Please select your home edition
Edition
V-DRY-X

Britain's Ocean City gearing up for the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix

by SailGP 25 Jun 2021 06:03 PDT 17-18 July 2021
Britain's Ocean City gearing up for the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix © C. Gregory / Great Britain SailGP Team

With less than a month to go, anticipation is building for the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix as Plymouth - Britain's Ocean City - prepares to welcome the sport's top athletes representing eight national teams for the third event of Season 2 on July 17-18.

In partnership with Plymouth City Council and with support from the Associated British Ports, English Cities Fund and Sutton Harbour Group, the identical supercharged SailGP F50 foiling catamarans of Australia, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the United States will meet for the third time this year to race in the iconic natural amphitheater of Plymouth Sound.

While the Spain SailGP Team lead the overall standings going into Plymouth - after finishing second at the Italy Sail Grand Prix in Taranto earlier in June - the British team will be looking to jump one up from second place to regain the championship lead. Temporarily driven by Olympic gold medallist Paul Goodison, the team is hoping the support of the home crowd will propel them up the leaderboard and back into first place, in time for Sir Ben Ainslie's return to the driver's seat at Aarhus in Denmark in August.

Goodison said: "I'm really looking forward to competing on home waters. It's been a while since I've competed in the UK and the support there is always fantastic. I can't wait to fly the Union Jack on the Plymouth Sound. I have a few memories sailing in Plymouth and it always seems to deliver good breeze, so fingers crossed for some great conditions and close racing. While we want our fans to stay safe, hopefully they will still be able to enjoy the action either via their own boat out on the water or in the socially distanced spectator area on the Hoe. Either way, we will be pushing hard to make our home fans proud and give them something to cheer about."

Building on its momentum from the first season, SailGP's Inspire program - the league's community, education and outreach initiative - will continue its mission to increase diversity and accessibility within the sport of sailing. Activating its three program pathways at the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Plymouth, Inspire's focus on Learning, Careers and Racing will include guided tours, on-water sailing experiences, STEM challenges and more.

SailGP's Race for the Future will also continue in Plymouth, not only with each of the team's showcasing their Race for the Future partners at the event, but also through interactive activities in the official spectator area, innovative technologies in use on-water and through local community projects and engagement. All working towards SailGP's mission of creating a better sport and a better planet and helping to leave a legacy in Plymouth long after SailGP departs.

Councillor Nick Kelly, Leader of Plymouth City Council said: "We're incredibly excited to welcome SailGP to Plymouth for the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix. It's set to be an amazing spectacle and will give us a global platform to showcase the very best of Britain's Ocean City. We've been working closely with the SailGP team to maximise the opportunities for residents offered by this event, including the Inspire programme which will give young Plymothians a chance to engage with the ocean, learn new skills and try out sailing for the first time."

To mark the countdown to the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix, British team members Neil Hunter and Olympic rowing gold medalist Matt Gotrel visited Plymouth to get a first-look at the racecourse, learn more about the city and visit two of SailGP's partners - the Ocean Conservation Trust and the Mount Batten Watersports & Activities Centre. The duo were also joined by Plymouth City Council Leader Nick Kelly alongside a SailGP branded CityBus on Plymouth Hoe.

Following intense competition in the first two events of the season in Bermuda and Taranto (Italy), fans can expect more high-flying foiling action in Plymouth with each team racing to the edge for every available point. Adhering to government guidelines and SailGP's own Covid-Safe plan, a ticketed, official spectator area will be situated on Plymouth Hoe right on the waterfront for a limited number of fans to watch the racing. Boat owners are also invited to take their boat out to watch the racing and can register for all of the course information via SailGP's Bring Your Own Boat Program. A limited number of tickets are still available at SailGP.com/GreatBritain.

Fans unable to attend can watch all the action broadcast live in 175 territories, including via SKY Sports in the UK and Ireland as well as live on YouTube. The award-winning SailGP APP - available in the App Store and Google Play - gives the ultimate viewing experience with full customization, access to data, and live commentary.

Related Articles

SailGP: Roger Federer inspires Swiss SailGP team.
Roger Federer joins forces with Switzerland SailGP Team to inspire success One of Switzerland's greatest sporting icons, Roger Federer, features in the newest episode of Racing on the Edge, SailGP's official behind-the-scenes docuseries, produced in partnership with Rolex. Posted on 27 Jun
Rolex SailGP Championship 2026 dates confirmed
Including a return to fan-favorite destination, Auckland SailGP has released further details of forthcoming 2026 Season, including the return of fan-favorite locations, multi-year hosting agreements secured across all regions, and an evolved regional structure to raise the stakes for athletes and fans alike. Posted on 26 Jun
SailGP opens tender process for two new teams
SailGP has confirmed 2026 expansion plans, unveiling details of a tender process to seek investment. SailGP has confirmed 2026 expansion plans, unveiling details of a tender process to seek investment for ownership of two new teams entering the global racing championship next season, alongside available stakes across existing national teams. Posted on 23 Jun
Russell Coutts explains SailGP's investor value
Russell Coutts explains the growth of SailGP and why investors are chasing a slice of the action. SailGP co-founder and CEO Russell Coutts discusses the hard to understand investment, and growth of SailGP. The growth multiples hoped for SailGP have been achieved, on paper, by the same investors in other sports. Posted on 12 Jun
Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix overall
Spain SailGP Team claims second consecutive U.S. win Diego Botin and the Spain SailGP team have punched their way to the top of the Rolex SailGP Championship, taking the win on Sunday in New York. Posted on 9 Jun
SailGP: Spain win in New York - Day 2
Diego Botin's Spanish crew scraped into the Final, and then took their second successive SailGP win. The Spanish crew led by Diego Botin staged a comeback in the last race after losing an 8pt lead to squeeze into the Final, only taking the lead halfway through the three boat Final. Full race replay here. Posted on 9 Jun
SailGP: Spain lead in New York - Day 1
Spain top the leaderboard after the first day of racing in the Mubadala New York Grand Prix Spain top the leaderboard after the first day of racing in the Mubadala New York Grand Prix, after a consistent day's sailing on the murky and rainswept Hudson River. Full replay and leaderboard in this story. Posted on 7 Jun
Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix day 1
Spain overcomes storm clouds, topping the standings Diego Botin's Spain SailGP Team leads the fleet after a stormy and tactical opening day of the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix. France, ROCKWOOL Denmark and New Zealand are all hot on his heels for all-important leaderboard points. Posted on 7 Jun
Russell Coutts reports ahead of SailGP New York
The New York Russell Report: Coutts on fleet-wide wing repairs and top picks for New York podium SailGP has returned to New York for the third time ahead of this weekend's Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix on June 7/8. Ahead of racing, SailGP CEO Russell Coutts reveals his behind-the-scenes insight of the fleet. Posted on 7 Jun
SailGP to Kick Off Summer in New York
With this Weekend's Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix An unforgettable weekend of high-speed, close-to-shore racing and world-class entertainment will take place this weekend when the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix takes place in front of the most famous skyline in the world. Posted on 5 Jun
Lloyd Stevenson - AC INEOS 1456x180px BOTTOMV-DRY-XSwitch One Design