Dylan Fletcher's Emirates GBR delivered when it mattered most, seizing the lead in the aftermath of a German near-disaster and holding off a hard-charging Artemis Sweden to win Group B's third and final race of the day off Portsmouth, in front of a home crowd of 20,000. Sweden finished second, just 5.8 seconds back, the US SailGP Team took third, and Germany's Deutsche Bank crew endured the reversal of the day, leading at the first mark before a near-capsize sent them tumbling to last.
A German near-disaster hands GBR the initiative
Germany actually had the fastest getaway of the fleet, rounding Mark 1 in the lead with GBR just 0.4 seconds behind. Moments later it nearly went badly wrong for them. Wing trimmer Kévin Péponnet lost his footing crossing the boat and couldn't get a hand on the wingsheet in time, leaving the boat heeling hard and out of control before the crew hauled it back in what commentators called a genuine save. The moment cost Germany a fortune in distance and handed Emirates GBR a big lead they would use as the platform for the whole race. Germany never recovered, finishing sixth.
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Artemis charge from fifth, GBR hold firm
Artemis Sweden were back in fifth at the first mark but made the gain of the race at the second gate, rocketing up to second and setting up a genuine chase of the home team for the rest of the afternoon. It mattered plenty. Heading into the race, only Sweden and the US SailGP Team occupied the top two qualifying spots in Group B, and Emirates GBR knew a big result here was exactly what they needed to get back into contention.
Sweden kept the pressure on all the way to the final gate, cutting GBR's lead down to almost nothing before a clean, one-manoeuvre approach to the last turn let the British boat pull clear again. Dylan Fletcher's crew found the perfect angle in, held their nerve, and crossed the line 5.8 seconds ahead.
A scare for GBR too, and a scrappy day for Switzerland
Emirates GBR had their own nervous moment along the way, with grinder Nick Hutton slipping over trying to get onto the handles, though it cost them nothing and the crowd loved it anyway. Explorer Swiss had a messier afternoon, picking up an early boundary penalty and later spinning wide off one of the marks after getting too high with no grip, but neither mistake proved costly enough to affect their finish, well clear of France and Germany at the back. They finished fourth.
Race 3 result, Group B
| Pos | Team | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emirates GBR Great Britain |
Dylan Fletcher | 5 PTS |
| 2 | Artemis | Nathan Outteridge | 4 PTS |
| 3 | U.S. SailGP Team United States |
Taylor Canfield | 3 PTS |
| 4 | Explora Journeys Swiss Switzerland |
Sebastien Schneiter | 2 PTS |
| 5 | DS Automobiles FRA France |
Quentin Delapierre | 1 PTS |
| 6 | Germany by Deutsche Bank Germany |
Erik Heil | 0 PTS |
Dylan Fletcher put the turnaround down to simply getting off the start line clean after two difficult races, saying that once his crew were through the start, the tight course left few options and the race became something of a procession from there.
Group B produced three different winners across the day's three races, the US SailGP Team, Artemis Sweden and now Emirates GBR, mirroring Group A, where Northstar Canada, Los Gallos Spain and the Black Foils each took a win. As things stand, Sweden and the US hold the two qualifying spots from Group B for Super Sunday's four boat final, with Emirates GBR and Explorer Swiss needing more from tomorrow's two remaining fleet races to force their way in.
That completes the first day of racing at the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth.
