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It’s said that teams hoping to win a SailGP regatta can afford one poor result through fleet racing, provided they’re offsetting it with top finishes.

The Black Foils did exactly that on opening day in New York this morning.

In a day of mixed results, the New Zealand crew finished second, 11th and first to sit fourth after the first three races of the regatta, trailing Spain, Denmark and France.

When at their best, the Black Foils have proven they’re tough to beat, and that was on show in the third fleet race as they lapped the fleet – a rarity in SailGP racing.

“You can’t win these things on the first day, but you can keep yourself in the hunt,” Black Foils driver Peter Burling said.

“I feel like we got through the day really well, and we’re looking forward to tomorrow.”

It was a day of mixed conditions, with light winds forcing the teams to sail with just three crew members in the day’s opening race. Racing was brought forward two-and-a-half hours in a bid to get all three races in before a forecast weather bomb hit the famed American city, and rain fell for the majority of the day’s racing.

For most teams, the three-up configuration meant the driver, wing trimmer and flight controller were running the ship, with the latter doubling as a grinder.

The Black Foils sit fourth on the leaderboard after day one of SailGP's return to New York. Photo / SailGP

The Kiwis adapted well to the unusual configuration and made a great start to sit among the top four boats after the first marker.

They improved their position through the race, making the most of being the team with the highest time spent on the foils to move into second but couldn’t track down the Spanish at the front of the fleet.

The on-board configuration returned to the usual light wind four-sailor set up for race two, with the strategists coming on board to also take on grinding duties as the weather picked up a touch.

The Black Foils were caught out the back of the fleet at the start and were left with plenty of work to do if they were to back up their strong start.

While it looked at times that they had found a few positions, it wasn’t their strongest performance and they were left to battle for scraps at the back. The Kiwis ended up being one of four teams still on the racetrack when the race timed out, which saw them handed 11th place.

There were no such issues in the final race of the day.

Ahead of the event, Black Foils wing trimmer Blair Tuke again stressed the importance of starting well in these regattas, and in the third race they flew off the line.

Leading the fleet at the first marker, it was smooth sailing for the Kiwis from there.

Remarkably, they appeared to be the only team to navigate the race-three conditions, blitzing the fleet and lapping the other 11 boats to end the day in emphatic fashion.

Despite their struggles in race two, they also ended the day as the team to spend the most time on the foils at just over 79% flight time.

At this point, the teams are scheduled for two more fleet races tomorrow morning, before the top three teams contest the regatta final.

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