The British Empire Strikes Back in Abu Dhabi

SailGP rolled into Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates with many doubters and detractors as whether the weather would turn up for the penultimate Season 5 Grand Finale as 4 teams battled for the final three spots for a $ 2 Million Dollar championsh

Published: Sunday, January 11, 2026 9:00 am
By: Mark Reid

SailGP rolled into Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates with many doubters and detractors as whether the weather would turn up for the penultimate Season 5 Grand Finale as 4 teams battled for the final three spots for a $2 Million Dollar championship check.

While the wind on the Persian Gulf port city wasn't exactly overwhelming, it produced just enough to get the F50 Catamarans foiling around the tight harbor course and allowed for a tactically exciting final race. The Emirates Team GBR made the "right" call at the top gate to distance itself from the Kiwi Black Foils and the Aussie Flying Roos won its first championship!

It has been a challenging year for SailGP as the high-speed professional racing series has suffered its share of cataclysmic structural failures that has destroyed several boats. Thankfully there were no serious injuries to speak of, as the race blends state-of-the-art new technology with old-fashioned match racing at unheard of speeds, which exceeded 103.93 kph this year by Rockwool Denmark.

It will be cavitation craziness on the racecourse, whether it is the radical titanium t-foils, the revolutionary new 27.5m wingsails, or high-aspect, high speed rudders bringing maneuverability to new heights. SailGP has rocketed not only on the racecourse but in popularity as well, as 14 teams are set to hit the start line for Season 6 in just a few short months. Teams will compete on treacherous emerald waters off of Fremantle, Western Australia with Artemis Racing from Sweden joining the fold, along with another to-be-named team on the horizon.

But the story of this year was certainly how the Empire struck back as Sir Ben Ainslie's Emirates Team GBR, with Dylan Fletcher at the helm and Hannah Mills calling the shots, finally overcame the "close but no cigar" persona to win over Australia and New Zealand in commanding fashion. Emirates GBR’s victory marks the first time the Brits have won a SailGP Grand Final, and the team is also the first in history to do the treble and complete a clean sweep.

“It was an unbelievable final and an unbelievable season for the team,” says Fletcher. “We had some ups and downs but we dug deep and finished off the season with the treble, winning the Grand Final, the overall season on points and the Impact League. I think the Grand Final race is an incredible testament to how the team operates; we stayed calm, kept chipping away, and then took the opportunity when it got presented to us. What a team, what a year… I’m stoked.”Mills describes the Grand Final race as “wild and tense,” adding: “We knew it was going to come down to the wire and we knew even if we did start last, there was always a chance to keep doing the right thing, keep putting the boat in the right place and wait for the other to make mistakes, and luckily we managed to do that and came good in the end. I literally can’t believe it.”

In a wildly successful season finished with three event wins, 12 race wins and 30 podium finishes! Remember what I said on Governor’s Island in NYC Sarah Jenkins?

It was light conditions across the weekend in Abu Dhabi, with crew size being reduced from six to three people on-board for the four races on Saturday, before it was increased to four people on-board for the final day.

“I can’t actually believe it. Everyone is so good, the level is so high, the racing is so hard. We executed what we wanted to do, we didn’t win the start, but after that we sailed the race we wanted to sail and came through with the win,” says Mills. “It’s very physical, especially when you’re trying to help with the strategy a bit and you’re heavy breathing. In the first fleet race I had that. It was a good lesson to take a breath, give the comms in a calm, relaxed way, and that really helps the team.”

Mills also hailed driver Fletcher’s meticulous preparation and natural talent. “He’s such a natural driver, he’s phenomenal! The team has had a great year, and it’s been an amazing team to be part of.”

Teams across the board faced challenges, none more so than Black Foils driver Peter Burling who suffered a nasty cut to his finger in training on Wednesday while trying to fix a misfiring daggerboard.

“We had an incident in training yesterday where I ended up with a reasonably decent cut of my finger,” Burling said before the race. “We'll just kind of monitor the situation as it goes. It’s not the ideal way to build up to the Grand Final, but we feel like the team’s in great shape.”

It mattered for naught as the Black Foils finished a frustrating 3rd, as the Aussies nipped them at the finish line, still what seemed to be miles behind the Brits.

“We were at the top end of the line but didn’t quite get the acceleration we’d hoped for,” says Burling. “We went wide at mark one, took the route we wanted to build a healthy lead, and then a mistake at the top mark gave the British a massive jump. I’m super proud of what we’ve done this season. We definitely had our ups and downs, so we’ll keep building into next season and take a step forward as all the transfer news unfolds.”

After nailing the start and building an early lead, the Flying Roos looked like they were on their way towards a 4th Championship when disaster struck; they hit a patch of light wind which caused their F50 to drop off its foils in a pivotal moment in the race, allowing Emirates GBR and the Black Foils to sneak ahead. “We were leading a two-million-dollar race, we got off the line well, and then we let it slip,” Aussie Driver Tom Slingsby says. “That will eat away at me for a long time. We have so much to be proud of. The franchise and our team are incredibly strong.”

“It is a quick turnaround, we are back in Perth, and we start all over again and try to get our title back,” Slingsby says. “Perth is going to be amazing. Racing there is going to be the opposite of racing here. If you want excitement, drama and action, you will see it in Perth, I can guarantee that.”

The U.S. SailGP Team added World Champion American sailor Harry Melges IV to its roster ahead of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix Grand Final, further strengthening its crew as it builds toward the future. Melges, from Lake Geneva, WI, joined the team in Abu Dhabi in early December and will be logging training hours required to receive an F50 license. He brings significant foiling experience as he guided American Magic’s Unicredit Youth America’s Cup Team to the finals last year in Barcelona.

“I am extremely excited to be joining the USA SailGP Team,” says Melges 4, Buddy’s grandson. “Spending time with the team, you notice how much effort is going in behind the scenes and how committed everyone is to raise the standard each day. Being part of an all-American team at this level is a dream come true and I can’t wait to get to work.”

The “transfer” portal has come to SailGP as the league unveiled its first Athlete Transfer framework ahead of the 2026 Season. Designed to bring new clarity, structure and long-term stability to athlete movement, the system introduces formal registration, transfer, and loan processes across the league.
Under the new structure only registered athletes will be eligible to compete, with roster changes permitted solely within set windows of the season.

The system favors flexibility and fairness over rigid rules, diverging from the more transactional frameworks seen in leagues such as the Premier League or NBA and signaling SailGP’s intent to modernize without sacrificing the collaborative spirit of the sport.

The athlete registration window for the 2026 Season closes before the Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix, and while the 2025 Season has come to a thrilling conclusion the 2026 Season kicks off on January 17 and 18, with SailGP making its debut in Perth, Western Australia. With the help of the legendary Fremantle “Doctor” winds where black flies fly as fast as the ‘cats and it is expected to produce some of the most exciting racing in SailGP history!