Jan 16 (Reuters) - The SailGP's 2026 season opener in Perth on Saturday promises high-octane racing with the Australian city's notorious 'Fremantle Doctor' wind serving up a brutal introduction that has already left sailors bruised and boats damaged.
Practice sessions this week have been battered by the south-westerly wind, with Spain's Los Gallos crashing in training. While no sailors were injured, their F50 sustained major damage, ruling them out of the round.
Newcomers Artemis, led by Olympic gold medallist Iain Percy and helmed by America's Cup winner Nathan Outteridge, suffered an injury to a team member ahead of their SailGP debut in Perth, which is also debuting as host.
The Swedish team's wing trimmer Chris Draper was taken to hospital on Tuesday after suffering facial injuries in a crash during practice.
"He (Draper) went flying onto the boat and got pretty badly hurt on his lip – a bunch of stitches for him and a day off on Wednesday. But he was back on board yesterday and we're back sailing again," Outteridge said on Friday.
"He's really tough. I said take another day off, but when you hire great people, they want to get back as soon as they can."
Australia's Bonds Flying Roos were also affected, with wing trimmer Iain Jensen suffering a knee injury.
"We're resting him (Jensen) today for sure and assessing later whether he can join us for the weekend," Flying Roos grinder Kinley Fowler said.
"We've got Glenn Ashby here – a real veteran of the sport – so we're briefing and getting the team gelling in case the worst comes to worst and we have to sit Iain out for the weekend."
SailGP is raced by national teams in identical 50-foot F50 foiling catamarans, which are powered by towering "wing" sails, with high-tech foils lifting the hulls above the water and reaching speeds nearing 100 kph.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in BengaluruEditing by Christian Radnedge)
