Pete Burling’s New Zealand team combated gusty conditions to dominate day 1 of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix on Lyttelton Harbour.
Finishing with a 2-1-2 scoreline to take a four point lead to top the leaderboard on the first day of racing in Christchurch.
Phil Robertson’s Canada sits second heading into day two after winning the third fleet race.
Consistent 3-4-3 results place Ben Ainslie’s Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team in third and five points off the Kiwi leaders.
Familiar rivals Australia and New Zealand went head to head throughout the day, but technical problems scuppered the Aussies’ chances in the third fleet race, resulting in an uncharacteristic ninth place finish.
The Aussies sit in fifth overall heading into day two, leaving them with work to do.
France kicked off the event with intention, picking up the first race win with a dominating performance.
But Quentin Delapierre’s crew suffered communication difficulties in the second fleet race, and finished the day just outside the top three with 21 points.
ITM NEW ZEALAND SAIL GRAND PRIX – Day 1 after 3 races
The ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch will resume Sunday at 15:00 NZDT (02:00 UK) .
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