‘F1 on the water’: How SailGP founders Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison got New Yorkers on board

Thousands of spectators turned out over the weekend to watch SailGP on New York Harbor. Photo / Dolly Faibyshev, The New York Times

At 11.30am on Sunday, with New York City under a heat advisory, a gaggle of sailing enthusiasts, dressed in polo shirts and summer dresses, boarded a ferry for Governors Island to watch towering F50 catamarans race along the skyline of lower Manhattan and in front of the Statue of Liberty.

It was the second day and the finals of the New York Sail Grand Prix, part of SailGP, the growing international sailing competition in which teams, grouped by country, compete in US$5 million (NZ$8m) boats that race up to 95km/h.

The competition was founded in 2018 by Larry Ellison, the tech billionaire, and Russell Coutts, a five-time America’s Cup Winner, to build a mainstream sailing league. Unlike the America’s Cup, which occurs roughly every four years, SailGP has events worldwide throughout the year, allowing audiences to follow along.

“It’s this high-adrenaline, high-speed sort of racing product right in front of you,” Coutts said.

Courtney Steiner and Ryan McKillen, the co-owner and chairman of the US team, at SailGP in New York City on June 23, 2024. Photo / Dolly Faibyshev, The New York Times

US soccer player Jozy Altidore, an investor in the American team, at SailGP. Photo / Dolly Faibyshev, The New York Times

Organisers and fans are comparing the competition to Formula One racing on the water, which also has billionaire and celebrity backers and flashy backdrops including St Tropez in France and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Now in its fourth season, the number of SailGP teams and events has doubled. The races, filled with Olympic sailors and state-of-the-art catamarans, are broadcast worldwide and attract millions of viewers, according to organisers.

The sold-out race was held at the tip of Manhattan. Thousands of spectators gathered to watch the race by boat or from Governors Island, a 172-acre island in the New York Harbor. (Tickets started at US$85 for the grandstand.)

A private tent on a paved area by the water was reserved for team owners and invited ticket holders. There was sushi and dumplings and a high-tea service catered by The Plaza.

The teams were spread around the lounge, marked by flags. Lindsey Vonn, the Olympic ski racer, is on the board of directors for the US team.

SailGP’s racing happens in a tight area in full view of the crowd. Photo / Dolly Faibyshev, The New York Times

“I love speed and adrenaline, so when the opportunity presented itself it was a no-brainer,” Vonn said. She attended the race live on Saturday.

On Sunday, the races started around 1pm, prompting many guests to put down their champagne and Aperol spritzes and approach the edge of the water to take in the sailing.

Unlike in Formula One, where a spectator can only see a short stretch of the track at a time, all of SailGP’s racing happens in a tight area in full view of the crowd.

The catamarans are close enough to shore to see the sailors — there are usually six on each boat — in action. Photo / Dolly Faibyshev, The New York Times

The event is a series of three short races (each one lasts about 15 minutes) in which the boats circle the track multiple times, depending on wind conditions.

For the boat to turn, 32 functions have to be performed by the team in unison. The catamarans are close enough to shore to see the sailors — there are usually six on each boat — in action.

Jennifer Falvey, 63, a real estate agent, had travelled from Woodstock, Vermont, for the event after hearing it about it from a friend. “The boats are just so sexy,” she said.

Jennifer Falvey travelled from Vermont to New York to watch Sunday's race. Photo / Dolly Faibyshev, The New York Times

Daniela Forte, who came with her husband from Westport, Connecticut, was struck by the speed.

“I don’t have a sailing background, and I had never heard of SailGP before this event, but it’s kind of an amazing idea,” she said. “Sailing has always felt like something you had to do, not just something you can watch, but this is amazing.”

An hour and a half after the first race started, the team from New Zealand was declared the winner (a television broadcaster announced: “The Kiwis have conquered Manhattan.”) The top three contenders are now New Zealand, Australia and Spain — with the season finals in San Francisco in the middle of July.

Ninety minutes after the first race started, the team from New Zealand was declared the winner (a television broadcaster announced: “The Kiwis have conquered Manhattan.”) Photo / Dolly Faibyshev, The New York Times

Kiwi sailor Peter Burling after the race. Photo / Dolly Faibyshev, The New York Times

A seafood station for SailGP spectators. Photo / Dolly Faibyshev, The New York Times

Then sailors, still wet from the water, filled the lounge for “Apres Sail”. Hundreds of people remained in the private lounge for hours, snacking on fresh plates of pasta and freshly shucked oysters.

Despite 90-degree temperatures, the party continued until late afternoon. Dance music blared over the loudspeakers, fans mingled with the sailors and at least one bar ran out of champagne.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Written by: Alyson Krueger

Photographs by: Dolly Faibyshev

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