Giles Scott’s first season as skipper of the NorthStar SailGP team saw the Canadian-flagged syndicate close out 2025 in sixth place overall. Not a disastrous result, for sure, but the British double Olympic medallist says the team set its sights on becoming a top tier contender on the international circuit in the long term.
There’s no denying the Canadian team had its fair share of highs and lows in Season 5. After starting with a sixth in the opening event in Dubai, a pre-race high-speed nosedive on the second day in Auckland saw Canadian flight controller Billy Gooderham hospitalised and prevented the team from any racing on the Sunday.
However, this crushing disappointment was soon forgotten after the NorthStar crew bounced back with a string of event final appearances, including a second place in Sydney, an overall victory in Los Angeles, and another second place in San Francisco. I was there for the third of those regattas and I can vouch first-hand for the fact that the Canadian crew looked for all the world like Season 5 title contenders at that event.
