Emirates GBR fourth after Race Day 1 of the Sydney Sail Grand Prix as patchy conditions cause havoc
by Emirates GBR SailGP Team 28 Feb 03:26 PST
28 February - 1 March 2026
Emirates GBR and Los Gallos (ESP) - Day 1 KPMG Australia SailGP Sydney, Australia - February 28, 2026 © Brett Phibbs/SailGP
Emirates GBR is currently in fourth place after the first day of racing at the KPMG Sydney Sail Grand Prix as patchy conditions caused havoc on the harbour. The Brits finished 3rd, 7th, 5th and 6th in the four fleet races on Sydney Harbour on Saturday, which saw 11 F50s battle it out in SailGP’s first ever twilight racing.
With 23 points, Emirates GBR sits behind Artemis who are in third with 26 points, Australia’s BONDS Flying Roos on 28 points in second and leaders Spain who have 32 points. Emirates GBR’s day one result stands them in good stead for the second day of racing on Sunday, where there will be three more fleet races before the top three teams progress into the winner-takes-all, $400,000 event final.
Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher said his team would “need a strong performance tomorrow to be where we want to be”, and make it to the all-important three-boat final to continue their podium streak, which has been in place since the Spain Sail Grand Prix last season in October 2025.
Light and patchy winds - unusual for Sydney at this time of year - meant teams were foiling at full speed one moment, and then parked up in desperate search of breeze the next.
"We had some good moments but unfortunately a few too many snakes and not enough ladders, so it wasn't really the day we were looking for," Fletcher said.
"It was really patchy and hard to know exactly what the wind was going to do. It felt like we couldn't catch a break and we got caught in a few bad places when we were originally leading the pack and then got overtaken. But I'm proud of how the team kept pulling together and we're still in the mix - so we will be giving it everything tomorrow."
Emirates GBR was straight into action in Sydney after practice racing was cancelled on Friday due to some very British weather conditions, which saw heavy rain and thunderstorms arrive. Once racing got underway on Saturday, Sydney provided the first light-wind conditions of the 2026 Season, which meant crew size was reduced from the usual six people on-board, to five for the first and second races, then again to four for the third and fourth races. This was the first time Emirates GBR had sailed in reduced crew configurations with its new Wing Trimmer, Olympic gold medallist Stuart Bithell.
“We had a few crew changes and different configurations to deal with,” Fletcher said.
“But it felt like we were doing a lot of things well, especially for the first time with Stu in those reduced configs. It’s looking like it may be similar conditions so we’re feeling positive that there’s lots to build on and hopefully it will be a better day for us tomorrow.”
Racing resumes on Sunday, when there will be three full fleet races before the top three teams form across the weekend take part in the winner-takes-all event final race. UK viewers can watch the action live on TNT Sports from 06:30 GMT.