Spain’s Los Gallos delivered when it mattered most, storming to their first event victory of the 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship after a dramatic final day of racing at the Canada Sail Grand Prix | Halifax.
Competing in challenging conditions that began at 27 km/h, right on the upper limit for the large 27.5 m wing and light-air foils, the fleet spent the day balancing outright speed with survival.
At times, the F50s were pushing beyond 75 km/h, a speed at which maintaining foil grip became increasingly precarious.
The day began with a major setback for reigning SailGP champions Emirates GBR, whose campaign ended before racing started after a nose-dive during warm-up damaged both the wing and jib.
On the racecourse, Artemis Racing continued their impressive form, blasting off the line to win Group B’s third race and secure a second victory from three Halifax starts. The race highlighted the difficult conditions, with the United States’ Taylor Canfield admitting over onboard communications: “I’ve got no grip whatsoever.”
Group A’s third heat belonged to Spain. Diego Botín threaded his way through a packed start line with pinpoint timing, producing one of the starts of the season before leading from start to finish. The victory propelled Los Gallos into the crucial top-two positions in their group heading into the final qualifying race.
The fourth race for Group B confirmed Artemis and the Swiss as the flight’s representatives in the final. Explora Swiss only needed a single point to progress and safely secured second place behind the USA, while Germany’s hopes ended despite a strong third-place finish.
The final qualifying race delivered the day’s biggest drama. The already-qualified Bonds Flying Roos and the returning Black Foils nailed the start, while the battle for the final qualification place raged between the Kiwis, Los Gallos, and ROCKWOOL Denmark.
Peter Burling produced a brilliant overtake on Spain to keep the Black Foils’ hopes alive, but Los Gallos survived a late scare. In the dying moments, the Black Foils attempted to create an opening for ROCKWOOL Racing, yet Los Gallos held on by barely half a meter to claim the last final berth.
That set up a winner-takes-all showdown between the Bonds Flying Roos, Artemis, Explora Swiss, and Los Gallos.
The final was a classic.
Los Gallos rounded the first mark narrowly ahead of Switzerland before the four boats split across the course on a tactical upwind leg. Artemis surged into contention and stole the lead on leg five, only for Botín and his crew to strike back immediately.
A decisive pass on leg six handed Los Gallos the advantage, and this time there was nothing Artemis could do to respond.
After spending much of the 2026 season outside the spotlight, Los Gallos had their breakthrough moment, denying Artemis and ending the Bonds Flying Roos’ bid for a record fourth consecutive event win to claim the Halifax crown.
Crucially, the victory moves Los Gallos into second in the 2026 season standings. Emirates GBR drops to third, while the US falls out of the top three.
Tom Slingsby’s Bonds Flying Roos may have been the casualty of SailGP’s first-ever four-boat final, but they strengthened their hold on the overall leaderboard.
SailGP heads across the pond to Europe next, starting with the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth on July 25-26.
