{BONDS Flying Roos secured their second consecutive SailGP victory in Bermuda on Sunday, further solidifying their grip on the overall standings.
The Australian team engaged in a fierce battle with the Spanish squad throughout the weekend at the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix. However, in the decisive three-boat final race involving the Aussies, Spain, and Germany, Diego Botin acknowledged that Tom Slingsby’s crew executed a superior starting strategy.
“We believed the Australians and Germans were coming in a bit too low,” Botin told The Athletic. “We aimed to stay high and enter with significant speed, but as we crossed the line, the wind was strong, and the Aussies pulled off a perfect start. We were too high, and they had the inside line—a very clever move on their part.”
Botin and the Spanish team resorted to risks, splitting to the far side of the course in hopes of gaining an edge over the Australians, but it proved futile. In the end, Erik Heil’s German crew closed to within a boat length at the final mark, forcing Botin to execute a high-pressure tack to hold onto second place.
The Australians claimed their second straight SailGP event win, though the Bermuda success was less dominant than their stunning four-wins-in-a-day performance in Rio de Janeiro last month. The British team, which led early in the season, could only manage fifth place in Bermuda. As a result, Australia now holds a 10-point advantage in the championship standings after five events, with Britain in second and Spain just one point behind in third.
**Injured Australians**
Glenn Ashby is known for his toughness, but even the 48-year-old Australian admits he won’t rewatch the onboard footage of him breaking his ankle as he crossed the French F50 on Saturday. “I fell over, simple as that,” he said with a self-deprecating laugh, his right leg in a plaster cast up to his knee. The irony? Ashby was substituting for France’s usual wing trimmer, British sailor Leigh McMillan, who is still recovering from an injury sustained at the Auckland SailGP event in February.
“We were coming into the pre-start, and it wasn’t a rushed maneuver at all. But I went out of the cockpit quite early and started crossing the boat, and we made a tiny turn. At that point, the speed reached about 90 km/h, and with centrifugal force, even a five-degree change in angle massively alters your body’s inertia. I was accelerating when I didn’t want to, and despite trying to slow down, I slid into the jack line. My foot stayed still, and my body folded over it. It felt like two shotgun cartridges going off in my leg as it broke—Bang! Bang! But it’s all part of the sport. I’ve broken plenty of bones in my career, but no regrets. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Ashby was removed from the boat, underwent surgery by 8:30 p.m., and was back in his hotel bed by midnight. He wasn’t the only casualty: Australian flight controller Jason Waterhouse twisted his ankle and limped around on land but still contributed to the dominant win.
**The High-Stakes Start**
Starting from the windward end of the start line can propel a vessel to a massive lead by the first mark, but it can also backfire badly. It’s a high-risk move that the Spanish team, Los Gallos, executed flawlessly in the opening fleet race—a tactic that paid off handsomely.
