Please select your home edition
Edition
GOAT Marine
Product Feature
Ovington Eco Water Bottle
Ovington Eco Water Bottle

First F50s hit the water as countdown to the SailGP Season 2 Grand Final begins

by SailGP 21 Mar 2022 06:29 GMT March 26-27, 2022
USA SailGP Team helmed by Jimmy Spithill sail alongside the Oakland Bay Bridge during a practice session ahead of San Francisco SailGP, Season 2 in San Francisco, USA © Ricardo Pinto for SailGP

With exactly one week to go until the SailGP Season 2 Champion is crowned, teams took to the iconic San Francisco Bay for the first time in preparation for the Grand Final, March 26-27.

First to hit the bay was the home team, with Jimmy Spithill returning to the scene of his incredible comeback in the America's Cup in 2013 for the first time. With his place in the Championship Final Race guaranteed, Spithill and his U.S. team wasted no time getting to grips with the F50 and the conditions.

Spithill said: "It was great to be back sailing on the bay. There's a heap of history here and San Francisco Bay really is one of the best racing venues in the world so it was good to finally get out there on the F50.

"The event's almost sold out and I can't wait to see that huge turnout on the weekend. It's just great to see how much interest there's been, it's going to be a massive event in front of our home crowd and I am really looking forward to it. We are the underdogs, but that's not a bad thing in San Francisco."

Also guaranteed a place in the final is the overall season leaders and defending champions Australia, driven by Tom Slingsby, who also made their debut on the bay today.

Slingsby said: "It was really beautiful conditions out there today. We had a great session, our boat handling was good and we were practicing a few moves for this weekend. The level was high on the water and it was tough to gain advantage over our rivals in speed. The U.S. team looked strong but we were certainly in the mix so it bodes well for the Grand Final.

The final place in the championship race is undecided although Nathan Outteridge's Japan team is the front-runner to take the final spot.

All eight national teams will be training this week, representing the U.S., Australia, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand and Spain.

Taking place on an iconic race course between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, five races will be contested across Saturday and Sunday, before the winner-takes-all, season-deciding final race where the overall season champion will be crowned and take home the $1 million prize purse.

Alongside the SailGP Season 2 Championship, for the first time ever, a second podium will also take place on the Sunday to crown the Impact League winner - the league's second podium for the planet. SailGP's Impact League is a world-first, integrated initiative to make sustainability essential to the fabric of the sport and accelerate the transition to clean energy. Currently Peter Burling and Blair Tuke's New Zealand lead the charge from Great Britain and Australia.

San Francisco marks SailGP's return to the U.S. after a three-year hiatus, promising to deliver spectacular racing action as the sport's best athletes compete on the cutting-edge, foiling F50 catamaran - capable of closing speeds in excess of 120 mph as they go head-to-head.

Limited tickets remain for premium on-land viewing near Marina Green or on-water experiences to see the thrilling action unfold on San Francisco Bay. Racing begins at 2 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Boat owners are also invited to take their vessels out to watch the racing and can register via SailGP's Bring Your Own Boat Program. Registered fans will receive all of the racecourse information and a VHF channel to listen to for all the latest updates.

For those unable to attend in person, the action can be watched in over 186 territories, including on CBS Sports in the United States. Full details can be found at SailGP.com/Watch.

SailGP Season Championship Leaderboard
1 // Australia // 55 pts
2 // United States // 53 pts
3 // Japan // 51 pts
4 // Spain // 43 pts
5 // New Zealand // 42 pts
6 // Great Britain // 41 pts
7 // Denmark // 38 pts
8 // France // 35 pts

Impact League Leaderboard
1 // New Zealand // 1066 pts
2 // Great Britain // 1015 pts
3 // Australia // 997 pts
4 // Spain // 919 pts
5 // France // 915 pts
6 // Japan // 882 pts
7 // United States // 861 pts
8 // Denmark // 823 pts

ABOUT SAILGP // SailGP races for a better future, championing a world powered by nature. The world's most exciting race on water, SailGP features national teams battling in short, intense races at iconic stadium-style venues across the globe, building to the grand final - and sailing's top prize of US$1 million. The high-tech, high-speed action features sailing's best athletes racing in identical hydro foiling F50 catamarans, flying at speeds exceeding 60 mph. Visit SailGP.com for more information.

Related Articles

Australia SailGP Team wing collapse video
Looking at all the angles of the incident in San Francisco With salvage under way, the SailGP Technical Team will now begin an in-depth analysis to determine what caused the incident. Posted on 24 Mar
Spain SailGP Team snags San Francisco repeat
While Australia suffers 'heartbreaking' wing collapse Spain has triumphed once again in San Francisco, defeating NorthStar Canada (2nd) and France (3rd) to become the fifth winner in five events this season. Posted on 24 Mar
SailGP: Flying Roos dismasted in Pre-start
The Flying Roos (AUS) broke their wingsail in the final seconds leading up to the start of Race 7 The Flying Roos (AUS) broke their wingsail in the final seconds leading up to the start of Race 7 of the Oracle SailGP Regatta in San Francisco. Conditions at the time were a rising breeze of 10-15kts - well within the capability of the 24metre tall rig. Posted on 23 Mar
NorthStar Canada SailGP Team flies to the top
On Day 1 of Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix NorthStar Canada picked up where they left off, leading the fleet with 35 points after a dynamic first day of the Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix. Driver Giles Scott enjoyed three podium finishes - including two wins - in the first four fleet races. Posted on 23 Mar
SailGP: Bravery required in San Francisco
"San Francisco conditions require a lot of bravery' to compete" - Slingsby This weekend's racing venue of San Francisco poses the ‘most extreme conditions of the circuit', which require ‘a lot of bravery' to compete, Australia driver Tom Slingsby remarked at this morning's media conference in San Franciso. Posted on 21 Mar
SailGP: Denmark out for San Francisco
Damage sustained in Los Angeles was deemed too extensive to repair in time for the weekend. The Rockwool Denmark Racing SailGP Team will not compete in San Francisco after damage sustained in Los Angeles was deemed too extensive to repair in time for the weekend. Posted on 21 Mar
Brazil tops the podium in SailGP's Impact League
Clean up project of Pombeda Island in Guanabara Bay, Rio praised by judges The Mubadala Brazil SailGP team secured the top spot in the first Focus Area of the 2025 season Impact League - SailGP's "Podium for the Planet" - the season-long competition that rewards teams for driving environmental action. Posted on 20 Mar
SailGP 2025 season technological advances
Advanced AI integration and new fan experiences put SailGP at the forefront of the industry The 2025 season of the Rolex SailGP Championship will be the most technologically advanced in sailing history as the league heads to the world's epicenter of tech - San Francisco. Posted on 18 Mar
Canada claims first season win
At Rolex Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix Northstar Canada claimed their inaugural win of the 2025 Season - the first for the team since March 2023 (Season 3) and the first with double Olympic gold medalist Giles Scott as driver. Posted on 17 Mar
SailGP: Stellar Finals win for Northstar Canada
Northstar Canada team turned in a superlative performance to win the Rolex Los Angeles SailGP The regrouped Northstar Canada team turned in a superlative performance in the Final Day of Rolex Los Angeles SailGP, to score a big win - their first under Giles Scott (GBR) as skipper - and their first in two years. Posted on 16 Mar