BONDS Flying Roos Clean Up In Bermuda

Congratulations to the Australian F50 Team at the Bermuda SailGP – that’s two wins in a row! Jean Hudson reports.

They’ve done it again! Tom Slingsby’s BONDS Flying Roos won again at the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix on 9-10 May 2026. That’s two in a row and their third event win in the 2026, Rolex SailGP Championship – can anyone catch them?

Racing on Bermuda’s Great Sound, Australia defeated Los Gallos (Spain) and Germany Deutsche Bank in a winner-takes-all final to extend their overall championship lead to10 points.

The two-day event got underway with 11 of the expected 13 boats, with New Zealand’s Black Foils remaining sidelined due to ongoing repairs and Sweden’s Artemis forced to withdraw after a technical issue detected during warm-ups.

Racing was fast and unforgiving from the outset, with Explora Swiss recording the weekend’s top speed of 97.66 km/h. The Flying Roos had a difficult opening, finishing eighth in Race 1, but quickly found their rhythm — going on to post results of 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 1st, and 3rd across the remaining fleet races before taking out the final.

After Day 1, Australia and Spain were locked level on points, setting up a tense Super Sunday showdown. In the final, Slingsby’s crew secured the start from the middle of the line and steadily extended their lead. A momentary lapse by Spain — dropping off the foils midway through the race — forced Diego Botín’s crew into a high-risk split-course gamble, but the Flying Roos were not to be denied, crossing the finish line comfortably ahead. Spain claimed second, with Germany rounding out the podium in their first final appearance of the season.

“It feels amazing,” Slingsby said after the victory. “We sailed so well all week, and to do it here, which is a second home for us for a long time — we love it here in Bermuda.”

Australia has strengthened its grip on winning the 2026 Championships, the BONDS Flying Roos now turn their attention to the next round of the championship in New York on 30-31 May 2026.

FSN haven’t been invited to attend the next event in the Big Apple – yet. We’ll keep you posted from good old Freo, if we have to!

For more of our 2026 SailGP coverage look here.

*By Jean Hudson. Jean 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.

~ If you’d like to COMMENT on this or any of our stories, don’t hesitate to email our Editor.

~ WHILE YOU’RE HERE –