SailGP: Five things to watch in Bermuda

The 13-event schedule for SailGP Season 4 is on its North American leg with the tenth event taking place on May 4-5 in Bermuda. Here are five things to watch for when racing gets underway:

Six teams gunning for third
Bermuda marks the 10th stop on Season 4’s record-breaking 13-event season and there’s still everything to play for. A total of six teams – over half the fleet – remain within touching distance of the Grand Final’s third and final place – Spain, France, ROCKWOOL DEN, Canada, Emirates GBR and the United States. As Bermuda dawns, these teams will be putting it all on the line to move up the leaderboard.

Can Australia bounce back from a disastrous event in Christchurch?
Christchurch was a rough event for three-time champions Australia. The team collided with a race mark, causing serious damage to their F50, and was docked a devastating 10 season points and 12 event points.

This – combined with New Zealand’s victory – saw the Aussies lose their season lead for the first time since Season 4’s opener in Chicago. Now, with an F50 under repair, the Aussies are fired up and ready for redemption in Bermuda. Can they bounce back?

Can New Zealand deliver a 5th event win in Bermuda?
After a stunning victory at home in Christchurch, New Zealand has secured the fans’ vote to win in Bermuda, which would mark their 5th event win of the season. Now sitting at the top of the leaderboard, New Zealand will have to defend their position from their greatest rivals – the Aussies – when racing resumes. Can the Kiwis hold them off to stay on top?

Will Bermuda level the playing field?
Many teams – notably New Zealand, Australia and Emirates GBR – have plenty of past experience racing in Bermuda. But with the island providing perfect F50 foiling conditions – steady breeze and flat water – will this experience benefit those team or will Bermuda level the playing field for the entire fleet?

Racing at Morgan’s Point
While Bermuda is a fan favorite location on the SailGP calendar, Season 4 marks the first time the league is racing at Morgan’s Point. This new location on the Great Sound promises to bring fans even closer to the action than before.

For the team crew lists, click here.

SailGP information – Bermuda details– YouTube – How to watch

Season 4 Standings (after nine of 13 events; results and total points)
1. New Zealand (Peter Burling), 1-7-8-DNC/6-4-1-1-3-1; 68 points
2. Australia (Tom Slingsby), 2-3-2-2-3-2-7-1-10; 59
3. Spain (Diego Botin), 5-1-3-6-6-10-2-5-4; 55
4. France (Quintin Delapierre), 6-8-6-4-7-4-4-4-2; 54
5. Denmark (Nicolai Sehested), 4-2-4-7-2-6-9-2-9; 50
6. United States (Jimmy Spithill/Taylor Canfield), 9-5-5-3-1-8-3-9-8; 48
7. Canada (Phil Robertson), 3-4-10-5-5-3-6-10-3; 46
8. Great Britain (Ben Ainslie/Giles Scott), 7-6-1-1-8-5-8-7-7; 45
9. Germany (Erik Heil), 10-10-7-8-9-10-9-5-6-5; 27
10. Switzerland (Sebastien Schneiter/Nathan Outteridge), 8-9-9-9-7-10-8-6; 22

For scoring adjustments, click here.

Season 4 – 2023
June 16-17 – United States Sail Grand Prix | Chicago at Navy Pier
July 22-23 – United States Sail Grand Prix | Los Angeles
September 9-10 – France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez
September 23-24 – Italy Sail Grand Prix | Taranto
October 14-15 – Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía- Cádiz
December 9-10 – Dubai Sail Grand Prix | Dubai*

Season 4 – 2024
January 13-14 – Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix | Abu Dhabi
February 24-25 – Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney
March 23-24 – New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Auckland
March 23-24 – New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch
May 4-5 – Bermuda Sail Grand Prix
June 1-2 – Canada Sail Grand Prix | Halifax
June 22-23 – United States Sail Grand Prix | New York
July 13-14 – SailGP Season 4 Grand Final | San Francisco
* Added October 3, 2023

Format for Season 4:
• Teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event runs across two days.
• Up to seven qualifying fleet races of approximately 15 minutes may be scheduled for each regatta.
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race to be crowned event champion and earn the largest share of the $300,000.00 USD event prize money purse (increases to $400k for Abu Dhabi with the winning team now earning $200k at each event).
• The season ends with the Grand Final, which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing with the winner claiming the $2 million USD prize.
• The top team on points ahead of the three-boat Championship Final will be awarded $350,000.00.

For competition documents, click here.

Established in 2018, SailGP seeks to be an annual, global sports league featuring fan-centric inshore racing among national teams in some of the iconic harbors around the globe.