SailGP: ROCKWOOL Racing rule the waves in tricky Cadiz opener

Nicolai Sehested’s team won two of the four races held in challenging conditions on Cadiz Bay as moderate winds and big waves played havoc with the F50s.

They go into day two in pole position with a narrow one-point lead over Dylan Fletcher’s Emirates GBR, who remain a model of consistency.

The British outfit shot out of the blocks to win the opening race, and followed up with three more solid results never outside the top five.

SailGP’s return to Cadiz, a feature of the global Championship since its second season, drew enormous crowds – and they were rewarded with a spectacle of sport.

After a nightmare start that saw SailGP’s defending champions Los Gallos finish the opening race in dead last, Diego Botin’s home team rallied to bank a 3, 9, 4 scoreline, much to the delight of their army of supporters. Sitting seventh overall after four races, Botin will be looking to capitalize on the positives – and draw a line under the two sub-par results from day one.

Throughout the fleet there were flashes of brilliance: Taylor Canfield’s USA scored a podium finish in race one, Germany banked a third and two fourths, and Switzerland only narrowly missed winning the opener.

There were also plenty of moments teams will want to forget: the Black Foils were 11th in the opening race, then went from hero to zero in race two when they suffered an issue with one of their boards. Switzerland dropped from second to 10th in the fourth race, and the BONDS Flying Roos scored an uncharacteristic 9, 11 in the opening two races.

It was also a day when penalties played a massive factor. The umpire team handed out 18 penalties: ten for boat-on-boat infringements, seven for boundary violations and one for an early start.

The forecast for day two is similar – and the results could have a huge impact on the Championship leaderboard.

The BONDS Flying Roos top the overall rankings with a one-point lead over Emirates GBR, and the Black Foils sit a further two points back.

All eyes will be on Los Gallos as they try to move into the top three from their current spot in fourth, just three points behind the Black Foils.

Racing will resume at 3.30pm local time (GMT+2) tomorrow. Find out how to watch the action wherever you are in the world HERE.

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