Please select your home edition
Edition
Boatseekr_LeaderBoard_5 - TOP

Aussies' final hopes end in dramatic wing collapse in San Fran

by Australia SailGP Team 24 Mar 18:07 NZDT 22-23 March 2025
previous next

Tom Slingsby's Australia Team's hopes of making the Podium Final came crashing down on day two at the Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix, as a catastrophic wing failure forced them out of contention, marking a devastating end for the Aussies in San Francisco.

The Australians had secured their seat in the Podium Final, sitting in equal first place on points to Spain, with one final fleet race to go before the finale on Super Sunday. The Australia F50 was in the start box of the seventh fleet race when the wing suddenly fell and collapsed around the crew.

Thankfully all athletes were accounted for and no injuries were reported, but the catastrophic damage meant the Australians were forced to retire from the race.

Still coming to terms with the incident, Australia Team Driver and CEO Tom Slingsby said, "It's heartbreaking, it's a very scary situation. We're all okay but when something like that happens, all you think about is if everyone is going to get through this. Fortunately we're all safe and that's the first priority."

With salvage under way, the SailGP Technical Team will now begin an in-depth analysis to determine what caused the incident.

"We've got to go look at the camera angles," Slingsby said. "We need to determine if it was a wing failure, or was there something else at play?"

The Spain SailGP Team was crowned the champions of the Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix in the Podium Final against NorthStar Canada (2nd) and France (3rd). Despite the dramatic wing collapse, the Australia Team's dominant performance across the weekend has pushed them into first place on the overall 2025 Season Leaderboard.

After establishing that "everyone was okay", Slingsby said his thoughts turned to the condition of the boat ahead of the next event in Brazil. "Obviously the thoughts go to our season and if we can get replacements in time and be at the next event," he said. However he said his biggest priority was "figuring out what happened."

The SailGP Technical Team will spend the coming days assessing the damage and the repairs required to the Flying Roo, with the goal of having the Australia Team racing at the next event, the Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix taking place on May 3-4 2025.

Related Articles

BOISW - New Committee announced for 2026
New Committee working hard behind the scenes to rework the 2026 Bay of Islands Sailing Week . A newly appointed committee is already working hard behind the scenes to rework the 2026 Bay of Islands Sailing Week event while honouring the traditions that have made it so special to the sailing community. Posted on 26 Jun
Nick Olson on PredictWind's newest features
Nick Olson discusses PredictWind's newest features PredictWind has long been a leader in presenting high-quality marine forecasts. Nick Olson discusses the company's newest features. Posted on 12 Jun
PredictWind launches Anchor Alert App
The app delivers immediate, real-time alerts if their anchor drags, ensuring enhanced safety. Global leader in marine weather forecasting, PredictWind, has announced the launch of its new standalone Anchor Alert app. Posted on 12 Jun
Armstrong Foils Demo Days return for 2025
Test the latest gear, get expert advice, and ride with the pros. Armstrong Foils is proud to announce the return of Armstrong Demo Days for 2025. Test the latest gear, get expert advice, and ride with the pros. Posted on 4 Jun
Armstrong Foils: On tour - Home of Armstrong II
Join America's Cup champion, Blair Tuke and Armstrong team riders on the tour of NZ's Far North Join three times America's Cup champion, Blair Tuke and Armstrong team riders Olivia Jenkins, Naumi Eychenne, Bowien van der Linden, Cash Berzolla, and Reo Stevens, on the Home of Armstrong Tour II, as they explore NZ's Far North. Posted on 30 May
VX One Class forms Int. Class Assoc.
Significant new chapter begins for VX One sailors with formation of an Int Class Assoc. A significant new chapter has just begun for VX One sailors worldwide with the formation of the VX One International Class Association Posted on 20 May
“Foil4TheGulf”, set to take place on Saturday
“Foil4TheGulf”, set to take place next Saturday (24 May) at Auckland's Okahu Bay “Foil4TheGulf”, set to take place next Saturday (24 May) at Auckland's Okahu Bay, has been inspired by the Hauraki Gulf / Tikapa Moana Marine Protection Bill's stalled progress in Parliament after its second reading in December last year. Posted on 13 May
RS-Quest rally at Cheltenam Beach
Eight RS-Quests sailed to Cheltenham Beach, on Sunday for the first NZ Quest barbeque lunch. Eight RS-Quests sailed to Cheltenham Beach, alongside North Head at the entrance to the Inner Waitemata Harbour, on Sunday for a barbeque lunch. Posted on 5 May
Taipa Sailing Club hard hit by Cyclone
The Taipa Sailing Club is reeling after being hard hit by Cyclone Tam - launches Givealittle page When Cyclone Tam tore the roof off the Taipa Sailing Club just over a week ago, the immediate future of the small Northland yacht club suddenly looked uncertain.A Givealittle page has raised more than $6000 in the first five days. Posted on 28 Apr
Exotic caulerpa in Paradise Bay at Urupukapuka
A cruiser was surprised when he pulled up a substantial amount of exotic caulerpa A cruiser was surprised - and worried - when he pulled up a substantial amount of seaweed that looked like it could be exotic caulerpa in Paradise Bay at Urupukapuka. Posted on 16 Apr
PredictWind - GPS 728x90 BOTTOMC-Tech 2021 (Spars-QFX Racer) 728x90 BOTTOMU-DECK 2023 - No.3 728x90 BOTTOM