Slingsby makes it three in a row as Australia wins a New York final for the ages

Tom Slingsby and the BONDS Flying Roos won the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix event final, beating Emirates GBR in a finish so tight that Chief Umpire Craig Mitchell had to rule on a last-leg collision before the result was confirmed. Australia have now won every event final this season.

Dylan Fletcher gave them a serious fight. The start went to Slingsby, Australia crossing first and leading at Mark 1. Fletcher responded at the bottom gate, splitting to the right at the last moment, too late for Slingsby to cover. GBR minimised their manoeuvres, worked to the boundary, and came back together ahead by 80 metres. NorthStar Canada had sailed into a wind hole by that point and dropped 200 metres off the pace. The final was down to two boats.

Australia and Britain traded the lead across the middle legs. Slingsby went wide left on the fifth leg and found a shift that sent him nearly straight up the course, gaining ground but losing speed as the breeze softened at the top. Fletcher pushed back on the right and the margin tightened again.

On the final leg Slingsby forced a gap that wasn’t quite there. Both boats converged hard, the broadcast team called it a foul, and it went to the umpires. Craig Mitchell came back: no penalty on either boat. Australia crossed first.

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Giles Scott brought NorthStar home third. The wind hole on the third leg had ended any chance of more than that.

GBR finished second in a race Fletcher led. He sailed well enough to win it. The umpire’s call on the last leg was the difference.