The Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team is “frustrated” with the result of the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix, Driver Giles Scott said.
The British crew finished the event in eighth place after struggling to get off the start line in good positions. Scott said his team is “capable of doing a lot better” and is “eager” to perform at the next SailGP in Halifax, Canada, on 1 – 2 June.
Diego Botin’s Spanish crew put on a stellar performance to clinch the win from Australia and New Zealand in Bermuda, in a result which may lead Australia’s Tom Slingsby to eat his words. At the Abu Dhabi SailGP in January, Slingsby threw down the gauntlet to the “next generation” of SailGP Drivers, challenging the younger athletes of the fleet to “prove” themselves. The Spanish team is one of the youngest in the League, and the Bermuda win marks their second of the Season, after securing their first win in Los Angeles back in July.
On Race Day One, Emirates GBR performed well on the water and managed to climb their way up the fleet after having difficult starts. Driver Giles Scott said the game plan going into Race Day Two was to get across the start line in a better position, but it was difficult to deliver with it being extremely scrappy at the start of the two fleet races. At the start of Race Four, Emirates GBR had to change course to avoid a build-up of boats, putting them towards the back of the fleet. With the course shortened to just five legs, there was less opportunity to make gains. The Swiss Team led the fleet across the finish line, followed by Canada and Spain, with Emirates GBR finishing in seventh. The team finished seventh again in Race Five, ending the event in eight place overall.
Emirates GBR Driver Giles Scott said: “We’re feeling frustrated with that result. We had difficult starts yesterday and wanted to improve those today, but it didn’t go the way we hoped. With the shorter course, there was a lot less opportunity to break through the fleet. We’re annoyed because we know we’re capable of better and for me being a new Driver I want to make my mark and that hasn’t happened yet, but we will look towards Halifax and nailing the starts there.”
As the Emirates GBR squad looks towards the next event, it will be leaving a legacy in Bermuda. For the Bermuda SailGP, Emirates GBR’s Purpose Partner, the 1851 Trust, collaborated with Butterfield to invite more than 200 local children to the team’s base for Protect Our Future climate education lessons. The Trust established the online platform Protect Our Future to provide free-to-use climate education resources to schools around the world. The partnership with Butterfield has also created a $10,000 climate action grant to allow schools in Bermuda to implement sustainability projects. The grant will be awarded to projects that: engage the community around sustainability issues and channel young people’s passion for local environmental issues into tangible action. All schools are invited to apply for the grant and entries can be submitted as a whole school, a class or an eco-club. The judging panel Emirates GBR CEO and Founder of the 1851 Trust, Sir Ben Ainslie, and Butterfield representatives.
