Last year, the Sydney Grand Prix was the only SailGP race to take place before the entire 2020 season was wiped out and postponed by the global pandemic. So it’s a nice little coincidence that the final event on the international sailing competition’s calendar returns to the sparkling harbour city and the dramatic natural theatre of Sydney Harbour to cap a complicated 2021. Set for December 17-18, the Australia Sail Grand Prix – pretty much considered an on-water F1 – will set sail around the SailGP Sydney Harbour racecourse and the ‘Official Island Arena’ of Shark Island.
In case you’re not familiar with the still relatively new competition, 8 teams race in identical 50-foot flying catamarans manned by some of the sports best athletes, including Australian Olympic Gold medalist, Season 1 champion, and Australia SailGP team driver Tom Slingsby, will compete to participate in a winner-takes-all final worth US$1 million (AU$1.4 million), taking place in San Francisco next March.
SailGP was conceived as a way to reverse the boring rich man’s sport reputation of competitive sailing, skewing a bit younger and drawing inspiration from iconic races like Formula One and MotoGP. Of course, the most glaring difference is that this all takes place on the water, hoisting the possibility of dramatic capsizes given the race encourages high-velocity sailing and a sense of theatre not typically associated with sailing.
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Slingsby will be waving the flag for the home team, competing against 7 national teams from France, Denmark, Great Britain, Japan, Spain, US, and New Zealand. Spectators can make a day (or two) of the occasion with tickets on sale to watch the action from Shark Island with return ferries and gourmet food hampers included in the price ($270 for adult tickets) alongside a set-up that’ll no doubt include a few pop-up bars and other food stalls.
Although any blokes after a higher-end experience can look into an Adrenaline Yachts package to watch the racing from the deck of a luxury yacht that will be floating within the public exclusion zone, or one of several spectator boats. The cost for the yacht will be considerably higher and is priced on enquiry, but it’s the best option if you’re really looking to make the most of it and you don’t necessarily want to hop on a private charter or register your own boat.
Continuing the SailGP Season Two, the Sydney Harbour sailing race follows events in harbours across Bermuda, Italy, Great Britain, Denmark, and Saint-Tropez. As the 7th race in the season, a big turn-out is expected across Friday and Saturday, with most punters being hosted on Shark Island. Last year, more than 25,000 people turned out for the Sydney Grand Prix, so if anything else it’s worth going for the atmosphere alone if you’re looking for something to fill up the day pre-Christmas next week.
