Editor’s note: This story is part of The Athletic’s coverage of SailGP, an international sailing competition that has been likened to Formula 1 on water. Follow SailGP here.Even the presence of Wolverine and Obi-Wan Kenobi was unable to protect the New York Sail Grand Prix from the effects of strong, gusty wind blasting out of the mean streets of Manhattan on Saturday.The first day of racing should have seen the fleet of 12 internationally-flagged F50 catamarans foiling up and down the Hudson River between Governors Island and the Statue of Liberty. But the strong breeze proved too hazardous to safely winch all 12 boats into the water in time for the scheduled 3 p.m. start.So the race organizers made the controversial call to prioritize the craning-in of the F50s in order of the current season standings. Only four of the 12 boats made the cut, starting with the dominant performers of 2026 thus far, the Bonds Flying Roos of Australia, along with Britain, Spain and the U.S., which is fourth in the season rankings. The remaining eight were left to gnash their teeth on the shore.The race window had already been pushed back to wait for the wind to drop, and the U.S. boat needed all the time it could as the swirling breeze continued to buffet the F50 back and forth beneath the crane. Meanwhile, the other three teams were charging around the race track, getting in much-needed practice before the first race.