I attended my first-ever SailGP event this past weekend in NYC with ROLEX. I was blown away by what I saw and experienced. We are talking about a series that races catamarans at 100kph, with no brakes, no fuel (powered by nature - which is also their slogan), six crew members who constantly have to change sides on the boat during the race and there are no less than 38 Olympic medals across the crew. It's a spectacle on and off the water.
First, it's a relatively new racing series (2018) in its 4th season. There are ten teams with six crew members on each team - some with slightly larger rosters. Each team has at least one woman aboard (not mandated) but it is a co-ed series which is already proving to be incredibly relevant and useful. Boats may not know if it's a man or a woman onboard, but the athletes sure can tell if something is built and designed with them in mind.
Secondly, similarly to F1, both data and aerodynamics play a huge role in this series. There are 125 sensors creating 35,000 data points per second, per boat (the F50). Unlike F1, the data is available to all the teams (they just need to know what to look and ask for). They can ask for detailed and in-depth reports on, for example, how their team did compared to another which can be a unique report for their eyes only. Also, fans can have access to all the data. The boats don't actually race on the water, rather they glide 1.4m in the air using hydrofoils, ultimately racing at four times the speed of the wind.
Thirdly, currently, the teams race under a national flag, with two teams having title sponsors - the Emirates Great Britain team and Rockwool Denmark. I wonder if this will change as the sport gets more popular and more sponsors enter this space. One thing that probably won't change though is the fact that this is a spec series (unlike the America's Cup) - all the F50s are built and provided by the series. Every team is racing the same boat, using the same gear and software - it all comes down to talent, tactics and strategy.
I spent some time inside the Oracle insights tech hub and with the SailGP tech team to get a better understanding of the data points and what the teams are looking at. I spent some time with Hannah Mills, the most successful female sailor in Olympic history and a member of the Emirates Great Britain team. And I also got to go on a 'chase' boat' watching the race from what can only be described as a 'front row seat to the action'.
This isn't sailing. This is high-speed racing. And these aren't sailors, but rather high-caliber athletes and it's absolutely incredible to watch.
Race weekend debrief here - https://lnkd.in/gPKtmWvW
