5 Things You Missed At The Bermuda Sail Grand Prix
Delve deeper into this weekend’s Bermuda Sail Grand Prix with our look back
Published 05/12/2026
The 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship is hotting up after the BONDS Flying Roos clinched their third win from five events this season – but what did you miss in Bermuda?
Differing conditions across the weekend made for a tough weekend with the U.S. SailGP Team finishing P7 after being P3 overnight. Elsewhere, technical issues limited Artemis, ROCKWOOL Racing and Red Bull Italy’s involvement on Day 1.
Here’s everything you might have missed from an electric weekend at the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix…
1. France substitute the substitute!
Quentin Delapierre and DS Automobiles France must be beginning to wonder when their luck will change.
The French boat was involved in that horror collision with New Zealand Black Foils in Auckland in February, forcing them to miss the Sydney Sail Grand Prix. They returned to the start line in Rio last month, thanks in no small part to loan signings Liv Mackay (Strategist) and Glenn Ashby (Wing trimmer).
Glenn Ashby and Taylor Canfield share a joke on Day 2 of the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix following the former's ankle break
Disaster struck once more in Bermuda when Ashby - who was only called out of retirement to help Australia following Iain Jensen’s injury in Perth - broke his ankle crossing during a high-speed maneuver.
Speaking to The Athletic, the 48-year-old said: “It almost feels like two shotgun cartridges going off in your leg as it breaks. Bang! Bang! But it’s all part of the sport. I’ve broken plenty of bones over my career, but no regrets. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
2. Star power inspires another Aussie win
Prior to last month’s Rio Sail Grand Prix, Hollywood A-listers and Australia co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman released a satirical sketch about invoking good fortune while at sea.
Tom Slingsby’s crew never needed any intervention, though. Since then, they’ve won 2/2 - including that brilliant 100% record on Super Sunday in Brazil - to extend their lead at the Championship summit to 10 points over Emirates GBR.
However, Deadpool star Reynolds might argue Slingsby benefited from a few tips after trying his luck in the cockpit as the team’s Sixth Sailor on Friday!
3. F50 returns to its spiritual home
Keen observers would not have been surprised to see the 12-strong fleet pushing the 100 km/hr mark on Saturday as the F50 returned to its spiritual home.
The original batch of single-design F50s were adapted from the AC75 yachts used at the 2017 America’s Cup, hosted in Bermuda.
We saw why U.S. SailGP Team strategist Andrew Campbell said the F50 was ‘made for Bermuda’ in the lead-up to the event, with Australia among those to almost hit 100 km/hr (62mph).
4. Germany back in Final contention
Erik Kosegarten-Heil and Germany SailGP Team reached their first Final since Cádiz
The Germany SailGP Team, presented by Deutsche Bank, were one of the dark horses in the second half of last season, winning the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in Geneva in September.
Erik Kosegarten-Heil’s crew followed that up with another Final appearance in Cádiz shortly after, but had been unable to repeat the trick – until this weekend.
After going 3-6-3-7 on Saturday, the Germans were 9-5-1 on Sunday to book their Final spot. A 3rd-place finish means they are now on 23 points and very much in the chasing pack as the Americas leg continues in New York on May 30-31.
5. Great Britain misses another Final
P5 in fleet racing was as good as it got for Emirates GBR in Bermuda, meaning it’s now back-to-back events without reaching the Final for the first time in almost a year.
The last time they went more than one event without contesting the Final was a three-event streak in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York between March and June 2025.
Thereafter, 2025 Champions never went more than one event without qualifying for the Final, before winning the Grand Final in Abu Dhabi in November.
The lesson? Write off Dylan Fletcher’s crew at your peril!
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