SailGP: Emirates GBR’s Dylan Fletcher seals triumphant SailGP return by stunning NorthStar Canada and Australia on Sydney Harbour

The fiercely contested three-boat Final included lead changes throughout and saw Emirates GBR fight off tough competition from NorthStar Canada and Tom Slingsby’s Australia to cross the line with a six second lead over the Canadians in second.

It marked the third consecutive Final appearance for the British team following Fletcher’s return to the driving seat this season, and cements the team’s place at the top of the season leaderboard with 27 points.

The Final was packed with drama from the start, with Australia pushing NorthStar Canada wide to fall off the foils in an attempt to dominate the start. But seconds later the Aussies picked up a devastating penalty for not keeping clear of Emirates GBR, handing the all-important line to Mark 1 to the British.

In an attempt to recover their mistake, the Aussies split the course, while Emirates GBR and NorthStar Canada jostled for first place. Despite losing the lead during the race, the British battled back, making the most of every wind shift to record the highest average speed, minimize maneuvers and sail the shortest distance.

As a result, the team picked up a 100% fly time in the Final and picked up the fastest speed of the day – 93.54 km/h.

Reacting to the win, Fletcher said he was ‘buzzing to get the win’. “It’s been three events and it took us until the third but it was a great race and I’m stoked to get a win where [SailGP] all started.”

The Final followed three action packed fleet races won by Emirates GBR, New Zealand and Australia, with NorthCanada scraping into the Final after a tightly fought contest with ROCKWOOL DEN.

The weekend was an impressive result for NorthStar Canada too, following a disastrous event for the team in Auckland which saw the team unable to race on day two due to the injury of flight controller Billy Gooderham.

Australia’s third place finish will be considered a stinging defeat for the home team, which dominated fleet racing all weekend and soared into the Final top on points.

Elsewhere, it was a difficult weekend for the United States, Germany and Mubadala Brazil. The United States was unable to race at all due to damaging its wing in a pre-practice racing capsize, while a collision between Germany and Mubadala Brazil in practice racing proved devastating to both teams.

Switzerland enjoyed an improved performance, with 1-6-2-9-9-11-2 fleet racing record – leaving the team to finish the event in 5th overall.

Next up, the F50 fleet travels to the United States for an American double header; the Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix takes place on 15-16 March followed by the Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix on 22-23 March.

Text and images courtesy of SailGP.com.