Great Britain defended its SailGP title by winning the season-opening Perth Grand Prix amid strong winds and big waves. Australia finished second on home waters despite a last-minute crew change, while the United States showed marked improvement with a fifth-place result. The event featured dramatic incidents, including broken boats and penalties.
SailGP Season 6 launched in Perth, Australia, with challenging conditions from the Fremantle Doctor—a 20-knot breeze and large waves that tested the F50 catamarans. Great Britain's Dylan Fletcher led his team to victory, capitalizing on superior speed in the windier Sunday races after a shaky Saturday. Fletcher described the conditions as “absolutely incredible” and noted, “today [Sunday] it just felt like we could stretch our legs and use our speed.”
Australia, skippered by Tom Slingsby, secured second place despite wing trimmer Iain Jensen's severe knee injury forcing veteran Glenn Ashby into the role at the last minute. Ashby, an Olympic medalist, was called from his farm in Victoria. Slingsby acknowledged the result as solid, saying, “all things considered, it’s a huge result for us to finish second,” and added that a top-six finish would have been a win under the circumstances.
France took third, with driver Quentin Delapierre excelling at starts by charging from the back of the pack. The new Artemis SailGP team, representing Sweden and led by Nathan Outteridge, impressed with fourth place on debut. The United States, under Taylor Canfield, finished fifth after a poor previous season, with Canfield stating, “we made a lot of progress and showed it this weekend.” He emphasized the fleet's competitiveness: “every team has a shot at winning.”
Drama unfolded with Spain sidelined by a training gear failure and New Zealand penalized seven points after skipper Pete Burling's boat collided with Switzerland's, damaging the hull. Perth's high-stakes racing contrasted with lighter winds in Abu Dhabi, the previous season's finale, highlighting its potential as a season climax.
