Tom Slingsby has credited Australia’s Bermuda Sail Grand Prix triumph to “a suffocation tactic”, after the chief executive and driver steered the team to a season-opening victory over the GOAT.
Australia led home Great Britain, headed up by the legendary Ben Ainslie, and Canada, led by Phil Robertson, in the final race.
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“We did a suffocation tactic on Ben’s side when they took over Canada, which is where we get in front of them and don’t let them breath, which allowed us to keep our lead,” Slingsby said.
“You know you are competing against the very best when you go against Ben Ainslie, and I still regard him as the greatest sailor of all time.
“We have been able to get one up on him here, but we know he is going to come back strong.”
The win saw Australia exact revenge on Ainslie and his British team, given it had lost to the powerhouse in the final race of the season-two SailGP event in Bermuda.
Australia will aim for consecutive wins when the SailGP calendar reaches Chicago on the third weekend of June.
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