Please select your home edition
Edition
Vetus-Maxwell 2021 v2 LEADERBOARD

Canada claims first season win at Rolex Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix

by SailGP 17 Mar 11:50 AEDT March 15-16, 2025

Northstar Canada claimed their inaugural win of the 2025 Season - the first for the team since March 2023 (Season 3) and the first with double Olympic gold medalist Giles Scott as driver. Defeating league heavyweights New Zealand (2nd) and Australia (3rd), today's result makes four different winners in as many events, as competition across the Rolex SailGP Championship heats up.

Celebrating, driver Giles Scott said, "I think we sailed really well all weekend. We got off the water yesterday second overall, and we still felt really frustrated. We put it together today."

With ROCKWOOL Denmark ruled out of the competition due to damage, 11 national teams competed in light but foiling conditions on the Port of Los Angeles. Emirates GBR won fleet race 5 with a convincing lead, while fleet race 6 went the way of Australia, followed by New Zealand in second and Canada in third.

Needing an impressive result in the seventh and final fleet race of the weekend, driver Dylan Fletcher came out firing - leading the sprint to mark one and stretching ahead of the pack to a clean victory in front of cheering fans along the shoreline. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to claim a spot in the Final, with Australia just hanging on in seventh, securing just enough points to scrape into the last race of the day.

Fletcher said, "It's obviously disappointing to miss out on the Final by just one point, but I'm really proud of how the team came out swinging today. It was certainly a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions after we crossed the finish line with the win in that last race. We thought the Americans had done it and they were going to take the Aussies, but they said they stuffed their last tack, which left it open for them. Hats off to the Aussies, they did a great job in that race."

The Final began with yet another flawless start for Peter Burling's Black Foils - winning the sprint to mark one. But a series of errors from the Kiwis opened the door to NorthStar Canada, which pulled away with a dominating lead. Tom Slingsby's Australia struggled from the start, trailing over the line and struggling to stay on the foils. The Canadians clocked the top speed of the day - 51.07 km/h (31.7 mph) - as well as the best fly time (99 percent) in the Final.

With the points tallied, New Zealand moves up to third on the 2025 Season leaderboard (29 points) while Emirates GBR and Australia retain first and second, respectively. Canada moves from sixth to fourth. The U.S. SailGP Team finished ninth overall, picking up their second event point of the season. Reflecting on the first of three home events for the team, U.S. driver Taylor Canfield said, "I think overall it was an amazing event - to be here at a home event and everyone being so pumped to take photos and get introduced to our sport - that's what it's all about."

It was a dominant weekend for the Black Foils, who finished on the podium in five of eight races. It was a welcome turnaround for the team after disappointing results Down Under. New Zealand Driver Peter Burling said, "We're really happy to be back in the Final. It was a really tricky weekend all around, but you know, really pleased with the way the team has been progressing and building - it feels like we're getting better and better every event."

The Rolex SailGP Championship returns in less than one week's time - the Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix will unfold over two days of racing (March 22-23, 2025), set in front of the backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge. Known for big breeze and tactical racing, San Francisco consistently offers some of the most exciting racing on the Rolex SailGP calendar.

Remaining tickets are available for purchase at SailGP.com/Tickets.

Related Articles

SailGP comes to Portsmouth!
We speak to the sailors ahead of the weekend The Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Portsmouth takes place this weekend, with the 12 teams competing in F50 catamarans close to the waterfront, where a massive grandstand has been built for the spectators. Posted today at 5:41 pm
SailGP: No practice racing at Portsmouth
The Practice Race was a fizzer, however the future of the SailGP fleet development was revealed. The scheduled Practice Day failed to fire at SailGP Portsmouth, after the forecast, admittedly light, breeze failed to male an appearance. The self propelled start marks were making a much better speed than the F50s. Posted today at 4:14 pm
SailGP Technologies officially launches
New center of excellence in technology & innovation in Southampton, UK SailGP today marks the official opening of SailGP Technologies – the global racing championship's center of innovation, design, and engineering, based out of Southampton, UK. Posted on 17 Jul
SailGP - Fresh breezes predicted
Fresh breezes are forecast the first day of racing in SailGP and the Admirals Cup. With two days remaining to the start of racing in SailGP Portsmouth, the forecast is for fresh breezes on both racedays, which should make for exciting racing. Posted on 16 Jul
SailGP: Stands go up in Portsmouth
The grandstand is in place and prominent on the Portsmouth shoreline, in readiness for the weekend The grandstand is in place and prominent on the Portsmouth shoreline, in readiness for this weekend's SailGP event, which marks the start of the European circuit for the League's Season 5. Posted on 16 Jul
Martine Grael in Racing on the Edge
First female driver to win a Fleet Race captured in behind-the-scenes documentary Major milestone moment for SailGP captured in behind-the-scenes documentary series, which reaches 10 million total viewers since launching in 2021. Posted on 15 Jul
Dylan Fletcher previews Portsmouth
Fletcher says SailGP's Portsmouth debut offers the team the chance to 'right the wrongs'. With just a week to go until SailGP's return to Great Britain, we sit down with Emirates GBR driver Dylan Fletcher to discuss the opportunities and pressures of a home event. Posted on 12 Jul
SailGP: Roger Federer inspires Swiss SailGP team.
Roger Federer joins forces with Switzerland SailGP Team to inspire success One of Switzerland's greatest sporting icons, Roger Federer, features in the newest episode of Racing on the Edge, SailGP's official behind-the-scenes docuseries, produced in partnership with Rolex. Posted on 27 Jun
Rolex SailGP Championship 2026 dates confirmed
Including a return to fan-favorite destination, Auckland SailGP has released further details of forthcoming 2026 Season, including the return of fan-favorite locations, multi-year hosting agreements secured across all regions, and an evolved regional structure to raise the stakes for athletes and fans alike. Posted on 26 Jun
SailGP opens tender process for two new teams
SailGP has confirmed 2026 expansion plans, unveiling details of a tender process to seek investment. SailGP has confirmed 2026 expansion plans, unveiling details of a tender process to seek investment for ownership of two new teams entering the global racing championship next season, alongside available stakes across existing national teams. Posted on 23 Jun
Switch One DesignsMRT AIS Man Overboard Beacons AUS / NZSelden 2020 - FOOTER