Japanese team announced for SailGP

SailGP has introduced the sixth and final team for season one of its new global racing league, the Japan SailGP Team – a world-class crew combining three of Japan’s most talented sailors with three international foiling catamaran veterans.

Teams from the United States, Australia, Great Britain, France, Japan and China will compete in one design catamarans called F50s, upgraded to deliver more performance since last used in the 2017 America’s Cup.

The series begins Feb. 15-16 in Sydney, Australia, followed by regattas in San Francisco on May 4-5; New York on June 21-22; Cowes, England, on Aug. 10-11; and the finale in Marseille, France, on Sept. 20-22.

The Japan SailGP Team’s blend of youth and experience will allow the crew to challenge in season one, and set the standard for the next generation of aspiring Japanese sailors.

SailGP requires 100 percent nationality for established sailing nations while allowing developing teams, such as Japan SailGP Team, to start with a 40 percent nationality requirement, which will increase by 20 percent annually.

Two-time Olympic medalist and America’s Cup veteran Nathan Outteridge (AUS) – one of the world’s most talented and experienced high-performance foiling sailors – leads the Japan SailGP Team as CEO/helm. Outteridge has put together an experienced team, with five of the six sailors having raced on the F50’s predecessor with either Artemis Racing or SoftBank Team Japan.

He and wing trimmer Iain Jensen (AUS) together won Olympic gold at London 2012 and silver at Rio 2016 in the 49er class, while Luke Parkinson (AUS) – a fellow Aussie and Artemis Racing alumnus – is also a winner of the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race.

Up-and-coming Japanese sailors Yugo Yoshida and Yuki Kasatani join the team as grinders from SoftBank Team Japan’s 2017 America’s Cup campaign. Rounding out the crew is Leo Takahashi, one of Japan’s most promising young high-performance sailors, and SailGP’s most junior member at just 19 years old.

SailGP details – Team rosters – Schedule