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 sedatecan 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.
As much as anything, SailGP's bosses recognise that sports fans and broadcasters need a reliable calendar, something with annual momentum.
Coutts and Ellison will want the sailors, whose snapping and snarling at one another boosts the intrigue and newsworthiness of the America's Cup, to bring similar drama to the wharf for SailGP. Any event with a $1 million payday should be worth some salty barbs. It's a recipe that works well for Formula One.
Next year's season brings the boats to race in New Zealand waters for the first time. Expect to see more of these sails on the horizon.
