Slingsby's crew in Top 3 despite 'Sword and Shield' conditions on the Solent
by BONDS Flying Roos 19 Jul 2025 22:24 BST
19-20 July 2025
Bonds Australia SAILGP Team winning the fourth race on Race Day 1 of the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth, UK © David Maynard /
www.alleycatphotographer.com
The Bonds Flying Roos remain firmly in the hunt for a place in tomorrow's winner-takes-all Final at the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth, finishing the opening day in third place.
Tom Slingsby's Aussie crew struggled to find their trademark pace early on, compounded by a penalty in race three for sailing out of bounds and what Slingsby described as a "chaotic and touch and go" race course. But three-time SailGP champion Slingsby pulled it back in race four, leading off the line and extending to bag a win and keep his hopes of making the final in Portsmouth alive.
Slingsby described the battleground of the Solent waters on day one: "We saved face in that last race. The first three races - it felt like you needed a sword and shield out there. Fortunately, in the last race, we got away clean, and were able to do a little bit of a number on the Spanish at the bottom mark. I felt a bit bad for that, but I wasn't going to get forced back into the pack again. I wanted to stay ahead and clear it."
The team posted results of 7th, 5th, 5th and 1st in the opening four fleet races, which secured them in third place in the overall standings on 26 points, with Switzerland on 30 points and Emirates GBR on 36 points.
The Aussies will now prepare the team for the super Sunday of racing, with top-end windy conditions predicted, which could wreak havoc for teams and the leaderboard.
Slingsby said, "The more extreme the conditions usually the better we feel, but to be honest we felt a bit loose at times there today, so we have a few things we need to tidy up and improve on, but we'll come back firing tomorrow."
The action resumes tomorrow with three more fleet races and the all-important three-team Final that will determine the winner of the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Portsmouth. The final day of racing will take place for Australian fans on Monday 21 July from 1:00am AEST, with all the action broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports.