On Sunday, the reigning champions Spain gave a strong performance in the second round of SailGP. They beat New Zealand and France to win the final race at New York. The season has now reached its halfway point.

Diego Botin’s team, fresh off its first win of the season in San Francisco back in March went five points ahead on day two. They then overcame an early slump in race 5 to finish in the top three.

Spain won the race on the Hudson River, despite the shifting winds and the Statue of Liberty in the background. They arrived three seconds before New Zealand, at gates two and three. And they held the lead to win the race.

Peter Burling, the New Zealander who won in New York the previous year, lost even more time in the final stages, and finished 43 seconds behind Spain.

Spain, the three-time champions, now sits two places higher in the table of championships, with 46 points, than Australia, which finished fifth in New York.

On the final day of the competition, Spain's performance was not perfect.

The team started well, finishing second in race four of the opening day, just 16 seconds behind Martine Greel's Brazil. This was their first fleet race since joining SailGP at the start of the season.

The Brazilians were hoping for a top three finish after the first day. They were in a good position to achieve that goal when they placed fourth in the second race.

Spain's performance in race five was hampered by a tricky finish. They were ranked 11th, and fell from first to fourth place.

Botin's crew received a penalty for the final race, but they made huge gains to get ahead of Brazil in the second-to last leg. This secured a place in the event finale.

Australia won the sixth race by holding onto the early lead. This was their second win of the event, after winning the second race at the weekend.

France, which sailed consistently both days, produced a flawless performance in the fifth race to win.

Next, the season moves to Europe. The fleet will race in Portsmouth on July 19-20 and then head to Germany for the first time in August. (Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)

(source: Reuters)