USA win at SailGP Valencia

Taylor Canfield and the United States produced a sensational comeback to snatch victory from the jaws of the Bonds Flying Roos (AUS) and claim the $400,000 prize at Spain Sail Grand Prix on September 5-6 in Valencia, Spain.

Light winds prevailed both days, and after Spain and Italy topped their respective heats on day one, USA stayed steady in the four qualifying races to make the four-boat final alongside Australia, Italy, and Denmark. Spain, hoping to win on home turf, stumbled hard in the final qualifier to miss the cut.

The US team has historically performed well in light conditions – topping the podium in Valencia with four crewmembers on-board, and full-time grinder Anna Weis comfortably behind the handles.

“I’d say we’re more of an all-around team now, but we love these conditions,” admitted Canfield. “We feel very comfortable throwing the boat around and we’re confident in our decisions. We’ll take it, and we’re going to have a lot more of these conditions coming up. We’re ready for them.”

With only three Grand Prix remaining after Valencia, the fight for a place in the US $2 million Grand Final race has intensified further. Just five points separate the U.S. SailGP Team, Artemis and Emirates GBR in the fight for the third and final Abu Dhabi spot, while the Bonds Flying Roos sit 17 clear of Los Gallos at the top.

• Crew list: https://sailgp.com/news/26/revealed-full-crew-lists-spain-sail-grand-prix-valencia/

SailGP information – Valencia details – How to watch

Valencia Results
1. United States, Taylor Canfield (USA), 2b-3b-3b-1b-(1)
2. Australia, Tom Slingsby (AUS), 2a-1a-4a-5a-(2)
3. Italy, Phil Robertson (NZL), 1a-7a-1a-1a-(3)
4. Denmark, Nicolai Sehested (DEN), 3b-2b-1b-4b-(4)
5. Spain, Diego Botin (ESP), 1b-1b-2b-6b
6. Great Britain, Dylan Fletcher (GBR), 4a-2a-5a-2a
7. Switzerland, Sébastien Schneiter (SUI), 5a-5a-2a-4a
8. Germany, Erik Heil (GER), 6b-5b-4b-2b
9. Sweden, Nathan Outteridge (AUS), 7a-3a-3a-7a
10. Canada, Giles Scott (CAN/GBR), 5b-6b-5b-3b
11. New Zealand, Peter Burling (NZL), 6a-4a-6a-3a
12. France, Quentin Delapierre (FRA), 4b-4b-6b-5b
13. Brazil, Martine Grael (BRA), 3a-6a-7a-6a
Note: Three qualifying races on Saturday and one on Sunday, with fleet divided in Group A and Group B based on Season 6 standings. Top two from each group advanced to finals.

Season 6 Results (after 10 of 13 events)
1. Australia, Tom Slingsby (AUS), 2-1-5-1-1-1-4-7-1-2, 85 points
2. Spain, Diego Botin (ESP), 12-3-3-2-2-12-1-1-3-5, 68
3. United States, Taylor Canfield (USA), 5-7-1-4-7-6-6-6-11-1, 56
4. Sweden, Nathan Outteridge (AUS), 4-5-9-3-11-5-2-2-5-9, 55
5. Great Britain, Dylan Fletcher (GBR), 1-2-2-12-4-2-11-11-9-6, 51
6. Canada, Giles Scott (CAN/GBR), 6-10-11-10-6-3-8-3-2-10, 41
7. France, Quentin Delapierre (FRA), 3-4*-13-8-9-4-10-8-6-12, 41
8. Germany, Erik Heil (GER), 9-6-8-6-3-11-7-10-7-8, 35
9. Denmark, Nicolai Sehested (DEN), 8-9-6-5-7-12-9-10-4, 32
10. Switzerland, Sébastien Schneiter (SUI), 11-12-10-11-5-8-3-4-8-7, 32
11. Italy, Phil Robertson (NZL), 7-13-4-7-8-9-9-12-12-3, 30
12. New Zealand, Peter Burling (NZL), 13-8-12-13-13-13-5-5-4-11, 21
13. Brazil, Martine Grael/Paul Goodison (BRA/GBR), 10-11-7-9-12-10-13-13-13-13, 8
* 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.
• The league has shifted to a split fleet format for qualifying, using season standings to balance the two groups.
• The top two from each fleet advance to a 4-boat 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 league teams are privately owned, with New Zealand as the last to be acquired on June 19, 2026.

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), six jib sizes, 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