Spain Conquers the Bay Area Again at SailGP San Francisco
SailGP scored a solid weather weekend for the somewhat risky choice of racing the Bay in March. The sun came out, the breeze was steady, and the flood kept the water flat. The sailing was fast. The stadium seating was packed, with many more spectators stretching out from the St. Francis Yacht Club all the way along the Crissy Field beach front.
After seven races and the grand final on Sunday, it was Spain that took home the grand prize, repeating their 2024 title victory on S.F. Bay. Spain’s weekend win was over NorthStar Canada in second and France in third for the three-boat final. There have been five different winners in this season’s five events. Giles Scott and the Canadian team are the rising stars and one of the most consistent new teams throughout the series.
Australia was in the running to make the cut for the three-boat final, but in the seventh race her rig collapsed spectacularly as the boats maneuvered quickly on the starting line. The reason isn’t yet known, but it all came crashing down in a shower of wings, flaps and carbon. Fortunately nobody was hurt, and as the other 10 boats raced to the first turning mark, Australia was left with rescue boats to pick up the pieces.
Despite missing the seventh race and the final in San Francisco, Tom Slingsby and the Australians stayed on top of the 2025 season championship scoreboard, closely followed by Dylan Fletcher and Emirates GBR in second and Diego Botin skippering the Spanish entry.
When the crowd was asked how many people in the stands had also attended the L.A. event, a significant number of hands went up. And there were plenty of flags from all the participating countries.
The American team continued to look very rough, with some dramatic crashes off their foils on Saturday. Sunday’s performance had more consistent, smoother foiling, but the results remained dismal. The US team is trying to polish their performance but was in last place for the weekend and is in 11th place out of 12 for the season. They’ve still got some work to do.
The following video of the Aussies’ collapse was captured by @sailing314
View this post on Instagram
And from a different angle as shared on SailGP’s X.
Wing failure onboard Australia 🤯
Happy to account for no injuries onboard, the cause of the incident is not yet known #SailGP pic.twitter.com/tw0YrZo72O
— SailGP (@SailGP) March 23, 2025
The next races on the schedule include the first event ever in South America with the Enel Rio SailGP event in Brazil on May 3–4, and then back to the Northern Hemisphere with the final US event in New York on June 7–8.
We’ll have more on the California SailGP events in the April edition of Latitude 38 coming out next week. See San Francisco event results here.
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One Week Until We Get To Hang at the Spring Crew List Party!
We’re dusting off our dancing gear and making sure to keep our schedules clear for next week, Thursday, April 3, when we gather, mingle and spend the evening reconnecting and making new friendships at the Latitude 38 Spring Crew List Party at the Bay View Boat Club in San Francisco.
It’s been so long since we’ve had a spring Crew List Party that we’re almost worried we don’t know how! But the reality is that it’s like riding a bike (assuming you learned when you were young; apparently not everyone does): You don’t forget. Sure, you might feel a little rusty at first, a little awkward at that first conversation with someone you’ve just met, or someone you recognize but whose name you forget. But don’t worry about it; just call out, “Hey sailor!” You’ll have everyone’s attention in a nanosecond. We also have name stickers that you can use. Just print your name clearly on the line and everyone who sees you will know how to say, “Hi.”
Either way, you have to come to the party. It’s always fun to talk about sailing, and almost everyone there will know what you’re talking about when you start giving a breakdown of your latest anchoring issue or share the excitement of a new winch handle.
Of course there will be some people who are new to sailing and have yet to learn the lingo, or perhaps they’re new to the Bay Area and have no idea of the local sailing conditions, or how to even find sailing friends. That’s what we’re here for!
We look forward to seeing you there. Details as follows:
Location: Bay View Boat Club, 489 Terry A Francois Blvd., San Francisco, CA 94158
Time: 6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
Tickets: $10 (Tickets must be purchased in advance. We will have no ticket sales at the entry.)
- Mingle with fellow sailors and skippers to find your next sailing opportunity.
- Drinks and chili will be available for sale from Bay View Boat Club. Please note BVBC does not accept credit cards. Please bring cash for drinks and food. There is an ATM on site.
- Meet local sailing organizations and vendors who can help get you on the water.
- Door prizes, sailing slideshows, and a lively sailing community
Whether you’re new to sailing or a seasoned pro, everyone is welcome — come as you are!
Admission Details
$10 per person – Includes entry, snacks, and a chance to win door prizes.
Want to get a head start? Sign up on our free online Crew List to connect with sailors before the event.
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A Postcard From SV ‘Freedom Kirkland’
“Good day, sailors. This is Kirk and Charlene on the SV Freedom Kirkland enjoying our 18th season cruising the coast of Pacific Mexico.”
We’ve shared postcards from Kirk and Charlene in the past, but usually they don’t tell us where they are — that’s for us to guess. And although they didn’t tell us exactly where these photos were taken, they did give us an idea of their recent itinerary
“This year we started in Guaymas and sailed all the way down to Zihuatanejo for Sailfest and Guitar Fest.”
“We are currently slowly making our way back to Barra de Navidad where we will keep the boat in the Grand Bay for the summer months.”
“Cheers everyone.” — Kirk and Charlene, SV Freedom Kirkland.
Just for kicks, can you tell us exactly where these photos were taken?
A Transatlantic Trip Teeming With Life
We sailed onto the hook in Sainte Anne Bay — off the windward island of Martinique in the southern Caribbean’s Lesser Antilles — exactly 21 days, 6 hours, and 18 minutes after leaving Ilha Brava in the Cabo Verde chain last year. The sail, of course, was spectacular!
We had lost our upper spinnaker halyard block about a week before we set off, so the voyage was mostly under mainsail only as far downwind as she would go. This was no hardship, believe me, as we made landfall on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean almost exactly 48 hours ahead of our original estimation.
The sea was blue, steady, and immense.
Three days out, we saw a small pod of giant orcas consisting of two very large animals and one small one heading in the opposite direction from us. They were on the hunt, so they had no shits to give our way. Two days later, we saw a huge pod of false killer whales, about 18 strong, again on the hunt, only this time traveling in our direction. Let me tell you, when you’re completely surrounded by giants tearing up the water around you in the middle of nowhere, the word “insignificant” takes on a whole new meaning.
On my second dog watch (3-6 a.m.) of our 12th night out, I made an incredible discovery. I looked around us and noticed quite a bit of bioluminescent activity around the boat — I mean, a lot more than usual. It seemed as though the little lights were popping off like fireworks all around us. I grabbed the spotlight, shined it on the water, and discovered we were surrounded by thousands (no, really, thousands) of yellowfin tuna, all jockeying for position under the running lights forward.
I was freaking gobsmacked! There were so many of them that it looked like they could lift the boat right out of the ocean and carry us all the way to the Caribbean. They were with us every night until we got within 60 miles of Martinique. And then, suddenly, they were gone.
Then there was the magnificent frigatebird. This animal has a tiny body with a long split tail and a seven-and-a-half-foot wingspan. They mostly hunt flying fish, and they are fairly adept at that magnificent feat. But they also do this totally crazy thing where they tap on the backs of other birds’ heads to make them puke up their last meal; then they eat it like a great big fledgling. I know it sounds totally gross, but they do it so much that it actually appears as if they prefer it to chasing those pesky flying fish. (I know, ew, right?)
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