Shifty, unpredictable breezes on Lake Geneva handed the SailGP fleet its stiffest test of the regatta in Race 2, with the conditions demanding mastery of the new light-air T foils and rudder winglets introduced this season. The upgraded foils give the F50 catamarans greater surface area to lift onto flight at lower speeds, yet staying airborne through manoeuvres remained the defining challenge of the day.
Olympic silver medallist Lisa Darmanin summed up the breeze with one word: "pulsing." Gusts rolled off the mountains in irregular bursts, filling the course one moment and draining away the next. As the start sequence drew near, Switzerland were once again delayed by technical problems, though the squad recovered in time to join all 12 boats entering the box cleanly.
Denmark made the most dramatic statement at the gun. Skippered by Nicolai Sehested, the Danish crew forced through a tight gap alongside the United States to arrive at Mark 1 in front, a gutsy move the commentary team singled out for its boldness.
Australia were circling behind them with intent. Tom Slingsby's BONDS Flying Roos, having salvaged fourth from a shaky start in Race 1, executed sharp manoeuvres to stay airborne. By the second leg they had tracked down Denmark and were poised to roll right over them.
New Zealand's Black Foils told a very different story. Peter Burling's crew dropped off the foils early, bogging down in disturbed air while rivals streamed past. For a stretch they sat in twelfth, a position almost unimaginable given how convincingly they had won Race 1 only moments earlier.
The middle portion of the race turned into a penalty minefield. Spain accumulated repeated boundary infractions. France strayed outside the course limit and paid the price. Brazil picked up their own boundary call, while Germany were penalised twice for denying Canada room at the marks. Through all of it, Switzerland stayed clean. Roared on by a home crowd lining the lakefront, Sebastien Schneiter's rebuilt team climbed steadily into second, a result that showed how far the squad has come this season. Great Britain, with Dylan Fletcher on the helm, also kept their composure, threading through the chaos to set themselves up for another podium finish.
The moment that sealed the race arrived when Australia broke into clear air mid-course. A precisely judged foiling manoeuvre had the Flying Roos flying at 28 kilometres an hour while rivals wallowed in the low twenties. Slingsby's crew then shifted through the gears, topping out at 44 km/h and holding clean flight through a demanding series of gybes.
Pace and precision combined to turn a tight contest into a procession. Australia charged home with daylight behind them, the outcome settled from the moment they established that mid-race break.
For Burling and the Black Foils, the second half of Race 2 became an exercise in recovery. From the back of the fleet they picked their way forward until they were locked in a mid-pack scrap with Canada and Germany for fifth. Germany's second penalty of the race, for again failing to give Canada sufficient room at a mark, pushed them back and opened a gap New Zealand were quick to fill. The Black Foils crossed the line in sixth on the water before the umpire's ruling elevated them to fifth.
In SailGP, persistence pays. What threatened to become a catastrophic result turned into a disciplined salvage job, with those three points very much alive in the context of the overall standings.
Points for Fleet Race 2 at SailGP Geneva 2025 were as follows: BONDS Flying Roos 10 pts, Switzerland 9 pts, Emirates GBR 8 pts, United States 7 pts, Black Foils 6 pts, Northstar (Canada) 5 pts, Germany by Deutsche Bank 4 pts (reduced by penalty), Los Gallos (Spain) 3 pts, ROCKWOOL Racing 2 pts, Red Bull Italy 1 pt, France 0 pts, Mubadala Brazil 0 pts.
The cumulative event standings after two fleet races show BONDS Flying Roos leading on 17 pts, with Emirates GBR and Black Foils level on 16 pts each, Switzerland on 15 pts, ROCKWOOL Racing on 11 pts, Northstar (Canada) on 8 pts, United States and Los Gallos (Spain) both on 7 pts, Germany by Deutsche Bank on 6 pts, France on 5 pts, Red Bull Italy on 2 pts, and Mubadala Brazil yet to score.
