Los Gallos defeat Artemis for victory in Portsmouth

Super Sunday on the Solent, and with 18-metre wings on and speeds well over 90km/h, the stage was set for a frantic finish to the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix. Two more fleet races per group to decide the final four, and Spain's Los Gallos made it back-to-back event wins after seeing off Artemis, NorthStar and Explora Swiss in SailGP’s second four-boat final.

Australia’s Bonds Flying Roos, Germany, Rockwool Denmark and Switzerland took a win each in the group races, meaning a final tally in Portsmouth of 10 different winners from the 10 group races.

Here’s how it all went down…

The drama arrived before mark one. A near collision at the start saw NorthStar penalised for failing to give Red Bull Italy space – the Italians dropping off their foils and looking briefly like their race was over before it began. Meanwhile the Black Foils were called OCS. In one stroke, the top two boats in Group A were shuffled towards the back of the fleet.

The Bonds Flying Roos, needing a big day to reach the final, took their chance and surged clear, with Los Gallos chasing hard and briefly taking the lead on leg three. The two traded places until gate five, where Diego Botín split from Tom Slingsby – a gamble that didn't pay as Australia stretched away down leg six to take the win.

Behind, Pete Burling's crew clawed back to third only to be penalised for squeezing Denmark at the boundary, having to drop behind the Danes to shake it off. Denmark took third, Canada fourth, and suddenly the margins were razor thin: Los Gallos top on 13 points, with the Roos, NorthStar and Black Foils all on 12.

Race 4a
1 Australia
2 Spain
3 Denmark
4 Canada
5 New Zealand
6 Brazil
DNF Italy

Germany came out firing, nailing the line and surging clear down the opening stretch. Emirates GBR – in need of a strong day to stay in contention – rounded mark one in second ahead of the French, but Quentin Delapierre quickly snatched the place, and from there it all unravelled for the Brits. By gate three Artemis had stolen third, Dylan Fletcher's crew visibly short of pace – “the boat's not feeling great here” Fletcher was heard saying on comms – and the rest of the fleet swept past to dump them to last.

Out in front, Erik Heil's German squad just kept stretching away. A penalty for sailing wide of the boundary on the penultimate leg barely registered; they shook it off and Germany took a comfortable win. France second, Artemis third, and a fourth for the Swiss – two places clear of the Americans – lifted them into a qualifying spot with one race to go. A fifth left Emirates GBR needing a miracle to race the final in front of their home crowd.

Race 4b
1 Germany
2 France
3 Sweden
4 Switzerland
5 Great Britain
6 United States

An early start penalty for the Flying Roos as Rockwool Denmark fired off the line, clocking over 90 km/h round mark one ahead of the Black Foils and NorthStar. With the points so tight, the qualifying picture rewrote itself with every leg. Los Gallos surged from sixth to third by leg three, momentarily knocking out NorthStar as the Canadians picked the wrong side, but Giles Scott's crew found the boat speed to work back past the Black Foils – then split from the frontrunners at the gate, a gamble that paid handsomely as they crossed just ahead of the Spanish to ultimately take second.

Rockwool Denmark won the race, though mathematically they couldn't qualify. What mattered was Canada's performance: second in their final fleet race put them top of the group alongside Los Gallos, with the Black Foils’ hopes dashed. After back-to-back event wins in Portsmouth, Burling missed a third shot at the title. And an unusually flat weekend for the Roos ended with a sixth, ahead only of Red Bull Italy.

Race 5a
1 Denmark
2 Canada
3 Spain
4 New Zealand
5 Brazil
6 Australia
7 Italy

Explora Swiss nailed the start and rounded mark one just ahead of Emirates GBR – who very nearly made contact, swerved to avoid, and fell off their foils. Down to last for their final race, a real twist of the knife in front of their home crowd.

From there, Seb Schneiter's Swiss team simply sailed away. Quentin Delapierre held second but couldn't catch up as the Swiss kept it impeccably smooth, stretching clear to win by a whopping 20 seconds. That was Explora Swiss through to the final, and ten different winners from ten races this weekend. Artemis crossed third, just behind the French, to confirm the Swedes at the top of the group. A miserable end for Emirates GBR, well adrift in last.

Race 5b
1 Switzerland
2 France
3 Sweden
4 United States
5 Germany
6 Great Britain

Canada, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland lined up for the four-boat final, and it was Artemis and the Swiss neck and neck down the opening stretch, Nathan Outteridge's crew just edging it at mark one. Up leg three the Spanish and Swiss followed the Swedes while Canada split.

Los Gallos kept the pressure on until the second downwind, where Botín split, found more breeze on his side of the course, and took the lead. Canada, seemingly out of it, then overtook the Swiss into the penultimate leg to steal third. A week after Spain won the World Cup, Los Gallos kept their nerve to win by nine seconds ahead of Artemis, while Explora Swiss, who’d briefly led at one point, fell just short of the podium and that all-important prize money.

Final
1 Spain
2 Sweden
3 Canada
4 Switzerland

That makes back-to-back event wins for Los Gallos after Halifax, the Spanish sailing fast and with real control. Based on recent form, could a three-event streak be on the horizon? This weekend’s result has closed the gap at the top of the 2026 season standings. With the Australians missing the final for only the second time this season, their overall lead is down to 12 points, with Artemis a further seven back on the Spanish.

Now in the top three, the Swedish team are looking strong but still have yet to clinch an event win. Another third for NorthStar this season, following their New York podium, suggests things are finally clicking for the Canadians. And previous Portsmouth winners the Black Foils, along with home team Emirates GBR, head back to the drawing board.

Up next: SailGP returns to Sassnitz for the second Rockwool Germany Sail Grand Prix on 22–23 August 2026.

Event standings
1 Spain 10
2 Sweden 9
3 Canada 8
4 Switzerland 7
5 New Zealand 6
6 United States 5
7 Australia 4
8 France 3
9 Denmark 2
10 Germany 1
11 Great Britain 0
12 Italy 0
13 Brazil 0

2026 season standings
1 Australia 66
2 Spain 54
3 Sweden 47
4 United States 46
5 Great Britain 44
6 France 36
7 Canada 31
8 Germany 28
9 Switzerland 25
10 Denmark 24
11 Italy 22
12 New Zealand 14
13 Brazil 8