May 31, 2026
2 minutes reading time
Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team driven by Dylan Fletcher leads Los Gallos SailGP Team driven by Diego Botin past the Statue of Liberty during the first race on Race Day 1 of the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix in New York, USA. Saturday 30 May 2026. Rolex SailGP Championship Event 6 2026 Season. Photo: Jason Ludlow for SailGP. Handout image supplied by SailGP
SailGP: Havoc on the Hudson as New York delivers wild opening day
The opening day of the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix delivered havoc on the Hudson, as strong winds, disrupted craning and high-speed drama turned the first day of racing into a chaotic shootout.
Gusts of more than 40 km/h battered the Manhattan racecourse, with extreme conditions limiting pre-race craning operations and preventing the full fleet from launching. With time running out, only four teams were craned in – the BONDS Flying Roos, Emirates GBR, Los Gallos and the U.S. SailGP Team – determined by championship standings.
But before racing had even begun, the BONDS Flying Roos were knocked out of the day’s action in dramatic fashion, suffering a huge nose-dive caused by an on-board hydraulic issue. Repairs to the Australian F50 are now ongoing ahead of Championship Sunday.
That left just three teams on the startline: Emirates GBR, Los Gallos and the U.S. SailGP Team, competing in wet, wild and wildly unpredictable conditions.
The fresh northerly breeze, funneling across Manhattan’s skyline and onto the Hudson, created a turbulent racecourse packed with sudden shifts, heavy spray and brutal pressure changes. With the reduced fleet in play, the scoring format was adjusted, with two points for a race win, one for second and zero for everything else.
The opening race went the way of Emirates GBR, with Dylan Fletcher’s crew striking first in the New York showdown. But Los Gallos soon hit back, mastering the brutal conditions to take victory in races two and three and finish the day on top of the event leaderboard with four points.
For the U.S. SailGP Team, racing on home waters for the first time this season, it was a day of both frustration and firepower. The Americans were unable to compete in the opening race, before finishing third in races two and three.
But their day still produced one of the standout moments of the season so far, with the U.S. F50 hitting 100 km/h during race three – just 3 km/h short of SailGP’s all-time speed record.
Despite the disrupted schedule and reduced fleet, New York still delivered a full-throttle spectacle, with fans on the shoreline watching three of the world’s fastest race boats battle through one of the most demanding days of the season.
All teams now turn their focus to Championship Sunday, with the full fleet aiming to return to the water and make its mark in one of SailGP’s most unpredictable venues.
Racing resumes on Sunday 31 May from 1530 EDT – that’s 1930 UTC.
The Rolex SailGP Championship resumes with the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix on May 30-31.
Grab a ticket HERE – or find out how to follow from wherever you are in the world HERE.
Text and images courtesy of SailGP.com.