Race against time for SailGP Halifax

The three-boat collision during New York Sail Grand Prix damaged hulls, foils, and structural components, with only three weeks to complete repairs for the next event on June 20-21 in Halifax, Canada.

Simon Eatwell, head of engineering at SailGP Technologies in the UK, was at home watching the New York race live when the crash unfolded. “About 25 minutes later the phone rang and we were straight into response mode,” he reveals.

While Brazil and the United States should be back on the start line for Halifax, Italy’s repair is significantly more involved due to complex structural damage to the hull. “There’s a big hole in the bottom and quite a lot of composite structure running through that area, with serious loads carried forward into the bow,” he explains. – Full report

SailGP information – Halifax details – How to watch

Season 6 Results (after 6 of 13 events)
1. Australia, Tom Slingsby (AUS), 2-1-5-1-1-1, 55 points
2. Great Britain, Dylan Fletcher (GBR), 1-2-2-12-4-2, 44
3. United States, Taylor Canfield (USA), 5-7-1-4-7-6, 36
4. Spain, Diego Botin (ESP), 12-3-3-2-2-12, 34
5. France, Quentin Delapierre (FRA), 3-4*-13-8-9-4, 32
6. Sweden, Nathan Outteridge (AUS), 4-5-9-3-11-5, 29
7. Germany, Erik Heil (GER), 9-6-8-6-3-11, 23
8. Denmark, Nicolai Sehested (DEN), 8-9-6-5-7, 22
9. Canada, Giles Scott (CAN/GBR), 6-10-11-10-6-3, 20
10. Italy, Phil Robertson (NZL), 7-13-4-7-8-9, 20
11. Switzerland, Sébastien Schneiter (SUI), 11-12-10-11-5-8, 10
12. Brazil, Martine Grael (BRA), 10-11-7-9-12-10, 8
13. New Zealand, Peter Burling (NZL), 13-8-12-13-13-13, 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.