Sail GP is back in the United Kingdom this year and it is hoped that Islanders will flock to the event that is to be held across the water in Portsmouth.
Back in 2019 Cowes played host to Sail GP- the F1 of the sailing world. In the intervening years the event has been hosted by other UK towns or cities.
Recently with more teams from around the World taking part, the UK has not hosted an event in past racing seasons.
Now in 2025 the UK will once again play host with an event in Portsmouth on the 19th/20th July.
Since the 2019 event in Cowes, which saw hundreds of spectators in the stand on Cowes Esplanade or on the beach between Cowes and Gurnard, the GP Sail event has grown from 6 to 12 teams representing countries around the World.
Back in 2019 we met with Dylan Fletcher who at that time was a key member of the GB team which at the time were the first team to sail at 50 knots in strong conditions. Now, although Sir Ben Ainslie is the CEO of team GB it is Dylan who is the skipper and team lead.
A round of the event has just taken place in Australia, where Dylan and his team, now known as Emirates GBR, took the title, after a battle on day two, with Team Australia.
Emirates GBR CEO Sir Ben Ainslie said:
“What an amazing race, I’m so proud of them. Dylan has done brilliantly – he’s World class and that’s why we wanted to get him into this game. He’s got a top team around him and what’s impressive is how quickly he’s gelled into this group.”
FINAL STANDINGS – KPMG AUSTRALIA SAIL GRAND PRIX / SYDNEY
- Emirates Great Britain
- Canada
- Australia
ROLEX SAILGP CHAMPIONSHIP OVERALL STANDINGS- 2025 Season
As at February 2025
- Emirates Great Britain – 27 points
- Australia – 24 points
- Spain – 20 points
USA will host the next rounds in Los Angeles and San Francisco during March followed by other rounds held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and New York before Portsmouth in July. These will be followed by the European events in the late Summer and Autumn and the last event at the end of November in Abu Dhabi.
