Practice race day at the Germany Sail Grand Prix in Sassnitz was not for the faint-hearted, with top-end conditions producing near-record speeds for the F50 race boats and two major incidents.
For Emirates GBR, the day was about continuing to build momentum from their strong showing last time out in Portsmouth. The British team completed their only race of the day in the split format, finishing in second place. The following race featured the other fleet of six F50 race boats. During that second race, the Brazilian and French crews were involved in major incidents on the water, the Brazilians suffered a structural failure of the front beam, while France sustained damage to its rudder with repairs underway overnight.
In accordance with race safety protocols, racing was cancelled for the rest of the day and all crews headed back to shore.
Dylan Fletcher, Driver of the Emirates GBR SailGP Team, said: "Big practice day here in Sassnitz. The whole fleet was reaching maximum speeds, and we saw two massive incidents involving the Brazilians and the French. Thankfully, everyone on board was okay. I'm sure there will be a big review of what happened, but again, the main thing is that the sailors were safe.
For Emirates GBR, it’s all about continuing the momentum from Portsmouth. We had a good day in terms of keeping the boat reasonably in one piece and putting in some solid sailing. Looking ahead to the weekend, we’ll see what conditions we get."
With the forecast promising more high-speed action, the stage is set for an adrenaline-charged weekend in Sassnitz. A near sell-out event will see over 10,000 spectators watching the racing from the grandstand, with racing due to start at 15:30 local time. Viewers in the UK can watch all the action on TNT Sports and Discovery+.