Emirates GBR leads after day one of the ROCKWOOL Canada Sail Grand Prix
by Emirates GBR SailGP Team 2 Jun 2024 15:45 AEST
1-2 June 2024
Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team helmed by Giles Scott sail toward the spectators on Race Day 1 of the ROCKWOOL Canada Sail Grand Prix in Halifax, Canada © Andrew Baker for SailGP
The Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team lead the ROCKWOOL Canada Sail Grand Prix after day one of racing in Halifax. The British crew finished the three fleet races in third, fifth and second - scoring 23 points to top the leaderboard. Conditions on Halifax Harbour were extremely shifty, leading to some tense moments on the course for all 10 teams.
Emirates GBR Driver Giles Scott said: "It was a good day. It was a really hectic racecourse out there and I think everyone was having a hard time, and we certainly had our struggles but we managed to make our way through it. Massive credit to the team because they looked after the boat handling and enabled me to focus on the racing. It wasn't easy out there but it was a real team effort and we're the overall leaders which is definitely a nice surprise."
In race one, Emirates GBR started in a mid-fleet position with Germany speeding across the start line to lead the fleet to mark one. Due to the shifty wind on the course, manoeuvres became even more difficult than usual, causing leading teams to fall of the foils and giving room for those behind to overtake. Emirates GBR was cruising through the fleet at speeds of 65kmh, and managed to get up to second position before receiving a penalty for sailing outside the boundary. Giles Scott's crew ended up in third position, with Spain securing the win followed by France.
Race two began with Quentin Delapierre driving the French F50 like he stole it as he steamed through the fleet to mark one. Emirates GBR started towards the back of the pack but fought hard to make gains on the course. The British crew were giving it their all as they approached the final mark before the finish line, leading to a tense moment as they went round the mark with one hull in the air. Despite Australia being hot on their heels, Emirates GBR kept their cool and managed to get their balance back to fend off the Flying Roos and keep hold of their fifth position.
Race three got under way with Australia leading the fleet, before Emirates GBR climbed from fifth to first in leg five. It was a hard fought race between the top three teams with Emirates GBR, Canada and Australia flip-flopping positions. It was extremely tight racing and Phil Robertson's home team received a penalty for sailing too close to the Emirates GBR F50, meaning the Canadian crew had to drop behind the Brits. The race ended with Australia in first, Emirates GBR in second and Canada in third. With Emirates GBR in the top spot after day one, it's all to play for on Sunday with two more fleet races before the top three teams across the two days go in to the three-boat event final race.
Emirates GBR Strategist Hannah Mills said: "We're really pleased with how today went, we've felt for a few events now that we've had it in us to come and perform but it hasn't quite clicked. It was incredibly tough out there with some massive gusts but the team did an amazing job getting the boat round the racecourse and putting it in the right place. We're happy with the result but as ever in SailGP it's all still to play for so you can never get ahead of yourself."
Racing resumes for day two of the ROCKWOOL Canada Sail Grand Prix on Sunday and UK viewers can follow all the action live on YouTube from 20:00 BST. A delayed broadcast will take place on ITV4 at 01:00 BST.