Flying Roos on the Hunt in Rio: Chasing SailGP Glory in 2026

It doesn’t seem so long ago that the 1st SailGP race of 2026 was underway here in Fremantle. Suddenly, the 4th SailGP Race of the year is about to be held in Rio de Janiero. Jean Hudson, our Sailing Correspondent brings us up to speed on what has happened so far and who heads the leader board.

The Rolex SailGP 2026 Championship’s sixth season continues to be a ripper, with the world’s fastest foiling yachts contesting over 13 Sail Grand Prix events held in some of the most iconic venues across the globe.

Event 1: The season opened here in Fremantle Jan 17-18, with 15,000 fans watching from the sold-out Race Stadium at Bathers Beach. Remember the collision between the Swiss and New Zealand boats. Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team won the wheel, defeating our own BONDS Flying Roos and DS Automobiles Team France in the three-boat final. It was a strong result on home waters. Insert links

Event 2: Next was Auckland, Feb 14-15. A major crash on the opening day between the home team, the Black Foils (in their newly repaired boat) and DS Automobiles Team France put both teams out of the race and cut the race short. This event was full of chaos, crashes and comebacks. The BONDS Flying Roos scored their first Grand Prix and moved to the top of the leaderboard. With gusts of up to 55km/h barrelling through the racecourse, conditions were frightening. NorthStar hit a blistering 102 km/h at one point.

Event 3: Sydney Harbour, Feb 28-Mar 1. This was a remarkable event for all the wrong reasons, and a rough day at the office for the BONDS Flying Roos who finished fifth overall, ending their podium streak. They left sitting second in the overall championships. The conditions were light and tricky, the American Team took line honours.

Event 4: Rio de Janeiro Apr 11-12. The season’s South American debut on Guanabara Bay should be exciting.

Championship standings after 3 events:

Emirates Great Britain lead on 28 points,

Bonds Flying Roos second on 25 points,

US SailGP Team and France tied on 20 points.

Aussie fans are buzzing with excitement as the Flying Roos team continues to push for another championship, proving they’ve got what it takes to bring home the trophy once again.

Oh to be in Rio! Watch this space!

For our 2026 SailGP coverage look here.

Jean Hudson is our Shipping and Sailing Correspondent and also a regular feature writer, reviewer and photographer here on the Shipping News. You may also like to follow up her informative Places I Love stories, as well as other feature stories and Freo Today photographs, right here.

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