Five things to watch as SailGP races in Valencia for the first time

SailGP arrives in Valencia this weekend for round 10 of season six, the league's first visit to a city that has hosted two America's Cups.

Spain is familiar ground for the fleet, but Valencia is not. Sixteen years on from BMW Oracle’s win over Alinghi in the 33rd America’s Cup, the F50s take to the same stretch of water.

A Spanish team second in the championship and racing at home, a French team back to their ways, and a sea breeze that guarantees a fair fight.

SailGP has rolled into Spanish waters in four of its seasons already; up until now, the venue hosting the league has always been Cadiz.

That changes this weekend, as Valencia marks its debut on the calendar - but the coastal Mediterranean city is no stranger to blockbuster sailing events.

Roll back to 2007, and Valencia played host to Alinghi’s first and only successful defence of the America’s Cup.

It also happened to be the first time that the America’s Cup was not fought for on the waters of the defending yacht club. Something that has become the norm in the current and last Cup cycles.

The America’s Cup in ‘07 saw 12 teams, 11 challengers and 1 defender - which isn’t all that different to what we’ll see from SailGP this weekend.

Instead, we’ll have 13 teams, Australia and Spain defending point gaps at the top of the standings and 11 teams vying to beat them.

During that 2007 Cup event, our very own Freddie Carr was the main grinder on the Swedish Victory Challenge, one of those 11 challenging teams.

During Freddie’s extensive time there, he got to know the conditions very well, "It's a city that was built to be a sailing venue… and it was picked because of this reliable sea breeze.”

It’ll be a stark contrast to the full-on winds and flat water we experienced in Sassnitz. Instead, we can expect small chop, moderate and steady winds, and F50s hugging the grandstand for spectacular viewing.

With more manageable conditions, we may well see tighter racing as a result.

Second in the championship and racing in front of their own crowd, Spain arrive in Valencia with licence to swagger.

The numbers are remarkable. Of the nine events staged this season, Los Gallos have raced seven, missing two through boat malfunctions. They have made the podium at all seven events they have raced in fully.

The only team to better them is the season leaders, Australia. 

Although the gap to Australia, and that top spot, is mathematically out of reach for Spain this weekend (bar any season penalty points for the Roos), they do have the opportunity to close it to within reach for the next round in Geneva.

So does the home team opt for home glory or should they play the long game for the championship?

Spain are starting to build a name for themselves as a risky outfit, going for the punchy gaps that, tactically, are sink or swim. I suspect the home crowd advantage may well elevate that.

There are some new names on the team sheets for Valencia. Most notably, John Gimson, Olympic silver medallist in the Nacra 17 at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, is named as a reserve sailor for Artemis.

It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise considering Gimson’s close relationship with Artemis CEO Iain Percy. Percy has served as Gimson and Burnett’s coach for much of their Nacra 17 Olympic Campaign.

But going further back, Gimson actually served as a primary training partner for Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson in the lead-up to their gold and silver medals in the Star class at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympics respectively.

Could we see Gimson notch some hours onboard during Thursday or Friday practice? If so, where would he slot in and why?

He’s another non-national to the Swedish outfit - something that makes life tricky for Artemis when having to stick to the nationality rules during races where crew numbers are reduced.

I’m speculating, but my bet is he may well be lining up as a reserve driver for Artemis if Outteridge has to tend to Emirates Team New Zealand America’s Cup duties next year.

France are back. The return of a fully fighting-fit Leigh McMillan and Manon Audinet has been starkly apparent, and comes just in time.

Since the crash in Auckland, the French team haven’t really been themselves. The punchy starts, confident manoeuvres and raw speed that had become synonymous with Les Bleus were missing.

But we saw a return to form in Sassnitz - a French team throwing the boat around in the breeze in style.

It’s a timely switch back to their usual ways too. With the number of spots available for the Abu Dhabi winner-takes-all grand final still to be determined as either three or four boats, it’s all to play for.

The French are just 5 season points off fourth-placed Great Britain, a gap that is more than manageable to overcome with a strong result for the French on the Mediterranean.

Valencia returns to the big stage of hosting sailing’s biggest events, and with the pedigree it has, the conditions should reward. Steady breeze, manageable chop and boats hugging the grandstand is about as good a recipe as SailGP could ask for.

Los Gallos carry the weight of the home crowd and a decision to make about how hard to push it. Will they be able to overturn Australia and set the championship fight back alight?