Free agency for SailGP Season 5

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
When the first season of the SailGP commenced in 2019, all six teams were funded by the league, but only through five seasons. Well, it’s now the fifth season, and nearly all 12 teams are independently financed, though some more than others.

As the league has matured, so has the skill of the players, and the fifth season will be known for how the athletes are leveraging their worth. Loyalty only goes so far, and as the league’s nationality rules become less restrictive, the rosters are getting revamped.

New Zealand, after finishing on the podium for the past two seasons, saw its flight controller Andy Maloney move to Brazil. Maloney has been replaced by Leo Takahashi who was with Japan for Season 1 and 2 and with USA in Season 4.

Three-time season champion Australia is losing trimmer Kyle Langford to pursue other opportunities, and will be replaced by Chris Draper who has been with Great Britain in Season 1, Japan in Season 2, and Canada in Seasons 3 and 4.

And there is more to come for Great Britain who must replace their helm after Giles Scott moved to the Canadian team, and who will be on the Italian roster for their first season.

Season 5 gets underway November 23-24 in Dubai, UAE.

Twelve Teams for Season 5
• Australia
• Brazil
• Canada
• Denmark
• France
• Germany
• Great Britain
• Italy
• New Zealand*
• Spain*
• Switzerland
• United States
* League funded teams

SailGP information – YouTube – Facebook

Season 5 Schedule
2024
November 23-24 – Dubai, UAE

2025
January 18-19 – Auckland, New Zealand
February 8-9 – Sydney, Australia
March 15-16 – Los Angeles, USA
March 22-26 – San Francisco, USA
May 3-4 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
June 7-8 – New York City, USA
July 19-20 – Great Britain *
August 16-17 – Sassnitz, Germany
September 6-7 – Taranto, Italy
September 20-21 – Geneva, Switzerland
October 4-5 – Andalucía – Cádiz, Spain
November 7-8 – Middle East *
November 29-30 – Grand Final – Abu Dhabi, UAE
* Venue to be announced

Format for Season 5:
• Teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event runs across two days.
• Five qualifying fleet races of approximately 15 minutes may be scheduled for each regatta.
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race to be crowned event champion and earn the largest share of the prize purse (amount not confirmed; Season 4 had $400,000.00 USD prize purse with winning team earning $200k at each event).
• The season ends with the Grand Final, which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing with the winner claiming a monetary award (amount not confirmed; Season 4 had $2 million USD prize).
• The top team on points ahead of the three-boat Championship Final will get a monetary award (amount not confirmed; Season 4 had a $350,000.00 prize).

For competition documents, click here.

Established in 2018, SailGP seeks to be an annual, global sports league featuring fan-centric inshore racing among national teams in some of the iconic harbors around the globe.

Source: SailGP, SSN