Slingsby Steers Flying Roo Into Lead As Aussies Seek First SailGP Win Of Season 4

Three-time SailGP champion Tom Slingby finished clear of his main rivals at the Spanish Grand Prix in Cadiz on Saturday as he led Team Australia to his first victory in his fourth season.

Slingsby piloted the Flying Roo catamaran to finish 5-2-1, one point ahead of Denmark's ROCKWOOL Nicolai Sehested, with Spain's Diego Botin six points behind in third. Bottin, who won in Los Angeles at the end of July, surprised the home crowd by winning the first race.

Britain's Sir Ben Ainslie got off to a poor start in his quest for a third consecutive regatta victory, finishing ninth in a 10-boat field with 8-10-6. Peter Burling and the New Zealand team returned to the race under new sails but struggled to a 4-5-8 finish to finish sixth, nine points behind the leaders.

Jimmy Spittle's Team USA is fourth with a 2-3-10 record, seven points off the leaders. Taylor Canfield replaced the air traffic controller Hans Henken, who was seriously injured in a catamaran accident three weeks ago.

"We're really excited about today and expecting similar mild weather conditions will definitely boost our confidence for tomorrow," said Slingsby, an Olympic gold medalist and former America's Cup winner.

The Australian side are winless this season and enter the tournament with a six-point lead over Ainslie and Bottin. Her most recent win was the $1 million triple grand finals in San Francisco in May, and her overall win was the third consecutive championship for tech billionaire Larry Ellison's Global League.

"It's very frustrating," Slingsby said. Even though we were consistent and swam well, we could not win this season. I have to do everything I can to give this victory to the team.

SailGP Women's Track Program and Strategist Nina Curtis has joined the Australian team after maternity leave. In the year In 2021, Australia became the first woman to win a SailGP regatta when she won in Cadiz.

"It's amazing to see how much this program has grown in two years and the role it has played in inspiring young sailors across Australia," said Olympic silver medalist and sailor Curtis. "It's a very special time to be back here racing with the team and now my daughter Dylan is watching."

The Kiwis were back on the water for the first time since their $1 million sail suddenly broke and entered the Mediterranean just minutes after the race ended on the opening day of the Grand Prix France in St Tropez on September 9. He could not participate in the next race in Taranto, Italy and took fifth place.

"We had a really tough day where we couldn't do it," said Burling, a two-time America's Cup champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist. "It's our first day of racing in a long time, so we can get things sorted and get back out there tomorrow."

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