The thousands of home British fans lining the Plymouth Hoe and on boats out on the Plymouth Sound were treated to a spectacle today as a gradient wind contributed to thrilling SailGP racing.
The home British team, led by Ben Ainslie, finished the Grand Prix in fourth place. After a disappointing opening day, the British team rebounded in style today winning the opening race in exhilarating fashion.
Needing a strong result in the second and final fleet race of the day Ainslie and his crew struggled off the start as the wind dramatically dropped. The team recovered quickly and once against showed their tenacity to work their way up the fleet as the home fans cheered them on. On the final leg the British just had to keep Tom Slingsby's Australia SailGP Team behind them to qualify for the final podium race. On the last cross, however, with the British slightly ahead but the Australians, who had right of way, the SailGP umpire called a starboard incident penalty on the British team. That crucial, controversial, penalty meant the British finished the Grand Prix in fourth and did not qualify for the final podium race.
The Great Britain SailGP Team, who remain in second place in the overall SailGP Championship table, will return to action in the Rockwool Denmark Sail Grand Prix in Copenhagen on 19-20 August.
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