San Francisco delivered all the drama, thrills and spills you'd expect from a SailGP Grand Final as the nine flying F50s hit the water for the last event of Season 3. From Emirates GBR derailing France’s starts to the United States and Denmark colliding, we round up five moments you might have missed from the two days of the fast and furious season finale.
Canada vs Australia close call
Drama got underway as soon as racing began, with Phil Robertson’s Canada involved with multiple near misses on the first day of racing. One key moment saw Canada forced to turn away at the last minute to avoid hitting Australia, a near disaster for the Aussies, who had already qualified for the Grand Final, three boat race.
Emirates GBR derailing France’s starts
Heading into San Francisco, there was just one point separating France in third and Emirates GBR in fourth, setting the stage for a dramatic showdown between the two teams. The Brits focused in on the French boat throughout the first day of racing, blocking France’s starts and pushing them down the line, while dominating fleet racing themselves.
Denmark and the United States crash
There was commotion on the finish line of the fourth race when Jimmy Spithill’s United States collided with Nicolai Sehested’s Denmark. Luckily, no-one was hurt in the incident and Denmark even managed to recover and claim a decent fourth place finish.
Australia’s start line dominance over Emirates GBR
Australia driver Tom Slingsby seemed to take a leaf out of Ben Ainslie’s book as the Grand Final getting underway by completely sabotaging Emirates GBR’s starting strategy. The Brits were left languishing on the line as New Zealand and Australia sprinted to Mark One.
Final leg battle between Australia and New Zealand
With the Brits trailing in third place, the fight for the Season 3 trophy went down to the wire between old rivals Australia and New Zealand. A mistake from the Aussies saw the gold and green F50 fall off the foils, opening the door to the Kiwis who were on the charge. But Australia was just able to recover in time and crossed the line to be crowned champions.
