Flying Roos Romp In Rio

Tom Slingsby’s Bonds Flying Roos are the champions of Brazil after the latest SailGP Race in Rio de Janiero, as our Sailing Correspondent Jean Hudson reports.

The first SailGP of the year was, of course, here in Fremantle, as we reported on extensively at the time! SailGP has since been to Auckland and Sydney and now has just visited Rio de Janiero, Brazil, South America for the latest races.

As we slept last night in Freo, the BONDS Flying Roos, helmed by the incomparable Tom Slingsby, delivered a commanding performance winning four straight races on the second day of the inaugural Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix in Rio.

That included three qualifying races, plus the final – a feat unprecedented in the six seasons of SailGP League racing.

This is their second event win of the 2026 Season. it means Australia now moves into the top spot in the Rolex SailGP Championship standings after a disastrous weekend from Emirates GBR, who now sit second overall. Artemis made their first event final, finishing third in Rio ahead of Los Gallos in second.

Twelve teams battled gusty, unstable conditions on Guanabara Bay – with F50 handling made even harder due to major swells and a wind shadow around Sugarloaf Mountain causing shifts across the course. 

But the wind and waves were no match for three-time Rolex SailGP Champion Tom Slingsby, who won each of the day’s three qualifying fleet races before taking the event final. The Aussies were forced back to position three in race six; however, after being handed a five-point penalty for a rule 14 breach (against the Swiss), which resulted in damage. 

Celebrating in front of the cheering crowds of Brazilian fans, Slingsby said, “I’m really pleased with the team. We’ve brought together a group with huge potential, and although we hadn’t fully clicked before today, we finally showed what we’re capable of when everything comes together. It’s a really satisfying feeling — not just as a driver, but from a broader perspective. It was also special to get this first win with Goobs[Iain Jensen]. We go way back, so sharing that moment meant a lot.”

Iain ‘Goobs’ Jensen

Day one at Guanabara Bay lived up to pre-race expectations and gave the fleet everything except the one thing that matters most—wind! The wind was light, patchy, and at times almost nothing, and four races ran in conditions that kept the F50s off the foils more than anyone would have liked. After a slow Sydney, Rio day one was another frustrating reminder of how much this racing depends on the good wind speed.

Four races ran, four different winners, but the scorecards were shaped as much by penalties, protests and dying pressure as by genuine boat speed. Heading into the second day of racing it is Tom Slingsby and the Bonds Flying Roos sat on top of the Rio standings with 28 points, USA second on 27 points, and Artemis third on 26 points. Each of the top three separated by one point.

The New Zealand team remained onshore, still waiting on a replacement F50 after Amokura was written off during the first race of the SailGP Auckland event. Nearly 8,000 fans attended the inaugural Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix.

SailGP CEO and co-founder Sir Russell Coutts agreed: “Bringing SailGP to Rio for the first time has exceeded expectations. The energy on the waterfront, the passion of our fans and intensity of racing on Guanabara Bay have made this a landmark moment for us as a league. This weekend is exactly what SailGP is about – world-class sport, close to shore stadium racing, in iconic destinations. Rio has delivered on every front, and we can’t wait to be back in 2027.”

The most exciting racing on water returns next month – visiting fan-favourite destination, Bermuda, for the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix (May 9–10). Watch this space! 

*Story by Jean Hudson. Photographs supplied by SailGP.

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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