US SailGP Team takes Danes to court

A turf war is underway between two SailGP teams that has led to a lawsuit alleging unfair competition and trademark issues. Following the purchase of ROCKWOOL Racing SailGP Team by leading sports investor and American Magic Co-Founder Doug DeVos, the U.S. SailGP Team claims the Danish team is violating their exclusive branding rights.

The U.S. team’s lawsuit, which reveals DeVos had tried to acquire them, claim the American Magic livery on the Danish boat is causing market confusion and violates the national territorial rights held by the USA team. The defense states that the league, not the USA team, controls branding rules and had approved all markings used by the ROCKWOOL Racing SailGP Team.

The plaintiffs sought an immediate injunction in Delaware Chancery Court to block the Danish team from using the disputed branding while the case proceeds. The court has heard arguments on April 6–7, 2026, but no final ruling has been publicly confirmed yet. The next event is on April 11-12 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

American Magic now operates the Danish team with ROCKWOOL continuing as Title Partner until 2032. The team will continue to represent Denmark and will feature a minimum of three Danish athletes when fully crewed, in line with SailGP nationality rules.

UPDATE: The verdict is in. For details, click here.

SailGP information – Rio details – How to watch

Season 6 Results (after 3 of 13 events)
1. Great Britain, Dylan Fletcher (GBR), 1-2-2
2. Australia, Tom Slingsby (AUS), 2-1-5
3. United States, Taylor Canfield (USA), 5-7-1
4. France, Quentin Delapierre (FRA), 3-4-13*
5. Spain, Diego Botin (ESP), 12-3-3
6. Artemis, Nathan Outteridge (AUS), 4-5-9
7. Italy, Phil Robertson (NZL), 7-13-4
8. Denmark, Nicolai Sehested (DEN), 8-9-6
9. Germany, Erik Heil (GER), 9-6-8
10. Canada, Giles Scott (CAN/GBR), 6-10-11
11. Brazil, Martine Grael (BRA), 10-11-7
12. New Zealand, Peter Burling (NZL), 13-8-12
13. Switzerland, Sébastien Schneiter (SUI), 11-12-10
* Received compensation points for Sydney due to boat damage in Event 2.

Season 6 – 2026 Schedule:
• Jan 17-18 – Perth, Australia
• Feb 14-15 – Auckland, New Zealand
• Feb 28-March 1 – Sydney, Australia
• Apr 11-12  – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• May 9-10 – Hamilton, Bermuda
• May 30-31 – New York, USA
• June 20-21 – Halifax, Canada
• July 25-26- Portsmouth, GBR
• August 22-23 – Sassnitz, Germany
• Sept 5-6 – Valencia, Spain
• Sept 19-20 – Geneva, Switzerland
• Nov 21-22 – Dubai, UAE
• Nov 28-29 – Abu Dhabi, UAE
Note: The 11th event was moved to Geneva from Saint-Tropez, France.

Season 6 format:
• Thirteen teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event is two days.
• All teams compete in up to seven qualifying fleet races of approximately 15 minutes.
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race for the event title.
• The season ends with the Grand Final event which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing.
• All teams are privately owned except for New Zealand and Spain which are owned by the league.

Season 6 prize money:
A total of USD $12.8 million is up for grabs in 2026. The winner of each of the 13 events takes home $400,000, with $260,000 for second and $140,000 for third. The team with the most points at the end of the season wins $400,000, while the team that wins the Championship Final Race wins USD $2 million.

F50 Configuration:
All teams use same configuration based on weather forecast. There are four wingsail sizes (18m, 24m, 27.5m, and 29m), six jib sizes, two T-foil daggerboards (high-speed and low-speed), and one set of rudders with high-speed and low-speed settings.

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.