The notorious English weather and the home country's crew have already left their mark on SailGP's European debut even before an official race has sailed.

Both of Saturday's races in the regatta on the Solent off Cowes, England, were called off because of high winds, leading to a compressed schedule Sunday.

The British crew established itself as the favorite by winning both practice races Thursday, two days after it became the first in the fledgling global league to break 50 knots aboard its foiling, 50-foot catamaran. The next day, the Australians also broke 50 knots but then broke their wingsail in strong wind. They missed both practice races.