Japan, skippered by Nathan Outteridge, suffered hull damage after riding over the top of the United States and locking hulls in an alarming accident. Fortunately, no sailor was on the side of the American boat that took the impact and left Japan holed and taking on water.
Spithill lost the steering wheel in his left hull during the crash and subsequently lost control as his American boat capsized and suffered more damage.
Sir Ben Ainslie and the British SailGP team beat their counterparts from Australia and France to triumph in the first final of the new SailGP season in Bermuda.
Ainslie and his team members showed considerable improvement over the course of the two days, after finishing seventh in the first two races, before reaching the final and then winning it.
They built on a productive second day and, after an aggressive start in the medal match, they held their nerve in challenging conditions to become the first F50 over the line.
SAIL GP – POINTS AFTER OPENING ROUND IN BERMUDA
10 Great Britain 09 Australia 08 France 07 Spain 06 New Zealand 05 Denmark 04 Japan 03 United States
