Black Foils co-chief executive and driver Burling told the Herald that Henry would be missed in the group, but that a little bit of movement wasn’t always a bad thing.
The team are still without grinder Louis Sinclair, who is expected to miss the rest of the season as he recovers from injuries sustained in the Auckland crash. However, they recruited season four champion Stewart Dodson, who had previously sailed for Spain and Switzerland in SailGP, before their return in Halifax and he has filled the on-board role in Sinclair’s absence.
“It’s been amazing to be able to have Stu on board to really be doing an amazing job in that role and just a new person within the group to bring some fresh ideas and that fresh energy to keep pushing everyone forward,” Burling said.
“And obviously exciting news last [event] with Kate Stewart joining the group as well and really starting to give us a little bit more depth across the board. Liv’s now fully licensed to be able to cover the helm position within the SailGP licensing structure and to have a spare strategist as well, I think is a really positive thing.
“With how we set up, we’re trying to make sure we can cover each other across the boat in different situations if different things happen. I think that’s a really strong way to be.”
The Black Foils return this week after qualifying for their first podium race of the season in Germany a fortnight ago where, after being the form team of the event, they were hit with a late penalty and finished fourth.
It was, however, a step in the right direction for the Kiwis who have been having to play catch-up with the rest of the fleet after missing four events while their new boat was being built.
“Acknowledging how hard it is on the group to both have that four months out and to be able to jump back in be performing right at the business end of the fleet again, it really felt like we were super close and just made one too many mistakes in the first two events [Halifax and Portsmouth] to miss out on [those] finals,” Burling said.
“Having the good battle with the Spanish in Halifax and then having a terrible last race, if I put it bluntly, in Portsmouth to miss out after being in a position where we were able to get through.
“But then not the best final [in Sassnitz] from our standards. Incredibly tricky finish getting that penalty and dropping us back from what was maybe a second to the fourth. But it was really pleasing as a group to be able to continue to build and show those steps of us as a team getting back to where we know we should be.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.