Were the Roos Robbed in Portsmouth? We discuss the Race 6 Penalty with SailGP's Chief Umpire
by Mark Jardine 22 Jul 11:43 PDT
19-20 July 2025
BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team helmed by Tom Slingsby on Race Day 2 of the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth, UK © Ricardo Pinto for SailGP
The high speed, short course action of SailGP is thrilling to watch, but inevitably causes tight situations and means the Umpires have to react quickly to decide who is right and who is wrong.
Arguably, the most controversial decision of the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth was in Race 6, as the Canadian Northstar SailGP team gybed on to starboard towards Gate 2 on the second leg, together with Rockwool Denmark, coming in towards Emirates GBR SailGP Team and Australian's BONDS Flying Roos to the right of them.
The Flying Roos were penalised, which infuriated Driver Tom Slingsby, so I spoke with SailGP's Chief Umpire Craig Mitchell to find out how the decision was made and why the Australians were found to be in the wrong, together with views of the incident from multiple angles and UmpApp's tracking of the boats.
Have a watch and tell us whether you think this call was right or wrong.