Stage set for Singapore Sail Grand Prix

After a two month break, the SailGP league hosts its eighth stage of the 11-event schedule for Season 3 in Singapore on January 14-15, 2023. Light-to-moderate winds and smooth water are forecast for the nine boat fleet which will need to come to grips with the tight racecourse just meters from the shoreline.

Two-time defending champions Australia currently sit at the top of the leaderboard with 60 points and a comfortable nine-point lead over the Kiwis in second place. But New Zealand has just a one-point lead on Quentin Delapierre’s France in third. Great Britain in fourth will be vying for an event win while the pressure will be on the mid-fleet teams to move up the leaderboard.

Jimmy Spithill’s United States team has shuffled as Andrew Campbell fulfills his America’s Cup commitment with American Magic. Also missing will be flight controller Hans Henken, with Rome Kirby filling that role.

“At the beginning of Season 3 we made the strategic decision to add depth to our roster,” said Spithill. “With the conflict this week of the US Sailing Olympic Trials, of which Hans [Henken] and Erika [Reineke] are focused on, the deeper bench puts us in a strong position to rotate in other high level athletes from our team.”

Filling out the boat is Paul Campbell-James (Wing Trimmer), Peter Kinney (Grinder), Alex Sinclair (Grinder), Cooper Dressler (Grinder/ Tactician), and CJ Perez (Strategist).

To see all the crew lists, click here.

Racing takes place in Singapore between 14:00-15:30 SGT.

SailGP information – Singapore details – Season 3 scoreboard – YouTube – How to watch

Season Three Standings (after seven of 11 events)
1. Australia (Tom Slingsby), 60 points
2. New Zealand (Peter Burling), 51 points
3. France (Quintin Delapierre), 50 points
4. Great Britain (Ben Ainslie), 48 points
5. Denmark (Nicolai Sehested), 42 points
6. Canada (Phil Robertson), 40 points
7. United States (Jimmy Spithill), 39 points
8. Spain (Jordi Xammar), 22 points
9. Switzerland (Sebastien Schneiter), 16 points

2022-23 SailGP Season 3 Schedule
May 14-15, 2022 – Bermuda Sail Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess
June 18-19, 2022 – United States Sail Grand Prix | Chicago at Navy Pier
July 30-31, 2022 – Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Plymouth
August 19-20, 2022 – ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix | Copenhagen
September 10-11, 2022 – France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez
September 24-25, 2022 – Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía – Cádiz
November 12-13, 2022 – Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas
January 13-14, 2023 – Singapore Sail Grand Prix
February 17-18, 2023 – Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney
March 17-18, 2023 – New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch
May 6-7, 2023 – United States Sail Grand Prix | San Francisco (Season 3 Grand Final)

Format for 2022-23 SailGP events:
• Teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event runs across two days.
• There are three qualifying races each day for all nine teams.*
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race to be crowned event champion and earn the largest share of the $300,000 prize money to be split among the top three teams.
• The season ends with the Grand Final, which includes the Championship Final Race – a winner-takes-all match race for the $1m prize.
* Qualifying schedule increased from five to six races at France SailGP.

For competition documents, click here.

Established in 2018, SailGP seeks to be an annual, global sports league featuring fan-centric inshore racing in some of the iconic harbors around the globe. Rival national teams compete in identical F50 catamarans for event prize money as the season culminates with a $1 million winner-takes-all match race.

Source: SailGP, Scuttlebutt