Britain's SailGP Team sails under the Oakland Bay Bridge ahead of the San Francisco SailGP. Photo / Thomas Lovelock, SailGP via AP
EDITORIAL
The US$1 million payday for the winner of this weekend's final round of SailGP racing will put the wind in the sails for the competitors, but organisers are chasing an even bigger prize.
With the development in recent years of high-speed, foiling racing yachts, a sport once thought sedate
can seize the attention of sports followers the world over. The F50 foiling catamarans, nippy descendants of America's Cup class boats of summers past, can reach speeds of about 100km/h. Even on the stillest of days, there are no painted ships upon these painted oceans. You can see for yourself with a live broadcast at nzherald.co.nz/sailgp of the racing from 10am on Sunday and Monday.
Like its more celebrated and storied stablemate the America's Cup, SailGP gets the world's best sailors on the water. But SailGP's impresarios – Sir Russell Coutts and Oracle boss billionaire Larry Ellison – want to deliver a more regular, relatable event. Their vision is a sailing series where vagaries of design and the machinations of lawyers have less sway in the final result than the talent of the crew.