San Francisco Will Return to SailGP Season 3, Plus a New Venue

SAN FRANCISCO— On March 17, SailGP shared a press release announcing the return of the North American stop to its Season 3 calendar, with San Francisco returning as a venue on the worldwide sailing tour and Christchurch, New Zealand, being added as a new stop on the circuit. 

Ten teams will compete in Season 3, including two new franchises, Canada and Switzerland. In addition, they will take on returning teams from Australia, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, and the United States. 

SailGP will head to New Zealand March 18-19, 2023, as part of a significant four-season partnership with New Zealand Major Events. Through the partnership, spanning seasons 3-6, Christchurch and Auckland will share hosting duties of SailGP, claiming a permanent fixture on the SailGP season calendar and the first home event for Peter Burling and Blair Tuke’s New Zealand SailGP Team.

The championship will conclude in San Francisco, with the Season 3 Grand Final on May 6-7, 2023, in front of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge on one of the world’s best stadium sail racing venues.

The two new 2023 events are joining the seven that have already been announced for Season 3, with the championship kicking off in Bermuda on May 14-15, 2022. The ten-nation fleet, comprising the sport’s best athletes, will head to Chicago, Plymouth, Copenhagen, Saint-Tropez, Cádiz, and Dubai, making it the biggest SailGP season to date.

There are 11 events expected for 2023; dates and locations will be announced shortly. 

Season 3 action will be available live in over 186 territories through SailGP’s broadcast partnerships and across SailGP digital platforms, including the SailGP App.

SailGP will continue to Race for the Future in Season 3. As the first climate-positive sports and entertainment property, it ensures its host cities share a commitment to climate action and a cleaner future. In addition, season 3 will see the return of the world-first Impact League, tracking the positive efforts made by teams in terms of sustainability and inclusivity.

SailGP is also actively launching the bid process for its Season 4 host venues. Continuing to set a new standard for significant event hosting, SailGP invites cities to be part of the world’s most sustainable global events calendar. SailGP is looking for host venues that share a commitment to a cleaner future and actively take action to move towards more sustainable practices and activities within their city.

 “As we approach our season finale next week in San Francisco, our plans are already in place for season three, which features a fantastic line-up of host venues and a growing roster of iconic waterfront cities and teams,” said SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts in a SailGP news release from March 16. 

“Furthermore, the fact that we will race a third time in San Francisco and have agreed on a four-year partnership with New Zealand shows the confidence we are building in our ever-expanding global championship,” said Coutts. “In fact, we have already launched our bid process for Season 4 and look forward to welcoming applications from host venues around the world that align with our sports, environmental and economic goals and values.”

 On March 27, the second season of SailGP peaked at the 2022 Mubadala United States Sail Grand Prix as Australia won the final winner-take-all race to claim the title and the $1 million prize purse.

Great Britain won the opening event of SailGP Season 2, beating Australia and France in the Final on Bermuda’s Great Sound. As a result, Great Britain was crowned the SailGP Team of the Season, having claimed 35 percent of the fan vote ahead of runners-up Spain and the Championship winners Australia in third place.

The Team of the Season poll was launched the day after the Aussies lifted the Championship trophy for the second successive campaign, following their Grand Final defeat of Japan and the United States in San Francisco.

SailGP Season 3 Schedule 2022-2023:

2022:

May 14-15 Bermuda Sail Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess

June 18-19 United States Sail Grand Prix | Chicago at Navy Pier

July 30-31 Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Plymouth

August 19-20 ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix | Copenhagen

September 10-11 France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez

September 24-25 Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía – Cádiz

November 12-13 Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas

2023:

March 18-19 New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch

May 6-7 United States Sail Grand Prix | San Francisco (Season 3 Grand Final)

Further events will be announced to complete SailGP Season 3.