, course designs and incident‑response plans are robust enough for 10‑storey‑high foiling catamarans sharing confined waterways with commercial and recreational traffic.

Weather forces schedule changes — and raises the stakes

With a severe system forecast for New Zealand’s North Island, Sunday’s programme has been moved forward to 11.30am to skirt the worst conditions. Several helms anticipate tougher winds on day two. Robertson was blunt about big‑breeze racing on the Waitematā, quipping that you “wet your pants a little and move on.” Italy themselves narrowly escaped a capsize during the build‑up to race one when a gust heeled the boat before they recovered onto both hulls.

SailGP markets its stadium‑style courses and broadcast‑ready camera angles, but that proximity to shore also means weather calls have consequences beyond the leaderboard. Any misjudgment can quickly become a question for port authorities, insurers and event partners who are underwriting the league’s promise that high‑speed foiling can coexist safely with inner‑harbour infrastructure and public viewing areas.

Competitive consequences

The Auckland stop is the first time the championship has raced with 13 boats after Sweden’s entry, increasing start‑line density and mark‑one traffic. Last month in Perth, Spain suffered practice damage and could not compete, a reminder that a single incident can erase a weekend’s points haul and ripple through the standings. If Amokura’s rebuild keeps New Zealand out for any period, the home team’s ability to bank points in Auckland — and momentum into subsequent events — becomes uncertain.

Under SailGP regulations, Race Management has broad latitude to adjust course length, timing and formats to preserve safety and competitive integrity. Those internal rules sit alongside conditions imposed by local harbour authorities and national maritime regulators, which govern exclusion zones, emergency access and crowd control around major waterborne events. Saturday’s suspension and Sunday’s earlier start reflect those powers in action amid heavy weather and a record‑size fleet.

New Zealand and France come together midfleet, as they sprinted to the first mark of race three.
Photo: Phil Walter

What drivers are saying

Robertson characterised the crash as a “racing incident,” while acknowledging how unsettling it was to see “two boats on top of each other.” Fletcher said he still favours racing with all teams on one line, calling the experience of 13 boats “relatively similar.” The contrasting views will inform ongoing discussions about course length, start‑line geometry and heat formats as the championship evolves.

For now, the focus shifts to Sunday’s condensed window in Auckland — and whether wind, repairs and risk management will allow a safe resumption for a fleet still processing a frightening reminder of how quickly margins can disappear at mark one.