New Zealand's Black Foils will make their long-awaited return to SailGP competition at next month's Canada Sail Grand Prix in Halifax, with new boat parts already on their way from England to confirm the team's comeback.
The Halifax event, running June 20-21, will be the Black Foils' first racing action since a major collision with DS Automobiles Team France on Auckland's Waitematā Harbour during February's Auckland Grand Prix.
The crash badly damaged their F50 and left grinder Louis Sinclair with compound fractures to both legs.
Co-CEO and driver Peter Burling said confirmation of the return was a major milestone after a difficult few months off the water.
"We couldn't be more excited as a team to be back racing again," Burling said. "It's been fantastic to see the progress made on the new boat on a couple of visits to SailGP Technologies and we are thrilled that the wait to get back out there is nearly over."
The team will race on an entirely new F50 built by SailGP Technologies in Southampton, after their original boat was deemed too badly damaged to repair. Some salvageable parts from the wreck were used to repair the French F50 under SailGP's racing incident rules.
The Black Foils and France crashed at high speed during the third race of the day on the Waitemāta Harbour that caused the rest of Saturday's event to be abandoned. (Source: Supplied)
Co-CEO and wing trimmer Blair Tuke said the team had remained united through what he described as a difficult chapter.
"It's not been an easy time but we are proud of how we have stuck together as a team during this period," Tuke said. "It's really exciting to now be in the position to plan for racing again and I know we are all excited to be back out there doing what we love and representing the Black Foils."
The Black Foils have missed four events since Auckland, leaving them at the bottom of the 13-team Rolex SailGP Championship standings. However, with seven events remaining on the 2026 calendar including Halifax, a mathematical chance of reaching the season Grand Final remains.
Sinclair, who is still recovering from his injuries, will not be available for Halifax. Experienced SailGP athlete Stewart Dodson, announced as cover earlier in May, will step in for the remainder of the season.
Two other Black Foils members have stayed race-ready by joining other teams on loan in the interim. Strategist Liv Mackay has raced with France in Rio and Bermuda, while grinder Marcus Hansen stepped in for Rockwool Racing in Bermuda. Both will continue those loan arrangements at this weekend's Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix before rejoining the Black Foils setup.
The team will travel to Halifax ahead of the event for a boat commissioning period in the lead-up to racing.
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