CANFIELD’S U.S. TEAM SCORE LANDMARK WIN AT KPMG SYDNEY SAIL GRAND PRIX
U.S. SailGP Team driver Taylor Canfield picked up his first ever SailGP win with a tactical masterclass in Sydney – as Emirates GBR took control of the 2026 Season leaderboard.
On a Sydney Harbour that served up patchy breeze and pressure swings sharp enough to catch out the most seasoned crews, Canfield and his United States outfit dominated.
They kept their composure while others – including home heroes the BONDS Flying Roos – unravelled.
The U.S. team defeated Los Gallos – the most consistent team in Sydney – and reigning Rolex SailGP Champions Emirates GBR in a tense showdown in tricky conditions.
Canfield, in his second full season as driver, judged the start to perfection and then played the shifts like a grandmaster, picking lanes with clinical precision.
In a Final that punished hesitation, Emirates GBR were the first to foil, stretching their legs on the first beat in an early challenge to the U.S.
But Canfield’s team held them off to win the sprint to the first mark, and from there on sailed a near-perfect race to take their third Grand Prix win and first since the Season 4 Spain Sail Grand Prix in October 2023.
Emirates GBR, winners of the opening event in Perth, came home second to take control of the 2026 Season leaderboard with three Grands Prix down, while Los Gallos picked up their second podium of the season.
For Canfield, who took over from Jimmy Spithill as driver in November 2024, the breakthrough victory marked a milestone moment.
After a rollercoaster 2025 Season, this was confirmation that the pieces are falling into place.
Sydney’s unusually fickle conditions demanded instinct as much as analysis, and Canfield’s team proved they have both in abundance.
The harbour’s typical north easterly summer sea breezes were absent for the KPMG Sydney Sail Grand Prix, replaced with an unsettled weather pattern that brought light, patchy winds.
Spain’s Los Gallos were the form team over seven fleet races, notching up two wins and and two more podium finishes.
But they couldn’t keep the momentum going in the final, crossing the start line in third and never recovering.
Hometown heroes the BONDS Flying Roos went into the Grand Prix as the favourites, having won three of the past five events in Sydney, but two sixes and a tenth on the second day knocked them out of contention for the final.
This brings to a close the trans-Tasman leg of SailGP, as the focus now turns to the Americas.
The SailGP action returns for the ENEL Rio Sail Grand Prix on April 11-12 before heading to Bermuda, New York and Halifax.
Grab your tickets HERE.
