SailGP

The Rolex SailGP Championship is an international sailing competition that features high-performance F50 foiling catamarans, where teams compete across a season of multiple grands prix (GP) around the world. The reigning champion is Diego Botín's Spain SailGP Team, which won the 2023–24 SailGP championship.

History

The competition was started in 2018 by Larry Ellison (co-founder of Oracle) and champion yachtsman Russell Coutts. They aimed to establish a commercially viable global sailing race series with a large audience. This had been unsuccessfully attempted in the past with events such as the Extreme Sailing Series. The SailGP format uses fast-foiling catamarans in a variety of locations. Many teams are currently owned by the competition, with the intention of becoming privately owned.

The first SailGP season took place in 2019 with six teams, taking place across 4 countries in a five GP season. The Australia SailGP Team went on to win that season's championship, helmed by Olympic gold medal winner Tom Slingsby. Australia went on to win the first three championships, becoming the most successful team in the sport.

In the 2023–2024 fourth season, the fleet grew to 10 teams, with five being privately owned. Two more teams were added for the 2024–2025 fifth season.

Racing

The F50 boats used in the competition are one-design boats maintained and operated by SailGP. Technical information is also shared between teams, which includes large amounts of data collected using Oracle hardware and software systems. This is intended to prevent secret "arms races" that the organizers believe dominate the America's Cup and to ensure that the outcomes of races are determined by skill and ability, and not technology.

Each SailGP event consists of two days of competitive racing. The first day has three fleet races, while the second day has two fleet races and a match race final.

The final race of the season is a match race between the highest-scoring crews over the season, with the winner earning a US$1 million prize. In the 2019 SailGP championship, the two highest-ranking teams in the event leaderboard qualified for the final; in the 2021-22 SailGP championship, the three highest-ranking teams in the event leaderboard qualified for the final.

The circuit has been funded for five years (through 2023) to allow the competition to become self-sustaining.

Scoring

Scoring at events

Fleet races in each event are scored with the winning team scoring ten points, the second-place team scoring nine points, and so on. The three highest-ranking teams in the event leaderboard qualify for the match race final of that event.

Scoring in the championship

The winner of the match race final is awarded ten points in the championship leaderboard, with second and third place being awarded nine and eight points respectively. Teams who did not qualify for the match race final are awarded points corresponding to their rankings in the event leaderboard.

Penalties

After the 2021 Bermuda Sail Grand Prix, additional penalty rules were put in place to discourage collisions on the race course. Boats that collide during an event accumulate contact and damage points, which result in deductions from the season championship.

Crew Roles

Driver

The driver, or helm, is responsible for making decisions regarding the boat's course on the racecourse and communicating the plan to the crew. Additionally, many skippers, including the driver, are heavily involved in the logistics of the event.

Flight Controller

The flight controller's primary responsibility is to maintain the boat's elevation, aiming to keep it airborne as much as possible. Any time the boat touches the water is considered a mistake by the flight controller. They work closely with the driver and wing trimmer to ensure the boat maintains its speed and stability.

Wing Trimmer

The wing trimmer is tasked with understanding how to generate and distribute power effectively on the boat. They have control over the wing's shape, influencing the boat's performance. The wing trimmer collaborates closely with the driver to optimize sailing modes for speed.

Grinder

Grinders are positioned at the front of the boat, with one facing forward and the other facing backward. They operate the winch handle to assist in trimming the wing sheet efficiently. This requires precision and coordination with the wing trimmer to deliver the necessary power.

Strategist

The strategist or tactician, positioned behind the driver, plays a role in analyzing data and providing strategic input. They are responsible for monitoring changing wind conditions, assisting in maneuvers, and keeping a close watch on the fleet. With the introduction of a control panel and information display screen, the role of the strategist has become even more integral to sailing.

Past winners

Seasons

2019 season

The inaugural competition was in 2019 with six teams competing from Australia, China, France, Great Britain, Japan, and the United States of America. The competition consisted of a circuit of five race meets in Sydney, San Francisco, New York, Cowes, and Marseille. The Australian team, skippered by Tom Slingsby, won the competition and the prize in a final match race against the Japanese team skippered by Nathan Outteridge.

Over the first season, SailGP attracted over 133,000 live spectators and had a television audience of 1.8 billion. The five races had a claimed economic benefit of US$115 million for their host cities.

2021–22 season

Originally due to be contested in 2020, the season was postponed to 2021 after the first round in Sydney due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and was then extended into the early months of 2022.

The second season of SailGP introduced two new teams to the sport, with Spain replacing the Chinese team and Denmark joining as the 7th team. The British team changed as well, signing four-time Olympic Gold medalist and America's Cup skipper Ben Ainslie. The revamped team introduced members of the original British team and the America's Cup team Ineos Team UK.

This season was scheduled to visit the same venues of the first season but with Marseille swapped out for Copenhagen for the final venue, which coincided with the arrival of the new Danish team. The first round of the season began in Sydney, Australia. On the first day, Ben Ainslie and his British team won the first three races. On the second day of racing, Great Britain won a further race in the fleet races, with Australia taking the final fleet race. In the championship race, Great Britain beat the Australian team, winning them their first event title.

The second round of the 2020 SailGP race was due to be held in San Francisco, in May 2020, however SailGP suspended its season until 2021 due to the pandemic, with points from the Sydney race removed from the championship.

The 2021–22 SailGP championship saw the arrival of the New Zealand SailGP Team, skippered by two-time America's Cup winner and 49er gold medalist Peter Burling. The season commenced in April 2021 with the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix, which was won by Ben Ainslie's Great Britain SailGP team. Future venues include Taranto, Plymouth, Aarhus, Saint-Tropez, Cádiz, and Lyttelton Harbour, with the final venue being San Francisco.

Ultimately the season was won by the Australia SailGP team in the final race in San Francisco Bay.

2022–23 season

The third season of SailGP again introduced two new teams to the sport, with Canada and Switzerland joining, and three new venues, with the additions of Dubai, Singapore, and New Zealand. The venue in Denmark was moved from Aarhus to Copenhagen and there were two venues in the United States: Chicago and San Francisco

2023–24 season

The fourth season of SailGP intended to introduce a fan-owned team to the sport, representing Bermuda and the Caribbean, but funding considerations delayed their entry. A new team, representing Germany, was added as the tenth SailGP team. The new team is co-owned by Riedel Communications owner Thomas Riedel and former Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel.

2024–25 season

The fifth season of SailGP includes new stops in Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates (two stops), a yet-to-be-announced Middle Eastern country, and a return to Great Britain, as well as the introduction of the new Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team as well as Italy SailGP Team.

Teams

Impact League

The SailGP Impact League is a sustainability and inclusivity program within the global sailing league. It encourages teams to implement sustainable practices and promote inclusivity within their organizations and communities. The league tracks teams' progress in areas such as carbon footprint reduction, gender equity, and youth engagement. Winning teams receive prize money to donate to their chosen charities, further amplifying their positive impact.

Past winners

Inspire Racing

SailGP, in partnership with WASZP, created Inspire Racing to make foiling more accessible to young sailors, give them opportunity to experience a large sailing competition in all aspects, including racing in front of huge SailGP crowds.

Past Winners

eSailGP

Starting 2019, SailGP also organized an Esports competition known as eSailGP for three seasons.

References

External links

SailGP website

SailGP channel on YouTube

{{SailGP

Recurring sporting events established in 2019
World Sailing Special Events