The fast and furious action of SailGP's nine flying F50s doing battle on close-to-shore racecourses around the world means there is no shortage of NEAR Misses. SailGP rounds up the best close calls of Season 3 so far, including France's Black Flag in Bermuda and Great Britain's close cross with Australia in Plymouth.
Bermuda - France's Black Flag
First up is the nail biting moment France approached the start line of the fourth fleet race at speed. With the fleet converging on the line, France attempted to barge Great Britain aside to find a gap through, resulting in the British F50 swerving to avoid a collision.
The move earned driver Quentin Delapirre his first Black Flag. Speaking afterwards, Delapierre said he regretted the incidnent. “It bothers me to have made such a mistake in the first race," he said.
Chicago - Denmark and New Zealand
Next up is the close call between Denmark and New Zealand on the approach to the finish line of the second fleet race. Armed with the right of way advantage, Peter Burling's New Zealand pushed Denmark as far from the finish line as possible.
However, the right of way transferred back to the Danish, allowing them to streak ahead of the Kiwis at the last moment and claim fourth place in a tight finish characteristic of SailGP.
Plymouth - Great Britain and Australia
Perhaps the most dramatic penalty of the season so far saw home favorites Great Britain barred from the Final after a tight cross with Australia.
The Brits were just 200m from the finish line when they were handed the devastating penalty, which forced them to cross the finish line behind Australia.
This meant that Great Britain missed out on a place in the Final, which was handed instead to Nicolai Sehested's Denmark. Speaking after the race, British driver Ben Ainslie said he disagreed with the penalty, but commentators Emily Nagel, Todd Harris and Stevie Morrison, together with SailGP boss Russell Coutts, defended the decision of chief umpire Craig Mitchell.
Copenhagen - France threading through the fleet
Copenhagen's NEAR Miss came at a pivotal point in the first fleet race of the day. Quentin Delapierre threaded the France F50 through Denmark, the United States and New Zealand to retain his second place position and, despite the close cross, did not pick up a penalty for the manoevure.
However, the French did incur a costly penalty on the finish line for not giving room to Australia on the boundary and finished sixth, despite crossing the line in fourth place.
Dubai - Switzerland and Denmark
Next up, a slow reaction from the Swiss F50 halfway through the fourth fleet race saw the team come close to colliding with Denmark.
It turned out to be a costly mistake for Switzerland with the team swiftly picking up a penalty for the manoevure.
Dubai - Australia and Great Britain
The last NEAR Miss took place during the Dubai Sail Grand Prix Final. Australia and Great Britain became locked in a battle at the back of the pack as France extended its lead.
Great Britain turned away and went behind Australia, slipping from second place to third. However, the race was far from over, with France losing its lead and being overtaken by both Great Britain and Australia, the latter of which ultimately emerged victorious.
