United Stated SailGP Team Looks to Future, Including June in NYC
United States SailGP Team looks to future events, including an easily accessible one in New York, to earn enough points to make the $2 million San Francisco finale.
After a disappointing eighth-place finish in the recently completed ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix staged in Christchurch, New Zealand, US SailGP helmsman Taylor Canfield looks down the road to climb the season leaderboard once again to qualify for the $2 million winner take all Sail GP finals to be contested July 13-14 in San Francisco. The team sits in sixth place in the season’s standings.
Reflecting on his team’s performance in recent events, Canfield said, "There is plenty more to come out of this team. I am looking forward to growing and developing personally and together as a team. We all believe there is more to come and are focused on doing the work to make it happen."
Christchurch marked the fourth event for the newly revamped team, which was acquired last November by a prestigious group of owners and investors.
As Team CEO and Strategist Mike Buckley pointed out, "Right now we are literally training while racing given the lack of days together on the water. Confidence comes from preparation and our team has 11 days total on the F50… However, every one of these races adds to the experience we need collectively to truly compete, it's just going to take some time to get to where we all believe we can be."
Canfield is optimistic about the next couple of events. The high-flying grand prix sailing circuit will be making its second appearance in New York City on June 22-23. Prior to New York, the circuit will race in Nassau, Bahamas, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. From New York, the series moves to San Francisco.
The US team needs to gain seven points on the leaders to make it into the finals. New Zealand’s team roared into first place in Christchurch with a hometown win. Australia, which had led the series all year, now sits in second place.
“It gives me goosebumps to think ahead to New York. It is a dream of all of us to sail for our country, in front of all of our fans and all of our friends and family, and to have this opportunity is incredible. I'm almost a little bit speechless. New York is obviously just an incredible city."
"This time in New York it will be a slightly different racecourse than we saw in 2019. It's going to be awesome. I think we can have a little bit of anything conditions-wise there, there's a lot of current and there's going to be a lot of variables and a lot of opportunity. That's the beauty of this league is that every venue is that much different, so you always just have to quickly figure out how to adapt. We'll be looking at it closely and trying to figure out how we can maybe use the home court advantage as well."
"I think every day that we're on these boats, we get that much more level of comfort and the awareness and knowing where all your buttons are—so these events in the lead up and training time are so valuable to get and feel ready when we show up to that first event in the U.S."
“When I raced with the team in 2019 and we got our first race win in New York it was a memorable moment in my career. Crossing that finish line—for a team that had never sailed these F50 boats to get our first race win in front of the home crowd was awesome. And with the race stadium now on Governors Island I can already hear how loud the crowd will be cheering for us in June. I can't wait."
The Mubadala SailGP New York event will be the second time SpinSheet readers have been able to watch the exciting SailGP action close to home. The fleet of ten 50-foot foiling catamarans is now in its fourth season of bringing high speed sailing action to a global audience. SailGP’s first visit to New York in 2019 19 was a bit anticlimactic as the racecourse was shadowed by Manhattan’s skyscrapers making winds up the Hudson flukey and tricky to sail in.
Organizers say this year’s venue will be much improved. In addition to the action-packed race on the water, also expect musical acts (to be announced), food, and drinks at the new Governors Island Race Stadium location, which promises a stunning view of the race with the city's skyline as a backdrop. Waterfront Reserve tickets include a seat at the stadium, live commentary, broadcast viewing, and a round-trip ferry ticket.
Waterfront Reserve tickets are on sale for $100 for each day’s racing. Go to sailgp.com to purchase.
Be front and center to watch the F50 fleet fly by at breathtaking speeds along Governors Island. Enjoy exclusive waterfront seats in the middle of the action and access to SailGP’s official Race Stadium with big screens, live race commentary, food & beverage and afternoon entertainment.
Your daily ticket includes:
- Bleacher seating at the water’s edge in SailGP’s Race Stadium with incredible views of the racecourse - first come, first-served.
- Round trip ferry ticket.
- Live commentary and broadcast viewing.
- Food and beverage available for purchase.
- Live experiences and entertainment.
SailGP advises those East Coast fans to want to catch all the action to book early to avoid disappointment. Premium seating is already sold out.
SailGP offers a behind the scenes tour of the base for $$48.47 for adults and $25.24 for kids. These tours will run at various times from June 21-23. As a journalist who has covered SailGP since its inception I can recommend that a chance to see these boats up close and personal on a tour is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Book your tour by going to https://sailgp.com/races/season-4/new-york-sail-grand-prix/overview/.
SailGP also runs a BYOB (bring your own boat) program in which boat owners can obtain flags which permit them to watch the action from their own boats within designated areas.
As the event nears, check New York Harbor tours websites for additional on water viewing opportunities.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
RACE DAY 1 | SATURDAY, JUNE 22
SailGP Race Stadium | 2 - 8 pm *Subject to change
Race Times | 4:30 - 6 p.m. *Subject to change
RACE DAY 2 | SUNDAY, JUNE 23
SailGP Race Stadium | 2-8 p.m. *Subject to change
Race Times | 4:30-6 p.m. *Subject to change
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