Los Gallos Spain snatch Race 2 as Northstar Canada's late gamble backfires

Diego Botin's Los Gallos Spain have won Group A's second race of the day off Portsmouth, picking off Northstar Canada in the final 200 metres after Canada came off the foils attempting an aggressive move to hold them out at the last gate. New Zealand's Black Foils pounced into second, Bonds Flying Roos Australia recovered from a boundary penalty to take third, and Canada finished fifth after leading almost the entire race.

Canada burn to the first mark

Rockwell Racing Denmark had the pole spot at the start, but it was Northstar Canada, starting from the middle of the line, who blew the field away on the 350 metre sprint to Mark 1, hitting speeds up to 92km/h to round in front. Black Foils New Zealand and Bonds Flying Roos Australia were both slow away and had to work hard just to make the start on time.

Two Kiwis nearly collide, and Italy pay for it

Black Foils driver Peter Burling and Red Bull Italy's Phil Robertson, two of the biggest names in New Zealand sailing now on opposite boats, came together at close quarters at the bottom of the first downwind leg. Burling held right of way and had to swerve hard to avoid contact. Umpires penalised Italy for not giving room, a call confirmed by chief umpire Craig Mitchell. Italy served the penalty around the third mark and dropped from third to the back half of the fleet, while the Black Foils used the gap to move up into third. In the same incident, Australia and New Zealand also lodged protests, though only Italy's penalty stood.

By the midway point the placings were Canada leading, Spain in second, Italy on the way back after serving their time, and Denmark fourth. Northstar had won the first race of the day, with Spain second and Italy third, and this looked to be shaping into the same story again.

Australia's penalty, and Spain's chase

Bonds Flying Roos Australia, still holding an 18-point lead in the overall season standings, picked up a penalty of their own for sailing outside the course boundary in the closing stages, but recovered to salvage third by the finish.

Spain never stopped closing. Canada's lead over them shrank from close to nine seconds at Mark 4 to under seven at Mark 5, and by Mark 6, Spain had gone from behind to leading outright, with the Black Foils also through into second ahead of Canada.

The move that cost Canada the race

Coming into the final gate they went for an aggressive manoeuvre to try to force Spain wide and keep control of the race, but came off the foils. Spain seized the moment and sailed through to the win, with the Black Foils right behind to snatch second. Red Bull Italy also found a way past Canada on the outside, leaving Canada to limp home fifth.

Diego Botin said afterwards it had been desperately close and that his crew had pushed the boat to its limit to make the move stick, admitting they weren't sure until the last moment whether they'd get a penalty for how tight it was.

Race 2 result, Group A

Spain's win puts them top of Group A after two races, with Canada's collapse from race leader to fifth the biggest turnaround of the day.