SailGP Portsmouth returned to the Solent with the kind of weekend organisers dream about: strong sea breeze, flat water, short rigs and foiling boats screaming past a packed shoreline crowd. But behind the familiar postcard conditions, something genuinely different was unfolding on the racetrack, and it had nothing to do with the weather.
The new split-fleet format was the headline change, and it immediately scrambled the form guide. Group racing meant fresh names taking early wins — Northstar Canada and the US SailGP team both grabbed victories on the opening day while traditional heavyweights like Australia, New Zealand and the home British team were stuck mid-pack. Emirates GBR, racing in front of their own supporters, never really got going and endured a weekend to forget. By contrast, Artemis and Los Gallos built quiet consistency through the group stages, setting up a final that also featured Northstar and the Swiss Explorer Journeys crew — hardly the usual suspects.
SailGP Portsmouth Final Comes Down to Boat Handling
Sunday’s decider had Artemis lead off the start line and stretch out early, but Diego Botín’s Spanish crew produced the move of the regatta. Buried at the back of the fleet rounding the first bottom gate, they picked their way through the shifting, puffy breeze coming off the land, took an offshore route, and were leading by the second run — a performance Artemis simply couldn’t answer. It handed Los Gallos back-to-back event wins, a statement in a fleet that both Botín and Artemis helm Nathan Outteridge admit no longer has a handful of dominant crews calling the shots.
What the New Format Means Going Forward
PlanetSail’s full review of SailGP Portsmouth breaks down both days race by race, with dockside reaction from Botín and Outteridge on how the split-fleet system is reshaping tactics and race craft. There’s also a fresh Docktalk segment covering the Botín 41 and Spinlock’s Vito AFS lifejacket for gearheads wanting the tech detail alongside the racing story.
Video courtesy of PlanetSail — watch the full video on YouTube.
