Tom Slingsby's BONDS Flying Roos lead the 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship by seven points heading into this weekend's Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix, the season's fifth event and arguably its most pivotal so far.
The Australians have won three of the four events held in 2026 and topped the leaderboard with 35 points after sweeping Rio in April. Defending champions Emirates GBR sit second on 28, the United States under Taylor Canfield third on 27, Diego Botin's Los Gallos fourth on 25, and Artemis fifth with 23.
Racing on the Great Sound runs Saturday and Sunday from 2:00–3:30 PM local time, with twelve teams competing under the standard format: a series of qualifying fleet races followed by a winner-takes-all final between the top three.
First storyline: can Britain rebound? Dylan Fletcher's defending champions finished last in Rio, an uncharacteristic result that shook a team that opened the season with a commanding Perth victory. "It has been an amazing start for the team in Perth," Fletcher said after that opener. "We had a disappointing start yesterday and did not get the results we wanted but today we came out firing and I'm thrilled with the result." Bermuda will test whether the Rio collapse was a blip or a deeper malfunction.
Second: Australia's momentum. Slingsby was clinical in Rio, sweeping the qualifying races and the final. "I'm really pleased with the team," he said afterwards. "We've brought together a group with huge potential and although we hadn't fully clicked before, today we finally showed what we're capable of when everything comes together."
Third: Spain still searching. Botin's Los Gallos opened the year with a damaged F50 in Perth practice, and have yet to claim a 2026 podium top step despite finishing second in Rio. The Spanish were the inaugural Bermuda victors in 2021 — a venue Botin clearly understands.
Fourth: the Black Foils' continuing absence. Peter Burling and Blair Tuke's New Zealand crew remain out following collision damage sustained in Auckland, leaving twelve boats on the water rather than the usual full grid. The points table looks lopsided as a result.
Fifth: tactical shake-ups. Artemis have brought in Saul Vassalo as data analyst replacing Robbie Urwin, France have promoted Erika Reineke to reserve strategist, and Red Bull Italy welcome Maelle Frascari into the reserve athlete role. Each team is hoping fresh personnel deliver a Bermuda boost.
Weather forecasts point to stable foiling conditions on Saturday and lighter, patchier breeze on Sunday — a split that could reward consistency over raw boat speed. Australia's job is to bank points early; everyone else's is to stop them.