Sail GP: Canada Finds Groove to Finish 2nd in Oz!
Feb 13, 2025
The KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix took place last Saturday and Sunday on the iconic Sydney Harbour. With plenty of breeze, the 24M wings were up and the T-Foils were humming across the 12 boat fleet.
On Saturday, the NorthStar SailGP Team struggled to get off the start line which made it extra challenging to move up through the fleet. However, the Canadians steadily improved throughout the day, finishing 7th, 8th, 5th and 4th.
The team debriefed with Head Coach, Joe Glanfield and reset for Sunday. Completely different conditions meant racing would be around Shark Island, ideal viewing for the thousands of spectators and a more challenging course for the 11 competing teams.
Three solid starts in races five, six and seven today translated into a spot in the finals, where the Canadians lined up against the Australians and Great Britain. A penalty on leg one meant the Aussies had to drop back behind the NorthStar SailGP Team and never recovered, meanwhile Giles and the team sailed seamlessly building a strong lead. Then on the penultimate leg, the Brits benefited from a wind shift on the right side of the course that bolstered them into first for the final sprint to the finish.
Beating Canada out by just a tad, Emirates GBR took the win and the Canadians came home in second place, to record their first podium finish of Season 5!
“We’ve had an amazing day and are super happy. We had a big lead most of the final race, then on the final upwind the Brits picked up shift on right hand side. Amazing effort from the NorthStar team. I’m really happy to get on the podium for the first time as a squad,” said driver Giles Scott.
This weekend’s result moves the NorthStar SailGP Team up into sixth place on the overall Rolex SailGP Championship season leader board. From here Sail GP moves on to the Rolex Sail Grand Prix on 15-16 March.
KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix // Crew List
Giles Scott – Driver
Annie Haeger – Strategist
Paul Campbell-James – Wing trimmer
Billy Gooderham – Flight Controller
Tom Ramshaw – Grinder
Tim Hornsby – Grinder
Cooper Dressler – Grinder
