SAILGP
Spain’s Los Gallos walked away from Sydney Harbour with another podium – and another pang of what might have been.
For driver Diego Botin, the emotion was still fizzing after a second straight Final ended in third place at the KPMG Sydney Sail Grand Prix.
“It’s quite tough,” Botin admitted. “Losing two finals in a row, the emotions are up there. It’s hard to digest.”
The decisive moment came at the start of the showdown with Emirates GBR and the U.S SailGP Team. In a three-boat shootout where clean air is currency and foiling is freedom, Los Gallos gambled on an aggressive launch in Sydney Harbour’s painfully light winds.
But while their rivals popped onto the foils and accelerated into space on the first leg, Los Gallos were left wrestling gravity.
Strategist Nicole van der Velden explained the fine margins. “We thought there was going to be enough wind to fly off the line,” she said. “We pushed for a more aggressive start, but we just didn’t manage to get on the foils. After that you’re stuck in the shadows. They were foiling and we were playing catch-up.”
In tricky, patchy conditions, disrupted air from boats in front becomes a trapdoor. And despite their best efforts, the Spanish never quite found the ladder back.
And yet, zoom out from the start line and the picture changes shape. Across the weekend’s fleet racing, Los Gallos were metronomic. In a venue that flicked between pressure lines and potholes of breeze, they stacked consistent results to top the table after the opening day, and protected their place in the top three on day two.
“We had a very consistent weekend,” said Botin. “Many of the things we are working on are actually working in racing. In SailGP it’s hard to get training time, so changing things and seeing them work straight away is very nice.”
That progress matters, especially after a training crash in Perth disrupted their early-season rhythm. Two Finals in contrasting conditions, from Auckland’s breeze to Sydney’s softer shuffle, suggest a team broadening its bandwidth.
Van der Velden agreed the long view offers encouragement. “Overall the past two events have been really positive,” she said. “We’ve been consistent in really difficult conditions. Making two Finals is really good long term. Obviously it hurts losing them, but we’re making good progress.”
Botin’s verdict carried both sting and steel. “Right now it’s difficult to be happy after another third in a Final,” he said. “But we have to look at the big picture. We are fighting for Finals, we are sailing well, and what we work on is working.”
Sydney may not have delivered the silverware Spain wanted, but it reinforced something arguably more valuable: belief.
The starts can be sharpened. The execution in Finals can be refined. The foundation, though, is firm and quietly humming.
See Los Gallos in action on home waters at the Spain Sail Grand Prix in Valencia on September 5-6. Grab your ticket HERE!
