SailGP: Comeback king Slingsby puts Aussies top as SailGP makes Geneva debut

Three-time SailGP champion Slingsby twice catapulted his Australian outfit from the back of the fleet into podium positions to claim the overnight lead in Geneva.

Fickle, patchy winds of around 15 knots challenged the fleet, and races were won or lost on a team’s ability to stay flying on the new light-wind, high-speed foils. And the BONDS Flying Roos proved masters of finding speed when they most needed it, skillfully picking their way through the pack on two occasions.

In the opening race the Aussies were hit with a penalty right off the start for being over the line when the gun fired, relegating them to the back of the fleet. Slingsby turned disaster into a result, keeping his F50 on the foils to finish fourth.

In race three the BONDS Flying Roos were last at the first mark after a poor start, but clawed back to third by the finish line. Sandwiched in between was a dominant race win. Emirates GBR and hometown heroes Switzerland complete the leaderboard podium on day one. The three intense races saw three different winners, with Black Foils and France also rewarded for their skill at keeping their F50s foiling around the lakeside course.

Instead of the usual six-athlete line-up, crews were reduced to just three to keep weight to an absolute minimum in the testing conditions. As always in SailGP, consistency was key.

Dylan Fletcher’s British team enjoyed two thirds and a fourth to end the day two points behind the BONDS Flying Roos, while Seb Schneiter’s Switzerland are a further five points back. Emirates GBR also hit the top speed of the day – 63.32 km/h – more than four times that of the wind, proving the potential of the new high-speed foils.

After a dominant opening race win that crucial consistency disappeared from Pete Burling’s Black Foils, as they ended the day with an 11th to sit fifth overall.

Germany Sail Grand Prix winners France had a blinder in race three, winning by a whole minute, but a sixth and an 11th sees them in sixth on the leaderboard. Only six points split Switzerland in third to Los Gallos in ninth – and with three more races coming tomorrow the fates of the 12 teams are far from set.

Day two’s schedule has been brought forward 90 minutes because of forecast electrical storms. Racing on Sunday will now take place from 2pm to 3.30pm CEST (12pm to 1.30pm GMT).

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Text and images courtesy of SailGP.com. Read more here.