Just one week after Spain’s triumph at the World Cup, Los Gallos have struck again in SailGP. By contrast, a number of joint favourites were left disappointed at the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix. And Team Germany had to fight hard, although they did manage a minor triumph.
Just one week after Spain’s golden World Cup final, the Iberian sailors have shone once again. And this is the second time in a row, following their triumph in Halifax in June. At the eighth event of the sixth SailGP season, Los Gallos prevailed in the four-team final in Portsmouth, UK, against the Swedish team Artemis, NorthStar Canada and the Swiss team Explora Journeys.
SailGP fleet racing is here to stay
A four-team final? Exactly! The league has decided that, following a number of trials starting with the Portsmouth Summit, the fleet races involving the SailGP fleet – which has now swelled to 13 teams – will be contested in two groups at all events right up to the final in Abu Dhabi at the end of November. This hasn’t gone down well with all fans, but it was less of an issue in the British waters, with crisp winds and the boats’ high-speed configuration, because the high pace meant there were more overtaking opportunities – particularly on day two – and the racing was more exciting as a result.
The final was to mark the start of the European SailGP season More European than expected. Neither the hot favourites, record-breaking champions and league leaders, the Australian Bonds Flying Roos, nor New Zealand’s Black Foils – who had performed so impressively on day one – made it through to the final. Los Gallos and NorthStar Canada, the top two teams from Group A, stole the show. They were joined by the Swedish team Artemis and Team Explora Journeys Swiss, the top two from Group B.
In the final, the Spaniards did not let their slow start slow them down. With a masterful feel for the wind, they deliberately chose their own side of the course at the halfway point. On the penultimate leg, 49er Olympic champion Diego Botín and his crew then took the lead and never relinquished it. Nathan Outteridge and Team Artemis had to concede defeat and, despite some excellent performances this weekend, must continue to wait for their first event victory.
New pecking order in the SailGP season championship
Finn double Olympic champion Giles Scott, who also put in a strikingly strong performance – having once competed for Great Britain and now leading NorthStar Canada – cost himself and his team an even better final result than third place by crossing the course boundary and incurring a penalty. With five events remaining, Los Gallos have closed the gap in the championship standings to 54 points behind the Australian record champions and league leaders, the Bonds Flying Roos (66 points), who could not finish higher than seventh at the British SailGP.
A total of ten races were held in the Solent race area leading up to the final – five for each of the two groups. Ten different race winners demonstrated, in ‘champagne sailing conditions’ with top speeds of up to almost 100 km/h, just how evenly matched the field has become in the World Sailing League. Click here for the season’s standings and the Portsmouth results.
The 2025 British SailGP champions had a disastrous weekend: The crew – packed with Olympic gold medallists and among the pre-race favourites – led by helmsman and 49er Olympic champion Dylan Fletcher and strategist and double 470 Olympic champion Hannah Mills, could not finish higher than eleventh in front of around 10,000 spectators a day on home soil. “That was very disappointing,” said Fletcher.
British title holders slip to fifth in the SailGP standings
Having failed to score any points in their home race, Team Emirates GBR slipped to fifth place in the Rolex SailGP season championship. Team Germany, too, had hoped for more than tenth place in Portsmouth to mark the start of the European leg of the ‘Formula 1 of sailing’. However, skipper Erik Kosegarten-Heil and his crew had already dashed their hopes of reaching the final by the halfway stage of the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in the wind-swept Solent.
Although a botched start was followed by significantly better starts in the next two group races on Saturday, the Black-Red-Gold team still lacked the necessary boat speed to capitalise on their opportunities. However, Erik Kosegarten-Heil’s announcement that he would study the data closely and find better settings for the final day proved effective overnight.
Earlier, on Saturday, in the third race, as a result of a voting error still on board the dramatic near-capsize involving the German boat developed, the sight of which the opinions of international commentators came thick and fast. “That was an avoidable mistake, a communication error that occurred whilst we were under extreme pressure, and it must not be allowed to happen again,” Erik Kosegarten-Heil later admitted.
A small GER gala on the day of the final, but no happy ending
Experts described the German team’s performance as “a brilliant recovery”, but their strong position in the field was gone. So too were their hopes of reaching the final. Although the Germany SailGP Team got off to a picture-perfect start in the fourth group race on Sunday and, having regained their boat speed, secured a commanding victory, their comeback came too late. In the final race, a controversial umpire’s decision in the head-to-head with the US team saw the German team drop back to fifth place once again.
"I reckon the referees owe us one again." Erik Kosegarten-Heil
The coxswain expressed his disappointment at the referee’s decision, saying: “The penalty against the USA: to be honest, there were two separate incidents. One right by the buoy and one immediately after that. The second situation would never have arisen if we’d been awarded our penalty for the first one. Looking back, that frustrated us a bit, because it was a crucial point that also made a slight difference to the overall standings.”
"All in all, it wasn’t the best event we’ve ever had." Erik Kosegarten-Heil
The fact that Team Germany’s James Wierzbowski was named ‘Flight Controller of the Day’ on Sunday also highlighted one of the many strengths of the German team. Nevertheless, the team owned by entrepreneur Thomas Riedel, four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel and other shareholders initially dropped to eighth place in the standings with just one point from Portsmouth, leaving them on 28 points.
The next chance to strike: the home match in Sassnitz
Team Germany is nevertheless looking to the future with optimism, as their home race in Sassnitz – a venue associated with so many positive memories – is coming up on 22 and 23 August. It was there, at last year’s German premiere, that they won over the fans’ hearts with a spectacular performance and, by finishing fifth, heralded a turnaround in season five. This was followed by Germany’s first-ever victory at an event on Lake Geneva.
“Sassnitz was absolutely brilliant last year. “We’re looking forward to it!” announced Erik Kosegarten-Heil, before his team heads to Kiel next week to prepare for their next chance to compete on the Baltic Sea – using the small Switches and taking part in workshops. The crew will arrive in Sassnitz early. “We want to make sure we adapt to the conditions early on,” the skipper added whilst still in Portsmouth.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter