The opening day of the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix delivered one of the most competitive race days of the season, with SailGP's new group racing format producing six races and six different winners. No team could stamp their authority on a punishing afternoon at Portsmouth.
Thousands of fans packed Portsmouth's Race Stadium to watch the F50 fleet tackle conditions that were spectacular and demanding in equal measure. Winds of around 30 km/h, gusting even higher, combined with a building Solent chop to push crews to their limits as they raced with 18 m wings, high-speed foils and rudders and six sailors onboard.
Group A produced drama from the very first start. NorthStar converted a clean getaway into victory despite pressure from Red Bull Italy and Los Gallos, while season leaders the Bonds Flying Roos endured a difficult opening race after an early nosedive compounded a poor start.
NorthStar looked set to take control in Group A's second race, blasting towards mark one at more than 90 km/h before leading comfortably. A tussle with Los Gallos saw the Canadians fall off their foils in the closing stages and tumble to fifth. The Spanish team, winners in Halifax, capitalised on their rivals' misfortune to seize victory ahead of the Black Foils and the Bonds Flying Roos.
The Black Foils responded emphatically in the final Group A race, controlling the fleet from the front to take victory over NorthStar. The Flying Roos showed their trademark downwind pace to charge into third, while Los Gallos could only manage sixth just one race after winning.
Group B proved equally fierce. The United States SailGP Team edged Artemis SailGP Team in the opener, with Emirates Great Britain recovering from a poor start to salvage fourth.
Artemis hit back in Group B's second race with a commanding lights-to-flag victory ahead of Explora Swiss. The home team endured a disappointing sixth-place finish, leaving their hopes of reaching Sunday's Final hanging in the balance.
With the Portsmouth crowd roaring them on, Emirates Great Britain delivered when it mattered most. A perfect start in the final race of the day laid the platform for a wire-to-wire victory, delighting the home fans and keeping their hopes of a Grand Prix win alive.
Earlier in that race, Germany presented by Deutsche Bank narrowly avoided disaster when wing trimmer Kevin Peponnet stumbled while crossing the boat. The crew managed to prevent what had looked set to become a dramatic capsize.
After six races and six different winners, the overnight leaderboard reflects just how tight the fleet has become. Artemis lead on 13 points, with the Black Foils and United States tied on 11 and NorthStar close behind on 10.
Two more qualifying races for each group are scheduled on Sunday before a four-boat Final featuring the top two teams from each group. With even stronger winds forecast, Portsmouth is set up for another big day of racing.
