Top sailors from around the world will reach speeds of up to 60 miles per hour as they compete in this weekend’s Sail GP Season 4 Grand Final in San Francisco.
Boats from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Emirates Great Britain, France, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, and the USA. Following 13-events of intense racing at the most iconic venues in the world, the F50 fleet returns to San Francisco to decide the ultimate winner of Season 4 and battle it out for a $2 million-dollar prize pot.
To achieve these top speeds, the F50’s hydrofoils lift the boat out of the water to reduce drag, and they use a vertically-mounted airplane wing as a sail. Each boat has a crew of five members, consisting of a helmsman, wing-trimmer, flight controller and two grinders.
SailGP has an ongoing commitment to embed environmental and social sustainability into the fabric of sport and they also run the Inspire program, a community, education and outreach initiative for youth.
The event takes place on Saturday and Sunday near the St. Francis Yacht Club by Marina Green. Click here for more info on the races and to buy tickets for special grandstand viewing.
The Germany Sail GP Team and the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team practice on their F50 foiling catamarans for this weekend’s Season 4 Grand Final in San Francisco, Calif., on Thurday, July 11, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The Australia Sail GP Team practices on their F50 foiling catamaran for this weekend’s Season 4 Grand Final in San Francisco, Calif., on Thurday, July 11, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The Canada Sail GP Team practices on their F50 foiling catamaran for this weekend’s Season 4 Grand Final in San Francisco, Calif., on Thurday, July 11, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Sail GP F50 foiling catamarans from around the world head for Alcatraz Island as they practice for this weekend’s Season 4 Grand Final in San Francisco, Calif., on Thurday, July 11, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Tom Slingsby skippers the Australia Sail GP Team as they practice on their F50 foiling catamaran for this weekend’s Season 4 Grand Final in San Francisco, Calif., on Thurday, July 11, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
WASZP class 11-foot foiling boats from around the world practice for this weekend’s Season 4 Grand Final in San Francisco, Calif., on Thurday, July 11, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team practices on their F50 foiling catamaran for this weekend’s Season 4 Grand Final in San Francisco, Calif., on Thurday, July 11, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Sail GP F50 foiling catamarans from around the world practice for this weekend’s Season 4 Grand Final in San Francisco, Calif., on Thurday, July 11, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Crew members tack as the Switzerland SailGP Team practices on their F50 foiling catamaran for this weekend’s Season 4 Grand Final in San Francisco, Calif., on Thurday, July 11, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Sail GP F50 foiling catamarans from around the world practice for this weekend’s Season 4 Grand Final in San Francisco, Calif., on Thurday, July 11, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
WASZP class 11-foot foiling boats practice for this weekend’s Season 4 Grand Final in San Francisco, Calif., on Thurday, July 11, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
MarkSetBot robotic sailing buoys make their way back to the dock as Sail GP F50 foiling catamarans from around the world practice for this weekend’s Season 4 Grand Final in San Francisco, Calif., on Thurday, July 11, 2024. They use GPS technology to zero in on a specific location and hold position without anchors until they’re instructed to move. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The United States SailGP Team practices on their F50 foiling catamaran for this weekend’s Season 4 Grand Final in San Francisco, Calif., on Thurday, July 11, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Sail GP F50 foiling catamarans from around the world practice for this weekend’s Season 4 Grand Final in San Francisco, Calif., on Thurday, July 11, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)