SailGP: Spain scores a repeat win on dramatic Final day in San Francisco.
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com/nz 24 Mar 16:40 NZDT
Spain - Race Day 2- Oracle San Francisco SailGP - March 23, 2025 - San Francisco © Katelyn Mulcahy/SailGP
In a repeat of winning the Grand Final of Season 4, at the same venue, 2024 Olympic Gold Medalist Diego Botin, helmed the Spain SailGP team to win the fifth event of Season 5 in San Francisco.
They came away with $2million from the Grand Final and a total of $2,530,000 across the season. Today's win spreads the honours thus far across five teams - a good indicator of the level of competition this season in the League.
The series was overshadowed by the spectacular collapse of the wingsail on the Flying Roos, skippered by Tom Slingsby - who was part of the 2013 America's Cup winning crew at the same venue. It is not clear what effect this incident will have on the series - that will be determined by the level of spares being carried by the League. In the past a major component failure has taken teams or the use of that component across the fleet for several events.
Before the rig failure, Australia lay in second overall in after finishing in second place behind Spain, in Race 6 of the seven race, two day qualification round.
At the point Spain and Australia were certainties for the three team Final, with both tied on the top of the points table on 47pts. Overnight leader board frontrunner, Northstar Canada was in third overall having scored a 4th and 10th place in the first two races of the day and fifth in Race 7 - well short of their performance on Saturday.
After seven races, Spain topped the points table, with Canada second and Australia (scoring zero points for their did not finish) were third on 47points. France (Quentin Delapierre) were just one point back, but as the Australians were unable to compete, moved up into the vacant third place in the three boat final.
With the course now enveloped in a sea mist at the start, the French at the leeweard end got the better of the start and led at Mark 1, with Spain back in third. Botin managed to overhaul Canada on Leg 3 as the 15kts westerly breeze went against the ebbing tide, kicking up a seaway approaching the Golden Gate Bridge. Spain reeled in the French 300metres from Mark 3, cementing their gain as Canada had to dip the now third placed French team as they came off the Village Green. They were not headed for the rest of the race.
SailGP resumes on May 3-4, with the Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix – the first SailGP event in South America – followed by a third and final U.S. event, the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix (June 7-8).