Sail GP Flies into Chicago for a Freshwater Debut
Published: Saturday, September 10, 2022 12:00 pm
By: Ken Quant
A version of this article appeared in the Fall (September/October) 2022 of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt magazine.
The international SailGP series made a spectacular freshwater debut on June 18 and 19th in the shadow of the Chicago skyline. Greeted by bright sunshine and a stadium-like atmosphere, the nine competing teams navigated a tighter than usual racecourse during the two-day weekend series. Designed to be spectator-friendly, SailGP features high-speed fleet racing in similar F50 foiling catamarans. With extremely close viewing opportunities provided by the event’s Navy Pier headquarters, and boats capable of speeds exceeding 60 miles per hour, there was plenty of high-speed action to keep the spectators and TV viewers intrigued.
Now in its third season, Chicago is the second stop of this season’s 11-event international SailGP schedule. Other locations on the season three tour include Plymouth, Copenhagen, Saint-Tropez, Cádiz, Dubai, Singapore, Sydney, Christchurch, and the season-ending championship in San Francisco. Each of the competing boats represents a different nation with crews comprised of much of the world’s best sailing talent. Competing in this year’s series are the countries of New Zealand, Denmark, Canada, France, Great Britain, Australia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.
The Chicago event opened to a fresh 20 mph Lake Michigan breeze that tested the crew’s control in the unfamiliar buoyancy of the freshwater. As most Flight Controllers wrestled to keep their boats under control, it was the upstart Canadian team, skippered by Phil Robertson, that owned the day. After a 4th place finish in the first race, the Canadians went on to win the last two races of the day, bolstered by an unusually tight course that suited their style. According to Robertson, “It was a good day; it’s a wonderful city to be racing in. Conditions today were 10/10 and we made the most of it.” They did indeed, but the experience of Great Britain, New Zealand, and Australia teams also shined as they finished the first day of racing in that order. Unable to finish higher than seventh in any race, the home US team, skippered by Jimmy Spithill, finished the day in a disappointing ninth place overall.
Sunday brought many different conditions as light winds greeted the competitors, which kept crews busy as they switched out to their largest wing sails before the races. Team Australia stole the day with an impressive comeback from their last-place finish in the day’s first race. After that, Skipper Tom Slingsby and Team Australia went on to win the day’s second race and then edge out Peter Burling’s New Zealand in the third race to secure the last spot in the 3-boat final championship race. Slingsby then led Australia to a fifth straight final race victory with a pole-to-pole victory. Slingsby said, “Our team is just really good under pressure, I have always known that but it’s nice for them to be recognized for it and for everyone to see how unbelievable they are.” Canada continued their impressive SailGP start with another 2nd place finish in the event, followed by Great Britain in third.
However, the biggest winners may have been the City of Chicago and the Great Lakes in general. After SailGP’s first ever stop here, Australia team strategist, Nina Curtis, said, “It was just so cool, you could see the crowd and feel the energy. We had a few awesome sail-bys at the end and it was unreal.” With reviews like that, it is hopeful that SailGP will return again next season to once again show off the high-speed thrills and spills of these amazing foiling sailboats.
About the Author
Ken sails his T10, Eclipse, out of McKinley Marina in Milwaukee. He races regularly with the South Shore Yacht Club and MAST sailing club.
tags: Chicago, Lake Michigan, Racing, Sailing
