Crowds gathered in Abu Dhabi's Mina Zayed to watch the first Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix.
Taking place on Saturday and Sunday, the close-to-shore race saw USA, Spain and New Zealand proceed to three-boat final on the last day. New Zealand went on to win the event on Sunday.
British band Take That entertained audiences with a high-energy performance on Saturday night, closing off a day of entertaining sport.
Three of the five original Take That members took to the stage, performing hits including Back for Good, Shine, Relight My Fire and Rule The World. According to organisers, it was the first time SailGP has combined its racing with live entertainment – and there’s more to come over the weekend.
On day two, Spain went into the event with 21 points, followed by New Zealand with 20 points and the US with 19 points.
The fourth season of the Sail Grand Prix is currently underway. The season began in Chicago, US, in June and has since travelled to Los Angeles; Saint-Tropez, France; Taranto, Italy; Cadiz, Spain; and Dubai. The Dubai event was held on December 9 and 10. To close the season, the event will travel to Sydney, Australia; Christchurch, New Zealand; Bermuda; Halifax, Canada and New York, before finishing in San Francisco in July.
At each Sail Grand Prix, 10 national teams take part in five fleet races across two days, before a winner-takes-all, three-boat final on the second day.
The winner of the final is named event champion and awarded 10 points in the Championship Leaderboard, which is added to a cumulative season total. The three highest ranked teams at the end of the 13-event season qualify for the SailGP Championship Grand Final, with a $2 million prize pot.
