Spain Turns Portsmouth Into a SailGP Power Shift
- Romy Kraus
- Jul 26
- 5 min read
Los Gallos go back-to-back, Artemis find ruthless consistency, and the championship leaders discover that in SailGP, momentum can disappear faster than an F50 lifts onto its foils.
Portsmouth was supposed to be a homecoming. Instead, it became a warning.
Across two days of hard-wind racing, ten group races produced ten different winners. Britain’s home team failed to escape the group stage. Australia’s championship leaders finished seventh. New Zealand collected penalties instead of points.
Through the noise came Spain.
Los Gallos arrived carrying momentum from Halifax and left with something more dangerous: proof that the first victory was no one-off. Diego Botín’s crew beat Artemis, NorthStar and Explora Swiss in a four-boat final decided at the margins, securing consecutive SailGP event wins and tightening the championship race.
This was not domination in the traditional sense. Spain did not crush the field. They survived a weekend in which nearly everyone looked capable of winning—and then delivered when the fleet became four boats and one decision could flip the result.
That may be the clearest sign yet that Los Gallos have moved from contenders to a genuine championship threat.
The Lowdown
Spain followed its Halifax victory with another event win in Portsmouth.
Artemis finished second, scored an event-high 19 points and climbed to third in the championship standings.
Canada’s NorthStar reached its second final of the season and finished third.
Explora Swiss took fourth as the team continued its pursuit of a first SailGP event victory.
Emirates GBR missed its home final after mid-fleet results and a costly handling error.
Championship leaders Australia endured a rare off-weekend and finished seventh.
Every one of Portsmouth’s ten group races produced a different winner.
A ticketed crowd of 20,000 attended across the weekend.
“It Felt Like We Were Gelling as a Team in Every Aspect”
Back-to-back wins change the conversation.
A single victory can come from favourable conditions, one inspired start or a rival’s mistake. Consecutive wins suggest something more repeatable: cleaner execution, better communication and a crew beginning to trust its own rhythm.
Portsmouth rewarded that rhythm. Strong winds brought the smaller 18-metre wingsail into play, creating the kind of high-speed conditions Spain relished. Los Gallos converted that comfort into a final-round victory over three teams carrying very different ambitions.
Artemis wanted confirmation that its improved consistency was real. NorthStar wanted proof that its progress could survive another final. Switzerland wanted the breakthrough that keeps hovering just out of reach.
Spain wanted the trophy.
They took it.
“An amazing weekend—with the conditions we had—very windy, with a small wing, which we love.”— Diego Botín
“It was amazing to get the win back to back after Halifax.”— Diego Botín
“The Final Could Have Gone Either Way”
Artemis may have lost the final, but Portsmouth gave the team something nearly as valuable: evidence of a reliable floor.
The team’s scorecard never dropped below third. Its 19 points were the highest event total of any crew. A second consecutive final and a second consecutive runner-up finish moved Artemis into third overall, ahead of both the United States and Emirates GBR.
In a championship built around volatile conditions, short races and unforgiving margins, consistency can be more powerful than occasional brilliance.
The final hinged on a tactical split. Artemis held the lead and controlled the start, but Spain chose the opposite top mark and found the faster route. One decision turned first into second.
That is the cruelty of SailGP. Do almost everything right, and the boat behind can still rewrite the race.
“We had the lead, we had a really good start.”— Nathan Outteridge
“The fact that we’re in the mix and doing all the basic things really well is really good.”— Nathan Outteridge
“A Boat-Handling Error From Us Meant That the Race Was Done”
For Emirates GBR, the home event became an exercise in how quickly a campaign can unravel.
The British team entered Portsmouth with the crowd, the setting and the emotional advantage. None of it converted into a final.
Mid-fleet finishes left the crew exposed before its last qualifying race. Then, after finally producing a strong start, Emirates GBR came off the foils at the first mark. The team recovered only to sixth, ending its weekend in the group stage.
The issue was not one isolated mistake. Bottom-mark approaches had already created problems in the earlier race. The final error merely made the consequences permanent.
Home advantage can amplify performance. It can also magnify every weakness.
“We made too many mistakes, particularly approaching the bottom marks.”— Hannah Mills
“We’ve got a lot of work to do to get ourselves back where we need to be.”— Hannah Mills
“Every One of the Ten Group Races Went to a Different Team”
Ten races. Ten winners.
That statistic explains Portsmouth better than any championship table.
The event did not belong to one dominant crew. It belonged to instability. Every start mattered. Every penalty carried weight. Every boat had enough speed to disrupt the expected order.
New Zealand’s Black Foils discovered the downside. After a strong opening day, two penalties in race four dragged the previous Portsmouth winners down to fifth in Group A.
Australia experienced something even rarer: irrelevance.
The Bonds Flying Roos arrived as championship leaders and winners of three consecutive events earlier in the season. Their only Sunday race win came too late to rescue a weekend that never developed. Seventh place kept them on top of the standings, but Spain moved closer.
The championship leader remains the benchmark. Portsmouth proved the benchmark can bleed.
“Hopefully We’ve Inspired the Next Generation a Little Bit”
British results disappointed. British attendance did not.
A ticketed crowd of 20,000 watched across the weekend, giving SailGP the kind of live audience that helps transform high-speed sailing from a technical spectacle into a mainstream sports product.
The home team could not provide the ending the crowd wanted, but the broader event offered something arguably more useful: competitive uncertainty.
Fans saw ten different race winners. They saw the championship leaders struggle. They saw Spain build momentum and Artemis turn consistency into a title position.
Predictability may create dynasties. Uncertainty creates reasons to keep watching.
“The fans have been amazing, and all credit to the sport, despite us not delivering the result they wanted.”— Dylan Fletcher
“It was amazing to see all the kids with their T-shirts on.”— Dylan Fletcher
What’s Next?
Where does the championship go now? To Sassnitz, Germany, for the ROCKWOOL Germany Sail Grand Prix on 22–23 August 2026.
Who leaves Portsmouth with the most momentum? Spain. Two consecutive event victories have turned a promising campaign into a credible title challenge.
Who produced the strongest all-round weekend? Artemis. Second place, 19 event points and no result lower than third.
Who needs the fastest reset? Emirates GBR and Australia. One missed a home final; the other produced a seventh-place finish while leading the championship.
What is the question heading into Germany? Can Los Gallos make winning a habit—or will Portsmouth’s chaos follow the fleet to Sassnitz?
