Diego Botín and Los Gallos Spain are the champions of the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix, winning a winner-takes-all final off Portsmouth that had all four boats within 4.4 seconds of each other at the first mark. It's back-to-back event wins for the Spanish, who also took out the last event in Halifax, Canada. Artemis Sweden led for much of the race and finished a close second, Northstar Canada recovered from a penalty to take third, and Explorer Swiss, who had a spell in touch with the lead mid-race, faded to fourth by the finish.
For New Zealand fans, there's plenty to be proud of in the result even with the Black Foils out of the running after Group A. Artemis Sweden's runner-up finish came with two Kiwis on board, flight controller Andy Maloney and grinder Brad Farrand, giving New Zealand a podium finish in the event final by proxy.
A blanket finish at the first mark
Nathan Outteridge and Artemis timed the start to perfection, holding off a fast-closing Explorer Swiss who tried to roll over the top at the first mark but couldn't complete the overlap. Artemis rounded first, Switzerland second, Northstar Canada third and Los Gallos Spain fourth, with the whole fleet covered by well under five seconds.
At the second gate, Canada rolled the dice, splitting away from the fleet in search of clearer wind on the opposite side of the course to the other three boats. It didn't pay off. Canada picked up a penalty for straying too close to the course boundary in the process, in what commentators described as a foul that may have been deliberate in search of a longer-term tactical gain, and it cost them touch with the front of the fleet at the moment it mattered most.
Spain seize control
Los Gallos Spain were fourth at the first mark but never looked troubled by it, working their way past Canada and then Explorer Swiss to sit second by the third gate. The move that won them the race came on the downwind leg into the fourth mark, where Spain nailed a manoeuvre that gained them close to 100 metres in a single stroke, reading the wind better than anyone else on the water to take the lead outright. Explorer Swiss briefly got among the lead pack, even nosing ahead of Artemis for a spell in the middle of the race, but it was Spain who had the answer every time it was challenged, extending steadily to the finish.
Canada battle back, Switzerland fade
Northstar Canada recovered from their early penalty to work back into third by the finish, a solid result to cap a campaign that saw them qualify for the final in dramatic fashion on the last day of group racing. Explorer Swiss, who had looked one of the most in-form boats in the fleet through the middle stages, lost touch in the closing legs and crossed the line fourth, a quiet way to finish for a crew that had never won a SailGP event coming into this weekend.
Final result
Los Gallos Spain (ESP), Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix champions, 10 event points
Artemis Sweden (SWE) +9.3s, 9 event points
Northstar Canada (CAN) +30.9s, 8 event points
Explorer Swiss (SUI) +52.6s, 7 event points
Event points
| Group A | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Driver | Points |
| 1 | Los Gallos Spain |
Diego Botin | 16 PTS |
| 2 | NorthStar Canada |
Giles Scott | 16 PTS |
| 3 | Black Foils New Zealand |
Peter Burling | 14 PTS |
| 4 | BONDS Flying Roos Australia |
Tom Slingsby | 12 PTS |
| 5 | ROCKWOOL Racing Denmark |
Nicolai Sehested | 10 PTS |
| 6 | Red Bull Italy Italy |
Phil Robertson | 6 PTS |
| 7 | Mubadala Brazil Brazil |
Martine Grael | 1 PTS |
Los Gallos Spain and NorthStar Canada qualify for the final.
| Group B | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Driver | Points |
| 1 | Artemis | Nathan Outteridge | 19 PTS |
| 2 | Explora Journeys Swiss Switzerland |
Sébastien Schneiter | 16 PTS |
| 3 | U.S. SailGP Team United States |
Taylor Canfield | 13 PTS |
| 4 | DS Automobiles FRA France |
Quentin Delapierre | 11 PTS |
| 5 | Germany by Deutsche Bank Germany |
Erik Kosegarten-Heil | 8 PTS |
| 6 | Emirates GBR Great Britain |
Dylan Fletcher | 8 PTS |
Artemis Sweden and Explora Journeys Swiss qualify for the final.
| Pos | Team | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Gallos Spain |
Diego Botin | 10 PTS |
| 2 | Artemis | Nathan Outteridge | 9 PTS |
| 3 | Explora Journeys Swiss Switzerland |
Sébastien Schneiter | 8 PTS |
| 4 | NorthStar Canada |
Giles Scott | 7 PTS |
| 5 | Black Foils New Zealand |
Peter Burling | 6 PTS |
| 6 | U.S. SailGP Team United States |
Taylor Canfield | 5 PTS |
| 7 | BONDS Flying Roos Australia |
Tom Slingsby | 4 PTS |
| 8 | DS Automobiles FRA France |
Quentin Delapierre | 3 PTS |
| 9 | ROCKWOOL Racing Denmark |
Nicolai Sehested | 2 PTS |
| 10 | Germany by Deutsche Bank Germany |
Erik Kosegarten-Heil | 1 PTS |
| 11 | Emirates GBR Great Britain |
Dylan Fletcher | 0 PTS |
| 12 | Red Bull Italy Italy |
Phil Robertson | 0 PTS |
| 13 | Mubadala Brazil Brazil |
Martine Grael | 0 PTS |
What it means for the season
The win pulls Los Gallos Spain to within 12 points of Bonds Flying Roos Australia at the top of the overall Season 6 championship standings, Australia on 66 points to Spain's 54 after missing the Portsmouth final entirely. Artemis Sweden's runner-up finish moves them into third overall on 47 points, just ahead of the US SailGP Team on 46, with Emirates GBR fifth on 44. It's a significant shake-up with the season now well past the halfway point.
For Explorer Swiss and Artemis Sweden, both first-time finalists going into this race, reaching a four boat decider is itself a marker of how far both programmes have come this season, even if the trophy went the way of the more experienced campaigners in Los Gallos and Northstar.
Attention now turns to Season 7, with SailGP set to open 2027 in Hong Kong for the first time, return to Perth, Western Australia, and add Rome as a new European venue before the season wraps up in the Middle East.
