NEW YORK (Reuters) -Spain took the lead on day one of the sixth round of the SailGP season on Saturday, picking up the win in the opening race in New York as Diego Botin’s team are well positioned for consecutive victories.
Defending series champions Spain, who won the San Francisco event in March, made it look easy despite light winds and strong tides as they took the first win of the day.
Competing against one of the most famous skylines in the world on the iconic Hudson River, they sailed away from the fleet and led at mark one before sealing a 14-second lead over second New Zealand on the finish line.
After a brilliant opening performance, Spain were off to a turbulent start in the second race but finished fourth, moving up from their last 12th position at the start line.
They started at the back once again in the third and last fleet race of the day but moved themselves up into the third to lead overnight on 25 points before day two of the event on Sunday.
Spain, led by Olympic champion driver Botin, are five points ahead of second-placed Denmark and France in third.
Australia and Brazil were going head to head in the second race before Tom Slingsby’s team, now rebranded as the BONDS Flying Roos after new celebrity co-owners Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds were announced on Thursday, took the win.
New Zealand, winners in New York last year, won the third race but 11th spot in the second saw them finish fourth for the day.
The race was brought forward due to a storm forecast later in the day, and started two and a half hours earlier than originally scheduled.
The global racing championship is back into action after a wingsail defect forced a brief hiatus with the cancellation of May’s Rio event.
(Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk)
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