SailGP depth chart getting tested

When the Kiwi team lost control of their F50 during the SailGP event on their home waters of Auckland, the dominoes got scattered. Broken boats, broken crew, and a diminished fleet.

Their collision with the French knocked both boats out of that event, and the shore team has been pulling all-nighters to replace the crushed hulls and gear. Both teams missed the following event with no news yet on what repairs will be completed for the Apr 11-12  event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Messy!

But unlike the comparison with Formula One racing that SailGP enjoys to promote, the sailors do not enjoy similar cockpit protection. Louis Sinclair (NZL) suffered compound fractures in both legs while Manon Audinet (FRA) was hospitalized for five nights for observation of potential internal injuries and a hand injury.

French wing trimmer Leigh McMillan, initially downplaying his own condition, later revealed a shoulder injury from the collision. “I basically had a traumatic tear to the supraspinatus and the scapularis tendons,” McMillan said. “They had completely detached from the bone.”

The severity of the damage required immediate surgery, with McMillan to miss upcoming SailGP events while he focuses on rehabilitation.

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.