SailGP: Black Foils launch and sail new F50 in Halifax
by Ben Mackey, Black Foils 18 Jun 07:05 BST
Black Foils bless, launch and sail their new F50 - SailGP Halifax - June 2026 © Black Foils
The Black Foils have successfully blessed and launched their new F50 today in Halifax ahead of returning to racing at this weekend’s Canada Sail Grand Prix.
Named “Manawatiti” to reflect the team’s resilience and unwavering collective spirit, the F50 was given the name and blessed in a ceremony led by Master Navigator and Te Toki Voyaging Trust leader Hoturoa Barclary-Kerr (Tainui) before being craned into the water for the first time.
After checks on the water and briefly returning to the shore for updates, Manawatiti was then craned in again and the Sailing Team were able to sail their new F50 for the first time on Halifax Harbour to start the commissioning process.
Manawatiti translates to the heart of a titi (sooty shearwater). The titi is a seabird known for its immense stamina and ability to fly long distances across the ocean. Like the team the titi remains connected to New Zealand even after traveling great distances.
Te Toki Voyaging Trust, the Black Foils and Live Ocean have an ongoing partnership; Barclay-Kerr also led the process to name and bless the team’s first F50, Amokura when the team first joined the SailGP fleet.
The F50 was built in Southampton at SailGP Technologies and represents thousands of hours of work by the league’s team at the facility. Members of the Black Foils Shore Crew have also spent time working alongside the SailGP Technologies team at Southampton before the boat was transferred to Halifax.
Black Foils Co-CEO Blair Tuke said it was a special occasion for everyone involved.
“Today represented the culmination of a huge amount of work by a massive group of people and we are incredibly grateful for that effort to get us back in the water. To have Hotu give the name to the F50 and deliver the blessing also provided a special connection to home and where we have come from as a team. Seeing Manawatiti go into the water for the first time marked a massive step forward for the group since the incident in Auckland.”
Black Foils Co-CEO Peter Burling said it was great to be back on the water together as a team.
“It was special to be back sailing as the Black Foils and to take Manawatiti out for the first time. Whilst we still have work to do before this weekend it was an important milestone in returning to racing. We will follow a process with each of our sailing windows between now and Saturday to make sure we are ready. It was also great to give Stewart his first chance to be on board with the team.”
Manawatiti will go through further checks following spending time in the water today and the team will have extra sailing and commissioning time on Thursday local time before Friday’s scheduled practice racing with the rest of the SailGP fleet.