Ahead of the second day of SailGP, James McOnie from The Crowd Goes Wild joined Piney to recap day one - and discuss what Kiwi sailing fans can expect this afternoon.

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A win in the last race of day one has turned around a poor start by New Zealand to their home SailGP regatta in Auckland.

After a fourth, eighth and sixth, the Peter Burling-helmed crew rebounded to take the fourth and final race of the day.

Australia leads the regatta standings on 34 points from Great Britain and Spain, with New Zealand fourth.

Sailing commentator Steve Morrison joined Piney to unpack what we can expect from day two.

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Wellington Phoenix have parted ways with club centurion David Ball, freeing up a spot ahead of the A-League's transfer window.

The club and English striker Ball said in a statement they'd 'mutually agreed' to terminate the remaining six months of his playing contract, ending five and a half years at the Phoenix.

Ball joined Piney to explain further.

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19-year-old Mattias Coutts is looking back on achieving a personal goal and making sailing history after winning the Moth World Championships.

The son of Kiwi sailing legend Russell Coutts claimed the title at Manly Sailing Club last Thursday.

Coutts joined Piney to discuss the win.

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On the Weekend Sport with Jason Pine Full Show Podcast for 19 January 2025, Piney is looking ahead to the second day of SailGP for more racing action.

SailGP chief executive Sir Russell Coutts confirmed a long term hosting agreement is on the cards, as conversations have started up regarding the event's future.

Italian SailGP CEO Jimmy Spithill joined Piney to discuss the team's outlook ahead of the second day of sailing.

Black Foils team strategist Liv Mackay unpacked a less-than-ideal start for the Kiwi crew - and revealed how the team could turn their luck around.

And Sir Russell's son, Mattias Coutts, celebrated a significant victory - having recently claimed the Moth World Championships title.

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The Black Foils are adamant bad starts can be remedied ahead of day two of the New Zealand Sail Grand Prix on Auckland's harbour.

The Kiwi crew are fourth overall after winning the final fleet race of day one.

They had three miscued starts but still recovered to finish fourth and sixth in two of the races.

Team strategist Liv Mackay joined Piney to explain how the team can overtake their opposition.

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Former two-time world champion in the Women's 470 sailing class, Hannah Mills, has been quick to offer positive feedback regarding yesterday's SailGP regatta in Auckland.

The current Emirates Great Britain strategist said yesterday's race had some tough moments - but noted yesterday was an 'amazing' day for the team overall.

Mills joined Piney to explain further.

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Italian SailGP CEO Jimmy Spithill is pleasantly surprised at how competitive the newcomers are.

Despite having a new team and limited time to get to grips with the SailGP yachts, the Italians are 5th heading into this afternoon's final stanza of the season's second regatta in Auckland.

Spithill was rapt with their two 3rds and two 7ths on Day One- and told Piney being competitive so early in the season is a major first step.

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Andy Maloney is relishing the chance to hit the Waitemata Harbour in different colours this weekend.

The Kiwi sailor is the flight controller for the new Brazilian SailGP team, after leaving the New Zealand team in the off-season.

Maloney joined Piney to unpack the challenges that came with the move.

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Auckland could become a fixture of the SailGP calendar for years to come, with Sir Russell Coutts confirming the global foiling league is in conversations regarding a long-term hosting deal in the City of Sails.

This year’s event in Auckland is the third of a four-year hosting agreement in New Zealand, with Christchurch hosting the first two editions on Lyttelton Harbour.

The event has followed suit in terms of quality of racing and crowd support, with the Waitematā Harbour racecourse providing plenty of action and entertainment, while the waterfront stadium on Wynyard Point has been packed with fans.

Speaking to Newstalk ZB’s Jason Pine, Coutts said he was pleased with the support of the event among the SailGP stadium and in surrounding areas.

“There’s a great crowd there, great vibe in the viaduct; I think local businesses were doing well out of it, which is what we want to see,” Coutts said.

“We’ve already started the talk about coming back here long-term, which I think is the real benefit for a venue.

“If we can put together a five-year – for example – term, and you come back every year; it’s all very well to have a great one-off event, but if you can come back year after year and build the brand equity and build the awareness, then you will get more people travelling from Australia and so forth, and even the US, coming down here for the event and then holidaying in New Zealand. Which is, of course, what it’s all about.

“We’re certainly keen to do that. We wanted to try Auckland to see if it worked. It clearly has, so we’re talking about a long-term arrangement.”

A long-term deal could see Auckland become a cornerstone of the SailGP calendar should the league’s schedule follow a similar timeline in the future, with season five running from December 2024 to December 2025.

Sir Russell Coutts speaks to Newstalk ZB's Jason Pine during the Auckland SailGP event. Photo / Jason Ludlow, SailGP

The Auckland stop is the second event of the current season, with around 25,000 fans expected to attend across the weekend, and conditions have been so good the league has been able to shoehorn an extra race into both days, with four fleet races on Saturday and three fleet races scheduled before the podium race this afternoon.

The league has also used the Waitematā Harbour and Hauraki Gulf as a testing ground for new developments this week. It’s the first time the fleet has rolled out its high-speed T-foils, allowing for potentially faster racing, while a split-fleet format was also trialled during practice sessions in Auckland with a look to implementing that for proper racing in the future.

That comes as the league looks to expand further in season six, with Coutts confirming SailGP was looking to add another two teams for the next campaign – among a number of other developments in the works.

“We will go to a split fleet format then, so we’ll go to seven-and-seven and then probably two more teams the following year, so eight-and-eight,” he said.

“We’ll add more venues, we want to continue to grow our audience. We’re up around 20 million-plus dedicated viewership per event now, distributing to 212 countries and territories worldwide, so that’s fantastic. The future looks really, really bright.

“Of course, we want to keep developing the technology. We’ve got the light-air foils coming on stream. We’ve got a really cool propulsion system developed in conjunction with Hamilton Jet here in New Zealand that will, a little bit like the driver assistance in Formula 1, in super-light wind conditions ... help get the boats up on to the foils.

“Obviously there will be rules around that. It’s a very controversial move in terms of the sailing world, just like allowing the coaches to communicate during racing – that’s not allowed in any other form of the sport.

“We’re not afraid of a bit of controversy. So I think that’s going to really move the sport forward.”

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.

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