The reigning Rolex SailGP Champions opened the new season in style at the Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix presented by KPMG, shaking off a challenging first day to surge to victory in classic Perth conditions.
With the Fremantle Doctor blowing hard across the racecourse off Bathers Beach, Emirates GBR delivered when it mattered most, earning a place in the three-boat, winner-takes-all Final before converting their opportunity under pressure.
For Mills, the result was both emotional and validating after an off-season of change across the fleet – including a new wing trimmer for the Brits in the shape of former Germany by Deutsche Bank athlete Stuart Bithell.
“It’s mega – it’s surreal,” she said. “Like all the teams, we have so much to learn. Most teams have had a bit of a shake-up coming into this, and obviousl,y we’ve had Stu come on board as wing trimmer, which is a big dynamic shift.
“We’re just really proud of how the team has come together this week, kept a learning mindset, and then put it into practice when we went racing.”
The Perth victory carried extra resonance, with demanding conditions pushing crews to the limit and rewarding precision.
“Honestly, it was the best day ever – just insane,” Mills added. “It doesn’t get much better than that, especially here in Perth. It’s the hometown of our flight controller, Luke Parkinson, and for us to go out there with the Doctor coming in strong, an amazing breeze, and a bit of chop, it made it tricky to sail the boats but delivered phenomenal racing.”
Driver Dylan Fletcher echoed that sentiment, praising the team’s response after a frustrating opening day.
“It’s been an incredible start for the team here in Perth,” he said. “We left a lot out there, with plenty still to work on, but I’m really proud of how the team has been chipping away each day. We had a disappointing start yesterday and didn’t get the results we wanted, but we came out firing today, and I’m just stoked.”
Execution in the final proved decisive, with Emirates GBR nailing the start and controlling the race from the front.
“I got quite excited at the start – there was a small opportunity, or what might have been an opportunity, to lock the other boats out – but from there we just focused on our own race,” Fletcher said. “We had the inside line at mark one, so after yesterday, it was about staying clean, especially at the bottom gate. We gave away a few meters to sail our own race, and the results came through.”
