SailGP: Five things to watch in New York

The SailGP global league returns to the Big Apple on May 30-31 as 12 teams* take over the Hudson River. From home team pressure to skyline chaos and a championship fight beginning to catch fire, here are five key storylines:

Australia is the team to beat
Right now, everyone is chasing the BONDS Flying Roos. Tom Slingsby’s crew arrive in New York on the back of consecutive victories in Rio and Bermuda and have opened up a healthy lead at the top of the 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship standings. Just as importantly, the Aussies are no longer relying on big breeze and brute force – this season they’ve shown they can win in light, tactical conditions too.

Can the U.S. team handle the home pressure?
For the United States SailGP Team, this is the biggest event of the season so far. Taylor Canfield’s crew stunned the fleet with victory in Sydney and have looked increasingly sharp, but racing in front of a home crowd brings a different kind of pressure. Will the heavy media attention and plenty of expectation impact a team desperate to deliver a statement performance on American waters?. The good news is New York’s lighter, more tactical conditions could play directly into the Americans’ hands.

France hand Enzo Balanger a huge opportunity
New York will mark a major moment for DS Automobiles Team France, with Enzo Balanger set to make his debut as wing trimmer. The young French sailor steps into one of the toughest jobs in SailGP, replacing super-sub Glenn Ashby following his injury in Bermuda. Wing trimmers are effectively the power managers of the F50, constantly adjusting the giant rigid wing to balance speed and control while the boat hurtles across the racecourse at highway speeds. It’s a huge test for Balanger – and one of the biggest storylines to watch this weekend.

Brazil returns to the scene of a historic breakthrough
There may be no venue more meaningful to the Brazilian team than New York. It was here last season that Martine Grael’s team secured their first ever SailGP race win – a landmark moment which also made Grael the first female driver in SailGP history to win a fleet race. The team is still chasing their first overall event victory, but there are signs they are steadily building momentum in its sophomore season. Returning to the scene of that breakthrough could provide exactly the spark they need.

The Hudson River always delivers chaos
This is one of the wildest venues in SailGP. The racecourse sits in the shadow of Manhattan’s skyscrapers, where breeze ricochets unpredictably off buildings while strong currents and confined boundaries turn every race into a high-speed street fight. One minute teams can be flying; the next they can fall off the foils entirely after hitting a patch of disturbed air. With the pressure of short start lines and tight mark roundings, expect chaos with a skyline backdrop.

* New Zealand team remains on the sidelines due to boat damage in the second event of the season, but expect to return in the next event on June 20-21 in Halifax, Canada.

Racing starts daily at 3:30pm ET.

Crew lists: https://sailgp.com/news/26/revealed-full-crew-lists-mubadala-new-york-sail-grand-prix/

SailGP information – New York details – How to watch

Season 6 Results (after 5 of 13 events)
1. Australia, Tom Slingsby (AUS), 2-1-5-1-1, 45 points
2. Great Britain, Dylan Fletcher (GBR), 1-2-2-12-4, 35
3. Spain, Diego Botin (ESP), 12-3-3-2-2, 34
4. United States, Taylor Canfield (USA), 5-7-1-4-7, 31
5. France, Quentin Delapierre (FRA), 3-4*-13-8-9, 25
6. Germany, Erik Heil (GER), 9-6-8-6-3, 23
7. Sweden, Nathan Outteridge (AUS), 4-5-9-3-11, 23
8. Italy, Phil Robertson (NZL), 7-13-4-7-8, 18
9. Denmark, Nicolai Sehested (DEN), 8-9-6-5, 18
10. Canada, Giles Scott (CAN/GBR), 6-10-11-10-6, 12
11. Switzerland, Sébastien Schneiter (SUI), 11-12-10-11-5, 7
12. Brazil, Martine Grael (BRA), 10-11-7-9-12, 7
13. New Zealand, Peter Burling (NZL), 13-8-12-13-13, 2
* 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 which is 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.