SailGP Season 3 Grand Final is Ready to Foil
Get ready and fasten your seat belts, as the Mubadala SailGP flying sailboat circus is upon us once again. Three teams are preparing for a shootout for the final two podium spots: The Aussies, who are two-time champions, have already clinched one of the three slots for the million-dollar finale on San Francisco Bay!
Two titles are on the line as SailGP Season 3 comes to a climactic close. The San Francisco Grand Final is the last of the 11-event series, which started in May last year in Bermuda.
Racing will be held on May 6 and 7, but practices take place in the days before. The San Francisco Cityfront will be treated to a dazzling display off Crissy Field and Marina Green, with the F50 foiling catamarans polishing the carbon and shaking off the cobwebs as they take to the water and run through the course.
Of course, we have the battle on the Bay, but the Impact League championship, aimed at reducing the overall carbon footprint and accelerating inclusivity, is also on the line. Last year’s winner, New Zealand, along with Denmark and Canada, all have a chance to win the coveted geo-prize.
As carefully as SailGP counts carbon credits in a well-intentioned plan to reduce our footprints on this planet, Mother Nature has certainly thrown the series some weather-related curveballs this season, with a lightning strike that struck the Kiwis in Singapore, followed by a micro-tornado hitting the tech base in Sydney shortly after racing on Day 1. It sent the Canadians’ brand-new boat into their pop-up compound and obliterated the wingsails of several other teams.
“I’m really proud of how all the teams have embraced the Impact League and changed their behavior,” said Fiona Morgan, Global Director of Purpose and Impact. “When we first introduced the concept, I think people were worried it would take away from performance and be a distraction, but it’s been the opposite and a big opportunity for all involved.”
SailGP’s Season 3 has been a whirlwind on and off the water. The globe-trotting spectacle has seen frenetic, heart-pounding action among the nine teams, with thrilling finishes, collisions, and speed records that seem to fall every week.
Tom Slingsby and Team Australia are on top of the leaderboard … again, with 84 points, and have already clinched a spot in the podium final.
Team New Zealand, with 73 points, were flying high all season until the lightning strike and “gremlins” cost them precious points in Sydney. They are currently in second place, but the French, who have been impressive all season, are breathing down their necks with 69 points, and Emirates Team Great Britain sits at 68, waiting to pounce on any “hiccup” that happens in front of them.
Unfortunately for Team USA, Season 3 has been a roller coaster of highs and lows. The podium consistency that rewarded them last season has eluded them, as crew rotation due to different issues and injuries has taken its toll. Aside from an event victory in Saint-Tropez, France — a weekend when speed records were shattered — it has been a year to forget for Jimmy Spithill. But that can all change with a win here in San Francisco.
Team USA skipper and CEO Spithill, who also “moonlights” as one of the twin helmsmen on Luna Rossa’s AC75, explained, “When I look back, we’ve had broken legs, sickness, conflicts in schedules, but as a professional sports team, you have to be ready for that and the only way to be ready is to have depth in your roster.
“We just need to string together some consistent races and get ready to come out firing in San Francisco. Who knows what could happen? Things can change really quickly!”
Joining Hans Henken and Cooper Dressler on the roster in Christchurch, and onboard for San Francisco, is multihull specialist and recent Tulane University graduate Cam Farrah, from Destin, Florida. Cam’s inclusion should make St Francis Yacht Club staff commodore and historian Kimball Livingston quite happy — having a “Green Wave” kindred spirit off the club’s race deck and on the water foiling fast.
“It is a dream come true to represent the USA on one of the coolest boats in the world, especially coming from a foiling-catamaran sailor background,” Farrah said. “I’ve grown up racing multihulls along the Gulf Coast, but I sail everything from Viper 640s to 420s. My goal is to represent the USA at the Olympics on a Nacra 17, and I am working my butt off to get there.”
Reflecting on the season overall, wing trimmer Paul Campbell-James said, “Sure, it’s a knife in the side and we finished last season in third overall and now we sit here in seventh place. But we’ve used this year well to develop the crew and we’re well set for next year.
“Next up is the United States. and for sure, we’re going to use San Francisco to try and make sure we get a win on home soil.”
Plus, California won’t have to wait long. SailGP just announced that Los Angeles would host a Sail Grand Prix on July 22–23 this year.
Tickets for grandstand seating are available here.