Bonds Flying Roos still in the lead after the Portsmouth, England SailGP, 25-26 July 2026, but only just as Los Gallos go back to back.
Event 8 of the Season 6, Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix, took place in Portsmouth last weekend.
Ten races and ten different winners over two days brought high- speed drama to one of the most competitive events to date.
Australia’s BONDS Flying Roos arrived in Portsmouth well clear at the top of the season standings, but it was a frustrating event for them as they missed the final and finished 7th overall.
Day 1 (Saturday): Slow away in every race, Tom Slingsby’s crew worked patiently back through the fleet each time, finishing fifth, third and third — solid recoveries, but not enough to build a real cushion. By the end of the day they sat third in Group A, needing a strong Sunday to reach the final.
Day 2 (Sunday): There was a bright spot — the Flying Roos inherited a gift start after New Zealand, Canada and Italy all ran into trouble at the gun, and led every mark for their first win of the event, a result that locked New Zealand, Canada and Australia together on equal points for the second qualifying spot. But it wasn’t enough: their sole race win on Sunday came too late to rescue a campaign that never got going, and the championship leaders finished seventh overall, missing the final after a weekend that fell well below their usual standard.
The result narrowed the overall gap at the top. Los Gallos Spain’s win pulled them to within 12 points of Bonds Flying Roos Australia at the top of the championship, 54 points to 66, despite Australia missing the Portsmouth final. Australia still leads the standings heading toward the Abu Dhabi finale, but the margin has tightened considerably.
Portsmouth was Australia’s worst event of the season — a rare off-weekend for the championship leaders, salvaged only by a late race win, while rivals Los Gallos Spain and Artemis Sweden closed the gap in the title race.
The next event is the Germany Sail Grand Prix, Sassnitz: August 22 – 23, 2026. Australia will look to bounce back there, with their championship lead now down to just 12 points over Los Gallos Spain.
*Story by Jean Hudson currently in The Emerald Isles. Images courtesy SailGP. 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.
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