Amongst those rubbing their hands at the prospect of full-on conditions on the Hauraki Gulf this weekend will doubtless be Peter Burling's hometown heroes 'The Black Foils' (see main image) who generally excel when the breeze is up.
That said, Burling & Co. could still be somewhat on the back foot after a spectacular crash with the Swiss team at the previous event in Australia saw the transom sliced off the port hull of the Kiwi F50.
Getting the New Zealand team's boat repaired in time to race at their home event has been something of a scramble with technicians at SailGP's Tech Centre in the UK having to build a new stern section and ship it halfway around the world to be carefully grafted into place.
The word is that the repairs have been completed and – subject to successful testing this week in Auckland – the Black Foils should be back in action in time for Friday's practice racing.
Also happy at the prospect of some high wind racing will be Dylan Fletcher's British crew aboard the Emirates Team GBR F50. The Brits won the first event of Season 6 in Perth after a storming second day that saw them put on a masterclass performance in breezy conditions on the Swan River.
Likewise Tom Slingsby's BONDS Flying Roos are always strong when the winds are in the upper ranges. There has been no confirmation yet on whether newly recruited wing trimmer Iain Jensen will make his SailGP debut in Australian colours this weekend after missing the Perth event with a nasty knee injury sustained in pre-event training.
Supersub Glenn Ashby stood in for Jensen in Perth and he is still listed as a reserve on the Roos' crew list, giving Slingsby options if his new recruit is not fully fit.
Recent video footage revealed that Jensen had been sailing AC40s in Auckland recently after joining America's Cup Defender Emirates Team New Zealand for their AC38 campaign – although being fit enough to sit in a cockpit and press buttons is a very different prospect to being ready to sprint across the trampolines on an F50.
Another team that will doubtless be eying the weekend's weather with enthusiasm is Quentin Delapierre's DS Team France who have on many occasions proved themselves well capable of winning races in fresher conditions.
Much will depend on the continued success of Delapierre's – some would describe as 'gung-ho' – come-from-behind starting technique that relies on him threading the needle through the fleet at high speed in the final seconds to the start gun. The Frenchman used it to good effect in Perth, but will the rest of the fleet be on to him in Auckland?
Like the New Zealand crew, Diego Botin's Spanish Los Gallos team will return to action in Auckland after missing out on points in Perth due to damage to their boat. The Spanish crew didn't make it to the start line in Perth because of failures to their daggerboard casings sustained during training prior to the event.
As well as the lost points, Botin's sailors will also be ruing the seven races of valuable on-the-water racing experience they were also excluded from at the opening event of the season. However, with their boat now back up to full strength, and memories of their second place finish in Auckland in windy weather last season, the Spaniards will surely be champing at the bit to get back on the racecourse.
Then there are the Danes. It may have been quite a while since Nicolai Sehested's ROCKWOOL Racing team have shown their true prowess when the breeze is up, but in previous seasons they often demonstrated their ability to blitz their way to the front on the first reach and then control the race from then on.
This is the team, remember, who last summer in Sassnitz set the top speed record of 103.93 km/h (56.12 knots) on a bear-away at the first buoy. Might that record fall during this weekend's high wind racing? If it does, don't bet against the Danes to be the ones to beat their own top speed.
While these six teams are my predicted front-runners for this weekend's event in Auckland, if you are looking for wildcard suggestions for teams capable of winning races then my tips would be Nathan Outteridge's Swedish newcomers Artemis, Red Bull Italy under the vastly experienced leadership of Phil Robertson, and Giles Scott's Canadian NorthStar team who gave a glimpse of their true potential with a win in the final fleet race in Perth.
As well as the breeze, watch out for the local currents to play a part – as they did last year when wind against tide kicked up a nasty standing chop that made life especially difficult for the flight controllers who were racing on the new t-foils for the first time.
Back in January 2025 it was the Australians who came out on top after winning the three-way event final against the Spanish and the British. Picking the top three this time around is nigh on impossible, with any of the six big breeze teams well capable of making the final. One thing is for sure though – after missing out on the final on home waters last year, nobody will be more focused on making the top three this weekend than Burling and the Black Foils.
All in all it looks like we are set for a thrilling couple of days of racing this weekend in Auckland. Well worth getting up in the middle of the night in Europe to watch it live, I reckon.
