SailGP Chch: High-speed sailing and foraged feasts for the belly

You might think this weekend’s Sail Grand Prix in Lyttelton is just for boaties and adrenaline junkies, but it turns out foodies are in for a treat too. As Seven Sharp’s Rachel Parkin discovers, punters will get the whole Banks Peninsula experience.

It was one of those on-camera moments where I just had to bite the bullet — or rather, the sea fig.

In my hand, a marine morsel, which for all intents and purposes looked like an anus.

"Just give it a bite and suck it out," Peter Langlands encouraged me.

Oh dear.

“Here I go,” I said, taking a deep breath.

Thankfully, the oddly sweet and salty mixture that oozed forth was delicious. My faith in SailGP’s "chief forager" intact.

"I was sceptical, but this is good," I said, laughing.

And that was how our morning went. Langlands stopped to pluck, explain, and proffer samples as we shopped the shoreline of Purau Bay. Me, his beach bridesmaid, with a bouquet of sea silver beet, giving things a taste.

"Could you truly live life without ever setting foot in an actual supermarket?" I asked.

"Yeah, for sure, no problems at all," Langlands replied. "Shellfish, fish, small game and then wild greens, seaweeds, mushrooms… yip, the sky’s the limit. It’s just one massive supermarket out there."

He was undoubtedly the man for this SailGP foraging feat — gathering flora and fauna from around the Peninsula to garnish thousands of meals.

"This is going to be one of the five key species we’re using,” Langlands said, stopping to cut some ice plant.

“You can eat this?" I asked, incredulous. "I used to throw this at my brother when I was a kid."

"Yes, just the tips. Fennel flowers is another one, watercress flowers, beach mustard flowers and also sheep sorrel."

The ethos for SailGP – it transpired – was environmental.

"Whilst they do have to move around the world, these guys [sailors] work so hard on their sustainability, and how do we deliver this event with the least amount of impact," SailGP executive chef Dan Shanks told me.

For catering, that meant sourcing locally. Almost everything will be dished up this weekend, hailing from within 100km of the venue.

"You’ve got Akaroa Salmon about 60km away," Shanks explained. "Paua that’s all been harvested out of Akaroa Heads, green-lipped mussels coming from the bay just outside of Lyttelton Heads, cherries from Purau Farm,

"Pop over the hill, and that’s where all our grain comes from."

The impact of that on the local economy was not to be sniffed at.

Twenty-two thousand people were set to roll through the gates this weekend – a world record for ticketed sailing events. Last year, with half the numbers, saw a $4 million visitor spend.

"For me, it's the impact you have on the smaller suppliers," Shanks said. "Where it just makes a big difference for people you know."

Akaroa Salmon, for one, was chuffed to be onboard.

"I think that link between the ocean, the plains and the alps is a key story of what Canterbury is," said marketing and sales manager Nik Mavromatis. "That’s our manaakitanga. You know we’re telling a sense of ourselves with our food,"

At Little Fish, they too were "good to go".

"We’re pumped," said owner Andrew Brown. "You know it's a great story. Our [fishing] boats are coming in, and boats are out there racing."

Who was I to argue? With punters from around the globe, it was a real chance for Canterbury to shine.

"Not many regions in the world have this fantastic pastoral, agricultural landscape.... then combine it with this magical marine life," Shanks said, gesturing over his shoulder to the harbour.

As for our fearless forager, he was just getting started.

"You really could run out of time in a lifetime… you wouldn’t be able to explore it all," Langlands told me as he bent down to inspect eelgrass in the mud flat.

"This is a really good sign of good water quality," he said. "It’s a key species for a lot of marine life.

"But it’s not something we eat."

Phew.