Harbour showdown
Tom Slingsby’s Australia SailGP Team hit the water to train on their F50s on Sydney Harbour ahead of the Season 2 opener on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 February.
19 February 2020
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SailGP Australia launched its 2,400kg F50 for the team’s first official training session on Sydney Harbour today, kicking off a grueling training schedule as the team prepares to defend its title when the global racing championship returns next week.
The Australia SailGP Team will bring back its championship-winning crew to start title defense on home waters.
The inaugural season saw Olympic hero Slingsby helm the Australia SailGP Team to victory over five other national teams to take home the trophy and historic US$1 million championship prize.
Australia’s most successful ironman and America’s Cup winner Ky Hurst will return as grinder alongside Sydney to Hobart winners Sam Newton (grinder) and Kyle Langford (wing trimmer), with Olympic silver medalist and Tokyo 2020 hopeful Jason Waterhouse rounding out the team as flight controller.
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Slingsby said: “We’re really excited to be back in Sydney Harbour, competing and defending the title in front of our home crowd. Last year was huge for us, winning Sydney SailGP and the US$1 million championship in Marseille, so there’s definitely pressure on us to come out strong and, ultimately, retain the title this season.
“We’re just pumped to be back on the water as a team and training this week.
“With Denmark and Spain joining the league, Ben Ainslie expected to be a huge threat leading the Great Britain team and Nathan Outteridge from Japan trying to get one back on us this season, the competition is going to be strong.”
Australian fans will be the first to witness the fruits of the league’s exciting off-season expansion. Denmark and Spain join the nation versus nation global racing league, taking the total number of teams to seven.
The Denmark SailGP Team, presented by ROCKWOOL, unveiled its F50 in Sydney on Tuesday, featuring an image of Danish national symbol and mythological warrior Holger Danske on its 24-metre wingsail.
Spain’s wingsail features the iconic ‘Sun of Miro,’ painted by Catalan artist Joan Miró and now a symbol of Spanish tourism.
“We’ve got fresh competition this year, with Denmark and Spain joining the league, and Japan will be hungry to prove itself after coming so close last year, so Aussie fans can expect to see a good fight on Sydney Harbour in February,” says Slingsby.
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