2026 Sail GP Season Kickoff in Perth
In a thrilling showdown at the inaugural event of the 2026 Sail GP season, held in Perth, Australia, the reigning champions, Great Britain, displayed their dominance by clinching victory in the final round against Australia and France. This intense competition unfolded at the mouth of the Swan River near Fremantle, where the powerful Fremantle Doctor wind, gusting to around 35 km/h, added to the racing challenges, creating choppy waters for the fleets.
Race Highlights
The British team, led by driver Dylan Fletcher, got off to a flying start, positioning themselves ahead of their competitors right from the beginning. In contrast, the Australian team faced a setback, incurring a penalty due to a boundary line infraction in the start box, forcing them to begin behind both Great Britain and France. Throughout the race, the British sailors maintained their lead, finishing strong as Australia narrowly attained second place ahead of France.
Reflecting on their performance, Fletcher expressed pride in the team’s resilience, stating, “It’s an incredible start to the season. We faced some challenges yesterday, but I’m proud of how we rallied today to seize the win.” He acknowledged that while they had areas to refine, the focus would remain on improving over the course of the season.
Racing Conditions and Participation
The races featured identical 50-foot catamarans, designed to ‘fly’ above the water on foils, achieving astonishing speeds of over 90 km/h (56 mph) on the day. Remarkably, racing conditions were among the most extreme the teams have encountered.
Additional context from the event indicated only 11 of the anticipated 13 boats participated in the fleet races on Sunday. Spain was absent after a training incident rendered their vessel unready, while New Zealand was sidelined following a collision with Switzerland just minutes into the opening race. The New Zealand team faced repercussions from umpires for the incident which resulted in significant damage to their boat, though they are expected to return for the next event in Auckland, scheduled for February 14.
Performance of Other Teams
On the previous day, Sweden, a newcomer to the series, had impressed by winning two of their four fleet races. Their performance, however, faltered in the final fleet race on Sunday due to a poor start, leaving them just outside the coveted top three spots in the overall standings. Britain, on Sunday itself, secured wins in the first two fleet races, thus ensuring their place in the finale, with Italy taking second and Australia placing third in the initial race. The final fleet race saw Canada leading from the start to secure a victory, besting France, Australia, and Britain in the process.
