Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix Day 1: Swiss Light Up Shifty Opening Day on Lake Geneva
by SailGP 19 Sep 11:00 PDT
19-20 September 2026
United States SailGP Team driven by interim driver Martine Grael racing against ROCKWOOL Racing SailGP Team driven by Nicolai Sehested on Race Day 1 of the Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in Geneva, Switzerland © Felix Diemer for SailGP
A light, shifty opening day on Lake Geneva saw five different winners in five fleet races. The Explora Journeys Swiss SailGP Team gave the crowds a reason to cheer, finishing on the podium in two of three fleet races, including a standout victory in race 2 - their first ever at home.
Foiling conditions were limited as the fleet struggled in winds as low as 5km/h at times. Those able to read the shifts and find the tiniest puffs were rewarded with distance around the course, while a wrong move proved costly for those stuck in the fickle breeze.
The Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix is the 11th stop of 13 in the 2026 Season - a crucial test for those hoping to keep their Grand Final hopes alive. After two fleet races, Rockwool Racing and Artemis fared the best in Group A with 6 points each, while the Bonds Flying Roos and New Zealand's Black Foils lead Group B having picked up 10 and 9 points, respectively across three fleet races. Group A's third fleet race will be staged tomorrow.
NorthStar won the Geneva opener after leading from mark one, with the Black Foils second despite an early penalty. The Bonds Flying Roos won the start but were penalised for board cycling along with the Black Foils, while home team Explora Journeys Swiss finished last after a disastrous start.
Group A's opening fleet race went the way of 'wind whisperer,' Nathan Outteridge who got Artemis foiling first and they won Group A's opener, with Germany second and Los Gallos third after holding off France. Brazil were penalised for starting early and Los Gallos for board cycling, and the U.S. (sixth) and Brazil (seventh) scored no points.
Group leader after day one, Outteridge is well placed for a much-needed event final on day two in Geneva. "Every race matters," he said. "The points don't count more now than they did in Perth, but we're just slowly getting better at various little things. It was nice to have a reasonable day today, but there's a long way to go tomorrow.
"The points are super tight in our group, and as we saw today, the conditions really make life challenging. So yeah, a lot to think about tonight, and hopefully we can come out tomorrow, get another good start and try and find a spot in the Final at this event."
The moment of the day came in Group B's second race, as Switzerland went from last to first for their first-ever home win, with Australia second and the Black Foils third.
"It was a tricky day for us," said driver Sébastien Schneiter. "It didn't start well but we bounced back as a team and had a good last race again. So we're fired up, ready for tomorrow. Very tight on points so we have to go race by race and try to win the races.
"I didn't remember lake racing to be so stressful to be honest. It's good fun, I was telling the team we weren't foiling that much but it's still fun racing. It was great to see so much support on shore, we can definitely feel the crowd's support. It was special, with light winds I could hear really well and the crowd was really behind us. We can't wait to go back on the water tomorrow."
ROCKWOOL Racing overtook Mubadala Brazil around the outside at the final mark to win group A's second race, with Paul Goodison's Mubadala Brazil second and DS Automobiles France third.
In his first event as driver since Martine Grael's shock exit, Goodison said: "I think it's a great day for us. We came away knowing that we've got to address the starts, and then to be over in the first one by only 200mm after we were sailing away was pretty frustrating. It could have easily gone the other way.
"The team got back together and we did a great job in the second one. It was just unfortunate that the Danish slipped by at the end, but I think we're pretty happy. It's good to see the new team can come back after a bit of adversity."
In the final fleet race of the day (3B), the Bonds Flying Roos led from mark one to take their first Geneva win, with Emirates GBR getting inside Red Bull Italy at the top mark to finish second. A late penalty for Red Bull Italy let Explora Journeys Swiss take third, as NorthStar finished last - making it five different winners from five races.
It was a disappointing debut for Martine Grael as driver of the U.S. SailGP Team - in for Taylor Canfield, out with a broken collarbone - picking up zero points on the event leaderboard after two fleet races (6, 6).
Grael said: "The wind was pretty light today, so it created a lot of turbulent air. Sometimes the choices were more about getting into clean air rather than necessarily taking the shortest route." Continuing, "I think we're ready to make better decisions tomorrow."
Racing returns tomorrow for Championship Sunday - September 20 - at 3.30 p.m. CEST. Swiss fans can watch live on Blue Sport on both days, with racing broadcast around the world. Find out more at SailGP.com/Watch.