Since its launch in 2019, SailGP has captivated the sailing world. Enthralling and ultra-competitive on the water, the championship has had an equally transformative effect off it.
Supported by Rolex as the global presenting partner and Official Timepiece of the series since Season 1, SailGP is at the vanguard of yachting, combining technological innovation with supreme athleticism in the pursuit of excellence.
Season 4 will open in Chicago with the Rolex United States Grand Prix from 16–17 June, marking the first occasion the Swiss watchmaker has been Title Sponsor of a SailGP event. The series will feature a record 12 grand prix spread across North America, Europe, the Arabian Peninsula and Oceania. Each location has been chosen for its international stature and ability to host sailing close to shore for maximum spectator engagement.
Close-fought competition is guaranteed, as demonstrated in Season 3, which concluded in San Francisco in May. During the year-long championship, every one of the nine teams taking part proved itself capable of winning races; seven teams finished on the podium at least once and five teams won events overall. Australia SailGP Team led by Tom Slingsby remains the benchmark, securing a third successive winner-takes-all Grand Final triumph, although this time by the thinnest of margins from the New Zealand and Great Britain teams.
Competing in SailGP requires exceptional abilities and experience at the highest level of competitive yachting. Among the elite professional talent participating is Rolex Testimonee Sir Ben Ainslie, the most decorated Olympic Games sailor of all time, as well as chief executive and helm of Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team.
“The SailGP circuit is a major milestone in the evolution of yachting. Combining boats that use state-of-the-art technology with top-class athletes is widening the appeal of the sport as a whole. It is a real honour to have Rolex as a partner, given the history of the brand, and its relationships with other top-level sporting events and sports people.”
SailGP racing is intense. The identical F50 foiling catamarans can hit speeds in excess of 50 knots (nearly 100 km/h). Keeping these powerful craft under control demands considerable skill, precise communication and exceptional teamwork. Races are fast-paced, lasting about 20 minutes. Over two days of competition, up to six races are held, with the last one contested by the top three teams over the previous five.
The ten teams represent Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. The skippers include four Rolex World Sailors of the Year – Ben Ainslie (a four-time winner), Tom Slingsby and Peter Burling (two-time winners), and James Spithill.
As well as transforming yacht racing, SailGP is inspiring positive change through its initiatives to encourage sustainability and develop career pathways for women and young sailors. Hannah Mills, the most successful woman Olympic sailor, is also a Rolex Testimonee and strategist for the Great Britain team. She is impressed by the approach:
“SailGP is revolutionizing the way we think about sport. The league’s commitment to sustainability and the environment is remarkable. When I was first invited to join, I was immediately impressed by the vision of a global, sustainable racing circuit that could elevate the profile of sailing while benefitting the planet.”
SailGP is harnessing innovation to scale and integrate new technology throughout the event footprint. Utilizing circular manufacturing processes when building new race boats and other pieces of equipment is part of a considered sustainability agenda, which is also geared towards delivering climate-positive events. SailGP has an ambitious goal to be 100 per cent powered by nature, both on and off the water, by 2025. Teams, too, are actively engaged through the Impact League, which runs alongside the championship.
SailGP is equally committed to accelerating inclusivity within yachting by offering greater opportunities for career development in both the competitive arena and the marine industry more generally.
Mills recognizes the exceptional legacy this approach is creating:
“SailGP’s focus on opportunity though promoting greater diversity and gender inclusivity is as important as the racing on the water and the sustainability initiatives. It is making the sport accessible to more people through the groundbreaking Women’s Pathway and the Inspire programme.”
Rolex is proud to be associated with a series that demands precision, dedication and the highest level of performance from the competitors and their boats, as well as one that also aims to play a key role in the future of the sport and, indeed, the planet. In February, SailGP and Rolex announced a new 10-season partnership, which will extend the relationship through to the end of Season 13.
