USA win at SailGP Sydney

USA won the third event of the 2026 SailGP season held February 28-March 1 in Sydney, Australia. After qualifying third into the Final, the U.S. SailGP Team sailed to victory ahead of Great Britain in second and Spain in third. It marks the first victory since an ownership change installed a new crew December 2023.

In very light, variable winds on day two of qualifying, the Americans were the form team with consistent performances (3, 1, 6). As crews struggled in the disturbed air – with foiling conditions limited at the very bottom of the wind range – USA managed, for the most part, to stay out of the pack.

“We knew we had to keep the pedal down, stay in clean air, stay out of the pack,” noted helm Taylor Canfield. “Our starting has always been pretty good in the lighter conditions, and we got off the line well, kept our heads out of the boat and did a nice job.”

The victory signals a major step forward for the Americans, who have made notable improvements in recent events. “We’ve been putting in the effort,” said Canfield. “We said we were going to stick to our processes and that showed. We’re getting better all the time and to get a win is huge.”

Emirates GBR won the start of the Final race, initially controlling the early stages before Canfield’s crew seized the lead mid-race with a decisive move into the gate and never looked back – gaining a commanding lead on the final legs and keeping clear air to the finish.

The defending Rolex SailGP Champions have now moved into the top spot on the overall standings (28 points), while Australia sit second with 25 points. The U.S. SailGP Team have entered the podium group, now third overall with 20 points.

Sydney crew lists: https://sailgp.com/news/26/revealed-full-crew-lists-sailgp-sydney-australia

SailGP information – Sydney details – How to watch

Sydney Results
1. United States, Taylor Canfield (USA), 6-3-10-3-3-1-6-(1)
2. Great Britain, Dylan Fletcher (GBR), 3-7-5-6-1-7-5-(2)
3. Spain, Diego Botin (ESP), 5-1-1-5-2-4-8-(3)
4. Italy, Phil Robertson (NZL), 4-4-3-10-4-8-2
5. Australia, Tom Slingsby (AUS), 1-8-6-1-6-6-10
6. Denmark, Nicolai Sehested (DEN), 2-10-11-7-7-3-1
7. Brazil, Martine Grael (BRA), 9-6-4-11-5-5-4
8. Germany, Erik Heil (GER), 8-9-9-2-9-2-7
9. Artemis, Nathan Outteridge (AUS), 7-5-2-4-8-9-11
10. Switzerland, Sébastien Schneiter (SUI), 10-2-7-9-10-11-9
11. Canada, Giles Scott (CAN/GBR), 11-11-8-8-11-10-3
12. New Zealand, Peter Burling (NZL), 12-12-12-12-12-12-12
12. France, Quentin Delapierre (FRA), 12-12-12-12-12-12-12
Note: France and New Zealand could not compete due to boat damage in Event 2.

Season 6 Results (after 3 of 13 events)
1. Great Britain, Dylan Fletcher (GBR), 1-2-2
2. Australia, Tom Slingsby (AUS), 2-1-5
3. United States, Taylor Canfield (USA), 5-7-1
4. France, Quentin Delapierre (FRA), 3-4-13*
5. Spain, Diego Botin (ESP), 12-3-3
6. Artemis, Nathan Outteridge (AUS), 4-5-9
7. Italy, Phil Robertson (NZL), 7-13-4
8. Denmark, Nicolai Sehested (DEN), 8-9-6
9. Germany, Erik Heil (GER), 9-6-8
10. Canada, Giles Scott (CAN/GBR), 6-10-11
11. Brazil, Martine Grael (BRA), 10-11-7
12. New Zealand, Peter Burling (NZL), 13-8-12
13. Switzerland, Sébastien Schneiter (SUI), 11-12-10
* Received compensation points for Sydney due to boat damage in Event 2.

Season 6 – 2026 Schedule:
• Jan 17-18 – Perth, Australia
• Feb 14-15 – Auckland, New Zealand
• Feb 28-March 1 – Sydney, Australia
• Apr 11-12  – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• May 9-10 – Hamilton, Bermuda
• May 30-31 – New York, USA
• June 20-21 – Halifax, Canada
• July 25-26- Portsmouth, GBR
• August 22-23 – Sassnitz, Germany
• Sept 5-6 – Valencia, Spain
• Sept 19-20 – Geneva, Switzerland
• Nov 21-22 – Dubai, UAE
• Nov 28-29 – Abu Dhabi, UAE
Note: The 11th event was moved to Geneva from Saint-Tropez, France.

Season 6 format:
• Thirteen teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event is two days.
• All teams compete in up to seven qualifying fleet races of approximately 15 minutes.
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race for the event title.
• The season ends with the Grand Final event which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing.
• All teams are privately owned except for New Zealand and Spain which are owned by the league.

Season 6 prize money:
A total of USD $12.8 million is up for grabs in 2026. The winner of each of the 13 events takes home $400,000, with $260,000 for second and $140,000 for third. The team with the most points at the end of the season wins $400,000, while the team that wins the Championship Final Race wins USD $2 million.

F50 Configuration:
All teams use same configuration based on weather forecast. There are four wingsail sizes (18m, 24m, 27.5m, and 29m), two T-foil daggerboards (high-speed and low-speed), and one set of rudders with high-speed and low-speed settings.

Established in 2018, SailGP seeks to be an annual, global sports league featuring fan-centric inshore racing among national teams in some of the iconic harbors around the globe.

Source: SailGP