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SailGP in DubaiSir Ainslie "not amused", Slingsby celebrates comeback victory

Tatjana Pokorny

 · 13.11.2022

SailGP in Dubai: Sir Ainslie "not amused", Slingsby celebrates comeback victoryPhoto: Bob Martin for SailGP
In the end, the smiling third in the final: Tom Slingsby and the Australian team won the SailGP regatta in Dubai in the final metres and lead the season championship
What a curious and varied final at the SailGP in Dubai! For more than half a race, the French seemed to be on course for their second win in a row, but then Sir Ben Ainslie's Brits countered in a spectacular fashion. In the end, however, the Australians and their high-flyer Tom Slingsby were the smiling third-placed team
The F50 catamarans are off! The starts are often of crucial importance in SailGP regattas and are always full of adrenalinPhoto: Bob Martin for SailGPThe F50 catamarans are off! The starts are often of crucial importance in SailGP regattas and are always full of adrenalin

It was one of the most exciting decisions in the history of the SailGP: in the Sunday final in Dubai, the teams from France, Great Britain and Australia battled it out for victory in the seventh of eleven regattas in the third season of the professional series on F50 catamarans. They had prevailed in six fleet races against six other teams from New Zealand, Denmark, the USA, Canada, Spain and Switzerland.

With 6th, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place and a ten-point lead in the Fleetrace standings, the Brits in particular had made it clear that they wanted to finally secure their first victory of the season. But things turned out differently ...

Sir Ben Ainslie and his British SailGP team looked determined and assertive right through to the final. A handling error shortly before the finish cost them their first victory of the seasonPhoto: Bob Martin for SailGPSir Ben Ainslie and his British SailGP team looked determined and assertive right through to the final. A handling error shortly before the finish cost them their first victory of the season

The two-time SailGP winners around Tom Slingsby, on the other hand, had only just managed to make it into the triple final after the six fleet races, tied on points with New Zealand behind the equally confident French.

Two surprising lead changes ensure high tension

For half a race in the decisive round of the top three, it looked as if the French and their young helmsman Quentin Delapierre already had their second SailGP victory in the bag. But then the British suddenly came out of nowhere, positioned themselves better on the approach to the fifth turning mark and took the lead. Their fans must have rejoiced at how well the light blue cat was suddenly in the race.

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France ahead of Great Britain ahead of Australia - that's how the exciting final began ...Photo: Bob Martin for SailGPFrance ahead of Great Britain ahead of Australia - that's how the exciting final began ...In the second half of the final, the Brits took command and looked like the winners until the final sprint ...Photo: Bob Martin for SailGPIn the second half of the final, the Brits took command and looked like the winners until the final sprint ...In the end, the two-time SailGP season winner, leader of the standings and CEO of the Australian team triumphed once again: Tom Slingsby holds the winning helm in his hands in Dubai and celebrated the success with his teamPhoto: Bob Martin for SailGPIn the end, the two-time SailGP season winner, leader of the standings and CEO of the Australian team triumphed once again: Tom Slingsby holds the winning helm in his hands in Dubai and celebrated the success with his team

Brits miss big chance for first victory, Australians triumph

Tom Slingsby and his Green and Yellows never gave up in the final. In the second half of the race, they stayed close to the stern of the most successful Olympic sailor in sporting history. This paid off, as the British team messed up a gybe before the last turning mark for the short sprint to the finish. The Australians then breezed past. They just had to finish the race cleanly and celebrated their third regatta victory of the season at the finish line.

The course of the race was so varied, the end so surprising, that the victorious helmsman Tom Slingsby couldn't stop smiling at the finish. The Brits, on the other hand, sat on their boat with slumped shoulders and gloomy expressions on their faces as they mourned the missed opportunity for their longed-for first event win of the season.

Click here for the results of the SailGP in Dubai.

Tom Slingsby's SailGP champion sailors lead the season championship with 60 points ahead of the remaining four regattas in Singapore (14/15 January 2023), Australia (18/19 February 2023), New Zealand (18/19 March 2023) and America (6/7 May 2023). They are followed by New Zealand (51 points) with America's Cup defenders Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, the up-and-coming and cat-loving France (50 points) and Great Britain (48 points) in fourth place. At the season finale, the top three teams will compete for a million US dollars in prize money. Motto: The winner takes it all!

Click here for the season standings after seven of eleven events.

German photographer Felix Diemer captured the work of the SailGP technical team in the harbour of Rashid in Dubai in golden lightPhoto: Felix Diemer for SailGPGerman photographer Felix Diemer captured the work of the SailGP technical team in the harbour of Rashid in Dubai in golden light

Tatjana Pokorny

Tatjana Pokorny

Sports reporter

Tatjana “tati” Pokorny is the author of nine books. As a reporter for Europe's leading sailing magazine YACHT, she also works as a correspondent for the German Press Agency (DPA), the Hamburger Abendblatt and other national and international media. In summer 2024, Tatjana will be reporting from Marseille on her ninth consecutive Olympic Games. Other core topics have been the America's Cup since 1992, the Ocean Race since 1993, the Vendée Globe and other national and international regattas and their protagonists. Favorite discipline: Portraits of and interviews with sailing personalities. When she started out in sports journalism, she was still intensively involved with basketball and other sports, but sailing quickly became her main focus. The reason? The declared optimist says: “There is no other sport like it, no other sport with such interesting and intelligent personalities, no other sport so diverse, no other sport so full of energy, strength and ideas. Sailing is like a constantly refreshing declaration of love for life."

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