In the closest-ever finish to a SailGP event, Quentin Delapierre led the France SailGP Team to a stunning victory by just three seconds over Jimmy Spithill's U.S. team to claim the team's first event win in SailGP.

The event win in Andalucía - Cádiz sees the French team rocket into the all-important top three of the championship standings after six events of Season 3.

The resurgence of Spithill's team continued as it made a second straight final and couldn't have been closer to a second straight event win.

Tom Slingsby's team struggled to finish a distant third in the final, but it was an improved weekend from the Australians who had missed the last two event finals. The team has also stretched its lead over New Zealand in the season standings to four points.

In one of the closest races in the history of SailGP, France converted a brilliant start under pressure into pole position at mark one

On an eye-catching but heartbreaking day for the Canadian team, Phil Robertson won both of the day's races, but it wasn't enough to overcome a poor day one effort and the newcomers missed the final by one point.

Quentin Delapierre marked his first anniversary as France driver by winning his first ever SailGP event, with a narrow three-second lead over the Americans on the Bay of Cádiz.

Neck and neck racing with Jimmy Spithill’s United States throughout culminated in a tense last-minute battle between the two crews, and France crossing the finish line with just three seconds to spare.

Tom Slingsby’s Australia, meanwhile came over the line in third after aggressive match racing tactics from the U.S. early on pushed the Aussies to the back of the pack.

In one of the closest races in the history of SailGP, France converted a brilliant start under pressure into pole position at mark one.

However, consistent boat speed and smooth manoeuvres from the U.S. saw Jimmy Spithill’s crew breathing down France’s neck throughout, leading to a brief overtake and the pair jostling for first place with just meters to the finish line.

Light winds and choppy waters saw the three final teams slim down to a four-crew configuration ahead of the Final, with Slingsby, Spithill and Delapierre multitasking tactics, steering and flight control.

Speaking from the water, Delapierre said ‘huge improvements' in the team led to the event win.

“Winning this sail grand prix on the four-crew configuration was a huge step for the team - there was a tight battle with the Americans and it was a challenge to keep our strategy clean.”

It followed a weekend of tense, tight-pack racing, with crews struggling to cope with a turbulent sea state and gusty conditions. However, France remained consistent throughout, picking up a 2-4-3-5-3 racing record and sweeping into the Final despite not winning a Fleet race.

The refreshed Championship standings see Australia extend their lead to 50 points, New Zealand in second with 46 and France entering the top three teams with 41.

The nine-strong fleet will meet again for the Dubai Sail Grand Prix on November 12-13.

Final results at Cadiz
1. France, 10 points
2. United States, 9
3. Australia, 8
4. Canada, 7
5. Great Britain, 6
6. New Zealand, 5
7. Spain, 4
8. Denmark, 3
9. Switzerland, 2

In Saint-Tropez, France, Jimmy Spithill has led his United States SailGP Team to his first ever SailGP victory, prevailing in light winds at the Range Rover France Sail Grand Prix in Saint-Tropez. In the final, he battled the in-form New Zealand team of Peter Burling, chasing a third straight event win, and Ben Ainslie's Great Britain team.

In a huge contrast to conditions - that saw records break yesterday - today represented the other end of the spectrum with light winds and the F50's racing with a 29 metrewing configuration.

Lack of wind in St. Tropez for the SailGPs

After the United States team prevailed in the opening race of the day, race five was abandoned as the boats failed to make the race time limit, and the decision was made to go straight to the final podium race instead of the Super Sunday format that was planned.

Spithill's win revives what had to this point been a deeply troubled season for the United States team so far, with this event marking the first appearance in an event final.

The European leg of the championship concludes in two weeks' time at the Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía - Cadiz, September 10-11.

SailGP Season 3 Championship Standings (after five events) 

1 // Australia // 42 points
2 // New Zealand // 41 points
3 // Great Britain // 34 points
4 // Denmark // 33 points
5 // France // 31 points
6 // Canada // 29 points
7 // United States // 25 points
8 // Spain // 15 points
9 // Switzerland // 12 points

*United States penalised 4 season points for an incident with France
*Switzerland penalised 2 season points for an incident with the United States

SailGP organisers made the surprise announcement on Friday (15 July) that they were pausing the participation of Japan SailGP Team “indefinitely”.

According to Sail-World, the move was prompted by a shortage of boats, with only nine vessels ready to sail for the 10 confirmed teams in Season 3. A tenth is under construction but was not expected to be available until after Season 3’s third event in Portsmouth later this month.

It’s understood that SailGP Japan, skippered by Nathan Outteridge, was believed to be the team with the least sponsorship among those without a full franchise, despite their second-place finish in Season 2. Organisers cited “logistical and commercial considerations” in their decision.

SailGP’s statement added: “The league would like to thank Nathan Outteridge and all of the athletes and staff involved in the Team for their outstanding performance in the first two seasons of SailGP and wish them all the very best for the future.

“Season 3 will continue with nine teams racing for the remainder of the season.”

The current season kicked off in Bermuda on 14-15 May, with Chicago hosting the second state on 18-19 June. Australia, skippered by Tom Slingsby, has won both events thus far — with Great Britain (Sir Ben Ainslie) and Canada (Phil Robertson) trading the other podium positions.

Billed as 'the most exciting racing on water' could be coming to Canada in 2023/2024 as part of SailGP Season 4. Following a very competitive domestic bid process, with interest from over ten potential host cities, SailGP has announced that the following four cities are on the short list:

• Halifax, Nova Scotia
• Kingston, Ontario
• Montreal, Quebec
• Victoria, British Columbia

A SailGP event in Canada would place the successful host city on the world stage attracting visitors from around the globe and across the country. It would also generate significant economic impact, enliven the sailing community and produce international media coverage that would elevate the host city as an iconic waterfront destination alongside San Francisco, Saint-Tropez, Sydney and Copenhagen which are currently part of the world tour.

Sir Russell Coutts, CEO of SailGP, said: “It’s a great testament to the impressive growth of our championship to see so much interest from coast to coast in hosting the first Canada Sail Grand Prix event. We’re already seeing incredible support for the Canadian team after just one event, from fans all over the globe. Having personally enjoyed racing in Canada on a number of occasions, I know that Canada is a nation with a passion for high level sport and I look forward to what should become an outstanding annual event on our championship calendar.”

For Fred Pye, Founder of the Canada SailGP Team, hosting an event in Canada would have a generational impact on the sport. “Our vision is to create a catalyst for the growth and fan accessibility of the sport of sailing in Canada. Bringing a SailGP event to Canada for the first time, on home waters, would be an extraordinary experience for Canadian fans and our athletes.”

The shortlisted host cities will attend the SailGP event in Chicago next weekend. The selection process will draw to a close in late October, giving the winning city time to prepare for the event in 2023/2024.

Following on from a podium finish in the team’s inaugural event in Bermuda last month, the Canada SailGP Team will compete next in the United States Sail Grand Prix Chicago at Navy Pier on 18-19 June. Racing will be broadcast live on TSN in Canada and YouTube, with highlights also shown on RDS and TSN immediately following the event.

When SailGP Season 3 commences on May 14 in Bermuda, it will mark an historic moment for Canadian sailing. Canada’s first-ever fully professional sailing team will be on the start line with an all-star crew onboard the leading-edge F50 foiling catamaran.

Since the beginning of the year, Phil Robertson, Driver for the Canada SailGP Team, has been trialling and training a curated selection of Canada’s top sailors at the F50 simulator in Belfast and onboard the team’s training foiling catamaran in Portugal. F50 safety training followed soon thereafter in San Francisco, in the lead up to the SailGP Season 2 grand final.

“Phil knows what it takes to bring a new team up to speed and has done it successfully twice. Canada won’t be an exception - we have amazingly talented sailors, yet very little foiling experience. It’s the team’s vision that the Canada SailGP Team changes this and that it truly is the catalyst for sailing across the country,” said Jean-Sébastien Chénier Proteau, CEO of the Canada SailGP Team.

The impressive lineup for the Canada SailGP Team for the start of SailGP Season 3 includes Olympians Tom Ramshaw (Toronto, ON) (Finn and ICLA 7) as a grinder and tactician, Luke Ramsay (Vancouver, BC) (470 and Nacra 17) as a flight controller, as well as Tim Hornsby (Dartmouth, NS) (Sprint canoeist) as a grinder, who brings his foiling experience from 36th America’s Cup Challenger American Magic.

Olympic 49er campaigner Georgia Lewin-Lafrance (Chester, NS) and Isabella Bertold (Vancouver, BC) (Laser World Cup medalist) have joined the team in the roles of strategist and co-pilot and are also part of the SailGP Women’s Pathway Programme to accelerate opportunities for female athletes. Isabella will also be leading the roll out of the team’s Purpose strategy, aiming for a podium finish in the Impact League this season.

Professional sailor Billy Gooderam (Toronto, ON) brings his 49er experience to the role of flight controller, while Jareese Finch (Victoria, BC) will contribute his fire power and experience from the Maxi 72s and TP52 Class to his role onboard as a grinder.

Robertson has also recruited Kiwi-Canadian Graeme Sutherland as wing trimmer. Sutherland was born in Edmonton and grew up sailing in the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron youth squad before going on to compete and coach at an international level.

Rounding out the team is high-performance coach and Olympian Joe Glanfield who brings his sought after expertise to Phil and the Canadians as Season 3 quickly approaches.

“I can’t wait to start training this week in Bermuda with the Canadian team. We have a few days practising alongside the Swiss team before we get our own F50 for the event. It’ll be a baptism of fire for our team and it’s a challenge that excites me. We have a great bunch of recruits, so now it is all about taking the small steps forward at a rapid pace,” said Phil.

Canada SailGP Team

• Phil Robertson | Driver
• Tom Ramshaw | Tactician/Grinder
• Billy Gooderham | Flight Controller
• Luke Ramsay | Flight Controller
• Graeme Sutherland | Wing Trimmer
• Isabella Bertold | Co-pilot/Strategist
• Georgia Lewin-Lafrance | Co-pilot/Strategist
• Tim Hornsby | Grinder
• Jareese Finch | Grinder
• Joe Glanfield | Coach

Australia has won the SailGP Championship for a second successive year, beating Japan and the United States in the Grand Final on a crazy, incident-filled day in San Francisco.

The Aussies and Driver Tom Slingsby, who won the inaugural Championship in 2019, defeated incredibly tough conditions to win the entire Mubadala Sail Grand Prix event, before overcoming Nathan Outteridge's Japan and Jimmy Spithill's USA in the winner-takes-all final race.

A crazy day on the Bay saw collisions between France and New Zealand and Spain and the USA, while two races were abandoned and restarted - including the Grand Final itself due to a whale entering the racecourse.

But, once the race was restarted, the Aussies overcame all this adversity to prove their talent once again, and wild cheers greeted their lifting of the Championship trophy in the San Francisco race village.

Despite losing in the final, it was incredible that the United States even managed to race at all, having suffered serious hull damage when the Spanish crashed into their boat during the opening race of the day.

But, despite rapid repair work ensuring they could race, and a huge number of fans cheering them on from the shore, Spithill's team only managed a third place finish in the final, continuing his record of never having actually won a SailGP event.

As Australia celebrate their back-to-back successes, they must also start preparing for their title defence with Season 3 starting in just over a month, with the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix taking place on 14-15 May.

SailGP's Season 3 calendar has expanded into 2023 with the announcement of two further events including fan favourite destination San Francisco and a debut trip to Christchurch for the purpose-led, global championship.

The ten teams competing in Season 3 - new franchises Canada and Switzerland and returning nations Australia, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the United States - will now be contesting at least nine events in an impressive array of iconic, global destinations.

As regular Afloat readers will know, SailGP investigated a Dun Laoghaire Harbour tour in Ireland in 2021 with the east coast port and Ireland's biggest boating centre ultimately ruled out due to lack of shoreside space.

SailGP heads to New Zealand on March 18-19, 2023, as part of a major four-season partnership with New Zealand Major Events. Through the partnership - spanning Season 3 to Season 6 - Christchurch and Auckland will share hosting duties of SailGP, claiming a permanent fixture on the SailGP season calendar and the first home event for Peter Burling and Blair Tuke's New Zealand SailGP Team.

The championship will then conclude in San Francisco with the Season 3 Grand Final taking place on May 6-7, 2023, in front of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge on one of the best stadium sail racing venues in the world.

These two new 2023 events join the seven already announced for Season 3, with the championship kicking-off in Bermuda on May 14-15, 2022. From there, the ten-nation fleet - comprising the sport's best athletes - will head to Chicago, Plymouth, Copenhagen, Saint-Tropez, Cadiz and Dubai, making it the biggest SailGP season to date.

Further 2023 dates and locations to complete Season 3 - expected to comprise up to 11 events - will be announced shortly.

SailGP Season 2 will conclude March 26-27 with the Mubadala United States Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco. Limited tickets are available at SailGP.com/SanFrancisco.

SailGP Season 3 Schedule // 2022-2023

2022
May 14-15 Bermuda Sail Grand Prix
June 18-19 United States Sail Grand Prix | Chicago at Navy Pier
July 30-31 Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Plymouth
August 19-20 ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix | Copenhagen
September 10-11 France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez
September 24-25 Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía - Cadiz
November 12-13 Dubai Sail Grand Prix

2023*
March 18-19 New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch
May 6-7 United States Sail Grand Prix | San Francisco (Season 3 Grand Final)

*further events will be announced to complete SailGP Season 3.

It's full speed ahead for SailGP's eight-nation fleet as they head into Season 2's home stretch. Vying for the highly coveted $1 million top prize, the Mubadala United States Sail Grand Prix will play host to the championship league's Grand Final on March 26-27, 2022 in San Francisco.

Known for its cable cars and hilly streets lined with Victorian houses, the Bay area will be pumping with adrenaline as the eight identical high-flying F50s battle it out for ultimate supremacy against the backdrop of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.

As the final event of Season 2, defending champions, Australian SailGP Team, look to clinch their second consecutive title, or will a new winner will be crowned?

Canada SailGP Team has announced two key appointments as the team's preparations continue in the lead up to the start of Season 3 in Bermuda.

Leading Canada SailGP Team will be incoming CEO Jean-Sebastien Chenier Proteau. An accomplished team manager who hails from Montreal, Jean-Sebastien brings extensive experience in leading professional sailing teams having worked with China SailGP Team, Dongfeng Racing in the round the world Volvo Ocean Race and in his most recent role as Executive Director of Spindrift.

On the water, world match racing champion Phil Robertson (NZL) will be in the driving seat of the Canadian team's F50. Robertson is renowned for his experience in getting new entrants up to speed on the fast-paced F50 racing championship and is actively building a world-class team of Canadian athletes. Robertson led China SailGP Team to a podium finish in Season 1 and will wrap up Season 2 with the Spanish team next month at the grand final in San Francisco.

The driver of Japan’s SailGP boat has tempered his criticism after accusing the GB team of reckless sailing in the aftermath of Sir Ben Ainslie’s F50 catamaran slicing off its bow in a collision.

As Marine Industry News reports, the incident occurred at the start of the final race of the opening day of the Australian SailGP event in Sydney on Friday (17 December).

Nathan Outteridge of the Japan team initially complained that the incident had “definitely ruined our boat and any chance of winning this event”.

MUST WATCH! ? Crash causes chaos on day 1 in Sydney #AustraliaSGP pic.twitter.com/3L2ZViWYce

— SailGP (@SailGP) December 17, 2021

But he later dialled down his cricisim of Sir Ben’s team, saying: “It wasn’t malicious, there’s six people on board and you’ve got to try and look around and use everyone on board to spot the boats.”

Sir Ben described the collision as a “mistake”, adding: “The Americans, we were in a defensive mode against them and I just completely didn’t see the Japanese team at all.”

GB were given six penalty points by the chief umpire for causing serious damage. They also lose two points from their overall season total — effectively ending hopes of a top-three finish.

They also lose their approval to race on Saturday after Japan’s boat was ruled out of further action “due to the extensive damage caused”, SailGP confirmed in a statement.