On 10th and 11th August, SailGP, the fastest sail racing in the world, will serve as the opening feature of the iconic Cowes Week regatta when it makes its debut on European waters. Teams made up of some of the finest athletes from Great Britain, Australia, China, France, Japan and the United States will compete in the penultimate event of the inaugural 2019 season.
SailGP is an intense, season long battle between rival teams in identical, high tech flying F50s, in which teams compete for a $1 million end of season prize.
During training on the Solent this week, Dylan Fletcher’s Great Britain SailGP Team achieved what no other sail racing team in the world has done, breaking the sport’s elusive 50-knot speed barrier ahead of Cowes SailGP. Read more here: https://sailgp.com/news/dylan-fletcher-wins-race-to-50-knots/
With the competition still wide open and two events remaining, Cowes SailGP is an important milestone for the competing countries. Not least for the Great Britain SailGP Team, helmed by Olympian Dylan Fletcher, who are more pumped than ever as they prepare to race in front of a home crowd for the first time.
“Cowes SailGP is going to be epic,” said Fletcher. “To race for our country in front of a home crowd – what more could we ask for? Except to top the podium – that is what we really want and we will be fighting hard for every place on the racecourse to get it.”
It’s been a fantastic summer for British sport so far with England winning the recent cricket World Cup on home turf, England on the podium in the netball World Cup and Lewis Hamilton winning the British Formula 1 – to name just a few. The British team are now hoping they can continue these success stories by edging closer to the Japan and Australia teams who are currently first and second respectively on the overall SailGP leaderboard.
With numerous free and ticketed spectator options available, the crowds are expected to come out in force to cheer on the red, white and blue home team.
Fans can show their support by coming down to the free SailGP Race Village on 10th-11th August to catch all the action. Located between the end of the Cowes Green up to Egypt Point, activity will begin at 11:30 a.m. daily with the races taking place just off Egypt Point from 3-4:30 p.m.
On Thursday, 8th August, fans can access the SailGP Race Village to watch the inaugural King’s Cup – a major sailing event hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in support of their charitable causes.
The best shoreside views for the Cowes SailGP event can be bought with SailGP Grandstand tickets, or for those looking to enjoy the action afloat, the Cowes SailGP Cruise Premier provides spectators with a premium on-water experience. More information on ticketing options is available here.
SailGP also offers a complimentary boater registration programme for fans wishing to watch the action from the comfort of their own boat. Registrants will receive important race management information as well as a commemorative Cowes SailGP boat flag.
For those who can’t make it to Cowes, download the SailGP APP for a fan-centric experience with fully customisable camera angles and data feeds.
Follow @SailGPGBR and #BacktheBrits at #CowesSailGP
