Emirates GBR Wins SailGP Sydney; USA Suffers Damage
Thousands of fans crowded Sydney’s waterways and land-based vantage points as SailGP’s expanded fleet of 12 international foiling catamarans fought it out tooth and nail, much to the delight of race organizers and fans alike. Emirates GBR won the event with consistent finishes in all seven fleet races, including two first-place finishes and a nail-biting victory in the three-boat final against Australia and Canada. Crowd favorite Team Australia incurred a pre-start penalty, which put the Aussie boat behind the eight ball from the start of the race. That penalty proved too much to overcome.
But all the action was not confined to the three leading contenders. There was the little matter of Team USA capsizing while being towed to the racecourse on Practice Day 1.
League co-founder and SailGP CEO Russell Coutts unleashed some uncharacteristic fireworks directed at the US team with what could be construed as an ultimatum to improve the quality of their on-water performance. In his pre-race summary, the stone-faced Coutts said he was “incredibly disappointed” in the US team’s performance in Auckland and suggested they might have to look at making changes if Sydney didn’t go any better.
“They can’t blame their newness in the boats any more — they’ve had a lot more time than teams like Red Bull Italy and Mubadala Brazil, which beat them in Auckland,” Coutts said.
“We have seen them on the podium twice, but both times it was in non-foiling conditions and with a four-person crew configuration. There’s clearly a massive gap between them and the top teams in foiling conditions and it’s looking like we’ll have foiling conditions this weekend … and we have Los Angeles and San Francisco coming up next.
“If this weekend doesn’t produce a better result they’ll need to put their egos aside and start thinking of bringing some of the incredible, young US talent into their line-up — great young sailors like Harry Melges, Riley Gibbs or Richard Didham, who all performed with distinction in the recent Moth World Championships in Auckland.”
The US boat’s capsize as it was being towed onto the racecourse for practice brought home Coutts’s point in dramatic fashion. The wing was damaged by a crew error and could not be repaired in time to compete. The top of the vessel’s wing sail was damaged, and with such a short time frame before racing, the team were unable to get the boat back into race shape. “The incident that occurred on our way to practice racing yesterday has left the team in a very difficult position,” said US SailGP Team chief executive and strategist Mike Buckley.
It’s the second time in as many seasons that the US team have been forced out of an event due to capsizing their boat — they went through the same situation in Bermuda last May. SailGP data analyst David Rey said the cause of the capsize in Sydney was very similar to the incident in Bermuda, with a crew member pushing a button to invert the wing, turning it against the wind.
SailGP Sydney was the second regatta featuring the new T-shaped foil design. This revolutionary new addition will result in faster speeds and better control. After nearly two years of rigorous testing, SailGP has rolled out its new high-speed titanium T-foils across the league’s international F50 fleet.
Point standings after this third event in the 2025 season are: GBR 27; Australia 24; Spain and New Zealand 20.
From here, the high-flying fleet will move to Los Angeles on March 16–17 and to San Francisco March 23–24. The circuit consists of a total of 14 regattas held in spectacular venues including Rio de Janeiro, Geneva and Cadiz. League principal Russell Coutts has been a vociferous cheerleader for the circuit since its inception. He told me, “This thing is just going to get bigger and better, with more teams each year and more fans being exposed to the teams and their personalities.”
Tickets for the upcoming US leg of SailGP can be purchased by visiting the SailGP website www.SailGP.com.
NOAA Facing Stormy Weather From Hurricane DOGE
According to the Guardian, Elon Musk’s DOGE team visited NOAA headquarters asking for access to the agency’s IT systems. Mariners are worried.
Project 2025 has proposed breaking up NOAA and outsourcing its data to private companies. It could be hard to trust the weather at sea when the source of your weather is facing storms at home. Farmers, fishermen and sailors are among many who rely on the weather information sourced from government-/citizen-owned satellites. Would privatizing NOAA provide better services? And who gains or loses from such a move? Read the Guardian story here or a related story in Daily Kos.
“Elon Musk and his DOGE hackers are ransacking their way through the federal government, unlawfully gaining unfettered access to Americans’ private information and gutting programs people depend on, regulatory systems that protect American families’ safety and jobs,” said Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman, ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee (and our California 2nd Congressional District representative), in a joint statement with Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren, ranking member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.
It is uncertain how the storm system sweeping through Washington will affect NOAA. It won’t affect the weather but it may affect our understanding of it.
Haven Boatworks: Full Service Boatyard in Port Townsend
Busy Day at the Vendée Globe Finish Line
Charlie Dalin was the first Vendée Globe skipper to cross the finish line 25 days ago, yet Les Sables-d’Olonne has remained a busy place as the rest of the fleet makes its way back to France. Yesterday, Sunday, February 9, four more boats crossed the line, with one of the most celebrated finishers being 23-year-old Violette Dorange, who became the youngest sailor to complete this epic 10th edition of the event.
Violette finished in 25th place out of 40 original entrants. She was just one hour behind 24th-place Kojiro Shiraishi, showing how closely contested the race has been across 26,000 miles! Violette has been making a statement in the sailing world for years as a member of the French dinghy sailing team. She’s also sailed across the English Channel and Strait of Gibraltar on an Optimist, done a solo Atlantic crossing on a Mini 6.50, and participated in three Solitaires du Figaro. She has now completed the “Everest of sailing” at just 23 years old.
The next two finishers were right behind Kojiro Shiraishi and Violette Dorange. Close to an hour and a half later, Louis Duc in 26th place and Sébastien Marsset in 27th finished just 27 minutes apart! Closer than the first and last finishers in the recent 10-hour-long Three Bridge Fiasco.
Six boats are still racing, with the last boat expected to finish by March 1. Seven out of the 40 starters have dropped out due to technical issues.
The Vendée Globe remains one of the most grueling and intense circumnavigation events on the planet. It is still dominated by the French, who have now won all 10 editions. Charlie Dalin took 9 days, 8 hours, 12 minutes and 57 seconds off the previous record (74 days and 3 hours) set by by Armel Le Cléac’h in 2016. This suggests there’s still more to be squeezed out of Dalin’s 64-day, 19-hour pace around the planet on an IMOCA 60.
The next Vendée Globe will start in 2028. You can follow the remaining finishers here.
Sailagram: A Snapshot of January Sailing
Welcome to January’s Sailagram. The sailors featured in this month’s gallery certainly got it right …
Novice Dreamer to Resourceful, Resilient Sailor
As dawn broke over San Diego Bay in shades of gold and silver, it became a dazzling backdrop for the chaotic symphony of preparations among the Baja Ha-Ha fleet. Our crew stirred sluggishly from their bunks, the air electric with anticipation despite groggy eyes and slow movements. The energy was contagious, yet I took the morning at a deliberate, measured pace — adjusting lines, stowing loose gear, and double-checking systems — much to the visible impatience of nearby crews casting off with practiced precision. By the time we finally shoved off from the police dock, we were the last vessel to join the procession. But fate had other plans. Within minutes, we found ourselves sailing neck and neck with the rally’s legendary Poobah, the unofficial leader of the fleet. Hearts pounding, sails taut, and adrenaline spiking, we surged forward to the front of the pack. The moment was fleeting but exhilarating. Our little boat, Red Beard, had a brief taste of glory before being overtaken by a stampede of sleek yachts and seasoned sailors. As the smallest boat in the fleet, we knew we were destined to play the underdog, but the thrill of competition burned brightly in us. The rally had barely begun, but it was clear — we would push Red Beard to her limits to keep up, determined to prove that the smallest boat could still make the biggest waves.
As the skipper of Red Beard from Portland, OR, I’ve charted a unique course to the world of sailing. With no formal instruction beyond YouTube videos, I started with a 25-ft Lancer — a boat I traded a motorcycle for — and gradually worked my way up to Red Beard, a 32-ft Ericson.
While searching Craigslist for what would become Red Beard, I stumbled upon a job posting for a sailing club. Seeing it as a chance to learn on the job, I took the position, immersing myself in the sailing community. Shortly after, I found Red Beard and moved her to the same marina, splitting my time between refitting the boat and absorbing lessons from seasoned sailors.
Eager for a new challenge but not ready to take on the world just yet, I focused on small steps. A harsh winter, during which the Columbia River froze solid, finally spurred me into action. With eight months to prepare, I made the decision to head south. The clock was ticking, and I was ready to turn years of preparation into the adventure of a lifetime.
Buying an old sailboat can be an adventure filled with surprises, as this story shows. The journey began with a Facebook Marketplace ad for a sailboat named Red Beard. One photo showing over six feet of headroom and the promise of a new Beta diesel engine were enough to spark interest. Without much knowledge about potential red flags, I quickly made an offer and became the boat’s new owner.