I tend to be a participant rather than a spectator. So when I was invited to watch the SailGP Season 4 Grand Finals in San Francisco this summer, I was hesitant. How exciting can it really be to watch other people race—especially when they’re in the water and you’re watching from the shore? On a deceptively windy July weekend in Bay City, I got my eye-opening answer during one of the most intense and exciting high-octane races you’ll ever connect with.
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SailGP—a combination of the words “sailing” and “Grand Prix”—is a lot to take in. The learning curve for what really goes on there is at least as steep, complex, and extremely technical as the world’s fastest land-based races. But the bare-bones analogy of “Formula One on the water” is a good place to start. SailGP’s high-tech F50 catamarans can reach speeds of up to 62 mph, which might not sound that fast if you’re thinking of car racing, ski racing, or wingsuit flying. On the water, it’s wildly fast and equally unpredictable, with violent currents, fickle winds, choppy waves, and multimillion-dollar boats jockeying for position on a tight track.
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Flying into San Francisco International Airport on a relatively calm day, my first thought was: no wind. What would the sailing race be like? SailGP’s F50 catamarans have proven to be extremely adaptable to a variety of conditions. Each exorbitant boat (valued at $5 million to $10 million) sports 18- to 29-foot-high sails that control the wind on even the calmest days. Equipped with giant masts that are easily visible to spectators and hydrodynamic and aerodynamic hydrofoils that lift the hulls off the surface to reduce drag and increase speed, the boats literally appear to be floating on the water.
SailGP races are held in some of the world’s most famous ports: New York, Sydney, Auckland, Lake Geneva, Abu Dubai. This year’s Grand Finale offers a unique setting at San Francisco’s Marina Green, with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, and a relentless line of joggers, cyclists and scooters along the Bay Trail from Fort Mason to Presidio Park.
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As I pass through the tight security at the SailGP gate, I feel like I’ve entered another world. Instead of the standard oversized T-shirts, baggy cargo shorts, and ill-fitting bucket hats favored by the Fisherman’s Wharf tourist crowd, or the form-fitting spandex sportswear standard for Bay Trail athletes, everything at SailGP leans toward collared white shirts, pleated khakis, wide-brimmed hats, boating shoes, and polarized sunglasses. Sailing has a reputation for being a luxury sport, and yes, this is your chance to pull out those polos, pastel linen shorts, snazzy V-neck sweaters, and sun visors. But really, you don’t need to spend a lot of time and energy on your sailor gear at this regatta, because all the focus at a SailGP race is on the nonstop action.
Ten catamarans, sails adorned with national flags and sponsors’ names, hurtle around the bay amid a flurry of helicopters, drones, chase boats, and robot buoys. It takes a moment to discern any rhyme or logic in what seems like utter chaos. The scene is surprisingly noisy and frenetic for a wind-powered race, with a dozen or so giant screens showing close-ups of the boats, the racing teams, highlights from previous races, graphics and instant replays overlapping like an NFL game on TV—all narrated by a seasoned announcer with high-energy commentary.
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The best way to watch the race is to get a ticket for a ride on a guest/VIP chase boat. You get a visceral view of the action, similar to courtside seats at an NBA game. As Mark “Corky” Rhodes, driver of GC1 (Guest Chase Boat 1), told me, “Crewing one of the F50 catamarans is like getting a golden ticket from Willy Wonka. But chasing the boats comes right after.” The chase boats are fast, highly maneuverable, and you feel the rush of the wind and the splash of the water. A front-row seat isn’t cheap, but you’re a real part of the action.
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There are many ways to watch the race from land. The tracks in the Port of San Francisco stretch from Alcatraz to the Golden Gate, and the stages cut a wide swath of the coastline in front of the grandstands.
The most luxurious seats are in the Adrenaline Lounge tent. There, you rub elbows with the real teams and other VIPs: the day's eliminations, the reserve crew, sponsors, owners, and a slew of celebrities and racing enthusiasts. Each team and sponsor has a designated table, so you can see who's there from Rolex, Team USA, Mubadala Investment Co., etc.
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But even if you’re not in the Adrenaline Lounge, there’s no bad seat at the event. The stands just steps from the pier can seat around 3,000 people, with vendors selling snacks, beer and canned cocktails. Beyond the official SailGP boundaries, overflow crowds have gathered along the shoreline, armed with coolers, picnic baskets and more race-weekend energy.
Live feeds from helicopters, chase boats and drone footage keep the excitement high, peaking on day two, when I’m grateful my earplugs muffle the speakers. There are three races over both days, with a one-on-one sprint race between the top two scorers for a $2 million grand prize in the final.
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Each race lasts a maximum of 16 minutes, so the action is fast-paced and there’s plenty of time to stretch your legs, grab a drink, and watch the crowds. The crowds are as international as the race itself, with fans waving national flags and cheering on their favorite teams. A total of 10 teams represent the United States, France, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Spain, Canada, Switzerland, and Germany in 13 events throughout the season. Next season, Brazil will join the league.
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The wildest moment of the weekend comes when the French team execute a risky manoeuvre in a nail-biting bid to take Spain’s place in the triple Grand Final. Pinballing around a buoy and ramming the Rockwool Denmark boat sideways, the French boat careens on a hull and nearly capsizes.
As the crowd holds its breath, giant screens show close-ups of the teams struggling to gain control.
What would the French crew do if they were to capsize? When I later ask Team France driver Quentin Delpapierre the same question, he shows me the oxygen reserves the crew carry in case they get trapped under the boat, and the knife on the front of their life jackets in case a crew member gets tangled in the lifeline.
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In the final standings of the Grand Final, Spain came top, with Team Australia second and New Zealand third. The French boat was unable to continue the race due to a damaged rudder, dropping to a disappointing seventh place in the season standings.
Earlier in the season, during a practice day for the Bermuda race, the U.S. boat actually capsized. The wing trimmer jammed its signals and pressed the wrong button, flipping one wing and throwing five of the six crew into the water. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.
Taylor Canfield, Team USA driver and seven-time world champion in multiple sailing classes, says F50 catamarans are “designed to be thrown around, but any mistake can have dramatic consequences like the Bermuda accident.”
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“We were lucky here,” Canfield says. “These boats are incredible machines that can throw a lot of G-forces at you during the race, and sometimes it can feel like 3Gs in high-speed turns. It's adrenaline-pumping, responsive sailing, and it definitely felt a lot more dangerous after our rollover in Bermuda.”
One thing that is clear is that the crews on the SailGP boats are extremely fit. “The athleticism required to sail these boats is incredibly high,” says Canfield, who is supported by US team Red Bull. “We’ve seen our crews go up against other Red Bull athletes in benchmark tests and we’re among the best. The intensity and the constant change of speed, direction and balance creates a space where the body has to adapt, change and be on high alert at all times.”
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To get a sense of the physical demands SailGP teams face, I posed a few questions to Olympic gold medalist and World Cup ski racing champion Lindsey Vonn, who sits on the SailGP board of directors. An ambassador for the Jaguar TCS Formula E racing team and a Formula 1 enthusiast, Vonn has put in some quick laps in both racecars. At the NYC SailGP event, she was able to team up with Team USA’s grinder Anna Weis for a pre-race lap.
“Anna’s role requires incredible physical strength and strategic thinking,” Vonn says. “I have so much respect for the precise coordination required to avoid collisions while piloting these high-performance boats at incredible speeds.
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“It's about strategy, teamwork and constantly reacting to a dynamic situation on the water,” Vonn adds. “It's just a constant mental and physical chess match and adrenaline rush.”
There’s a spirit of enthusiasm shared by more than 4,500 participants at this weekend’s San Francisco Grand Finals event. In a sport that now has 157 million YouTube followers and a streaming audience of 200 million viewers, legions of SailGP fans are feeling that spirit vicariously.
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Expectations are high as sailing’s F1 reaches a growing fan base, inspires a new generation of sailors and showcases the excitement of modern sailing. Season 5 is set to be the league’s most comprehensive season yet, with 14 events taking place across five continents.
And while I never sailed on an F50 catamaran, SailGP inspired me to try the helm of a smaller, more entry-level boat. In the long run, the ability to inspire and excite spectators is what SailGP is all about. I know I'm hooked.
SailGP's 2024-2025 season will kick off with the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix on 24 November 2024. The season includes events in Brazil, Germany, Switzerland and Auckland, as well as a return to Great Britain and New York.