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Australia win at SailGP Auckland

Tuesday
Feb 17
2026
Posted by XS Editor

The 2026 SailGP season has a record 13 teams, and after two events, collisions have kept all from finishing. The latest was February 14-15 in Auckland, New Zealand when a frightening incident between France and New Zealand crushed both boats with each team sending a crew to the hospital.

Winds in excess of 20 knots on Waitematā Harbour had all teams on edge, and it was on the first leg of the third race when New Zealand lost control, rounding up in front of France. The race was soon abandoned, as was further racing on day one. With strong winds expected on day two, the teams were divided into two heats to complete the qualifying stage.

In gusts of up to 24 knots, the winner-takes-all Podium Final featured SailGP’s only three Championship-winning teams as Australia faced Great Britain and Spain in an exhilarating sprint battle. After an early dogfight with Spain, the Aussies took the win, moving them to the top of the overall standings, tied with Emirates GBR but leading on countback.

“It’s been a year since our last event victory, so it’s been a long time between drinks,” said winning driver Tom Slingsby. “We’ve been sailing really well, and it’s nice to be rewarded for that. In those three-boat Finals anything can happen so to win the event points score and go into the Final feeling confident made a big difference.”

Looking forward, both New Zealand and France have been ruled out for the next event on February 28-March 1 in Sydney, Australia.

Team crew lists: https://sailgp.com/news/26/revealed-full-crew-lists-sailgp-auckland-new-zealand/

SailGP information – Auckland details – How to watch

Auckland Results*
1. Australia, Tom Slingsby (AUS), 1-4-1-2-(1)
2. Great Britain, Dylan Fletcher (GBR), 11-2-1-1-(2)
3. Spain, Diego Botin (ESP), 4-6-6-3-(3)
4. France, Quentin Delapierre (FRA), 2-3-retired
5. Artemis, Nathan Outteridge (AUS), 9-5-2-4
6. Germany, Erik Heil (GER), 5-13-3-2
7. United States, Taylor Canfield (USA), 8-12-3-1
8. Denmark, Nicolai Sehested (DEN), 6-7-5-6
9. New Zealand, Peter Burling (NZL), 3-1-retired
10. Canada, Giles Scott (CAN/GBR), 13-10-2-3
11. Switzerland, Sébastien Schneiter (SUI), 10-9-4-5
12. Brazil, Martine Grael (BRA), 7-11-5-5
13. Italy, Phil Robertson (NZL), 12-8-4-4
* Qualifying had two full fleet races on day one and two split fleet races on day two.
New Zealand handed 8 point penalty for collision with France during Fleet Race 3 (later abandoned).
Italy handed 4 point penalty for colliding with a racecourse mark during Fleet Race 1.

Season 6 Results (after 2 of 13 events)
1. Australia, Tom Slingsby (AUS), 2-1
2. Great Britain, Dylan Fletcher (GBR), 1-2
3. Spain, Diego Botin (ESP), 12-3
4. France, Quentin Delapierre (FRA), 3-4
5. Artemis, Nathan Outteridge (AUS), 4-5
6. Germany, Erik Heil (GER), 9-6
7. United States, Taylor Canfield (USA), 5-7
8. Denmark, Nicolai Sehested (DEN), 8-8
9. New Zealand, Peter Burling (NZL), 13-9
10. Canada, Giles Scott (CAN/GBR), 6-10
11. Switzerland, Sébastien Schneiter (SUI), 11-11
12. Brazil, Martine Grael (BRA), 10-12
13. Italy, Phil Robertson (NZL), 7-13

Season 6 – 2026 Schedule:
• Jan 17-18 – Perth, Australia
• Feb 14-15 – Auckland, New Zealand
• Feb 28-March 1 – Sydney, Australia
• Apr 11-12  – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• May 9-10 – Hamilton, Bermuda
• May 30-31 – New York, USA
• June 20-21 – Halifax, Canada
• July 25-26- Portsmouth, GBR
• August 22-23 – Sassnitz, Germany
• Sept 5-6 – Valencia, Spain
• Sept 19-20 – Geneva, Switzerland
• Nov 21-22 – Dubai, UAE
• Nov 28-29 – Abu Dhabi, UAE
Note: The 11th event was moved to Geneva from Saint-Tropez, France.

Season 6 format:
• Thirteen teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event is two days.
• All teams compete in up to seven qualifying fleet races of approximately 15 minutes.
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race for the event title.
• The season ends with the Grand Final event which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing.
• All teams are privately owned except for New Zealand and Spain which are owned by the league.

Season 6 prize money:
A total of USD $12.8 million is up for grabs in 2026. The winner of each of the 13 events takes home $400,000, with $260,000 for second and $140,000 for third. The team with the most points at the end of the season wins $400,000, while the team that wins the Championship Final Race wins USD $2 million.

F50 Configuration:
All teams use same configuration based on weather forecast. There are four wingsail sizes (18m, 24m, 27.5m, and 29m), two T-foil daggerboards (high-speed and low-speed), and one set of rudders with high-speed and low-speed settings.

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.

Source: SailGP

Read more on Scuttlebutt

Posted in Article



at least it’s not cold

Tuesday
Feb 17
2026
Posted by deleteme

While Antigua is renowned for its brisk trade winds and lively Atlantic swell, those taking part in today’s first IMA Maxi class races in the RORC Nelson’s Cup instead found themselves soaked and bewildered as a squall passed through reducing visibility to zero, the wind suddenly blowing 25+ knots accompanied by an intense tropical deluge.  Photo by photoaction.  More here.

Read more on Sailing Anarchy

Posted in Article



Superfoiler: World’s Coolest Yachts

Thursday
Feb 12
2026
Posted by XS Editor

Yachting World has been asking top sailors and marine industry gurus to choose the coolest and most innovative yachts of our times, and professional sailor Luke Parkinson nominated the Superfoiler. Here’s the report:


“The Superfoiler was one of the coolest boats of all time,” says Parkinson, who’s sailed everything from F50s to offshore 100-footers. “It was a boat like no other. It always kept you on your toes. It was really hard to sail, but very rewarding when you got it right.”

The Superfoiler took elements of Sydney’s 18ft Skiff class and turbo-charged them on foils. An Australian roadshow-style circuit was launched in 2017 with fan zones, drone coverage, and live streaming, and attracted big names like Nathan Outteridge and Glenn Ashby, before the circuit was wound down in 2019.

“It was a three-person, fast foiling boat that you could reach pretty much 40 knots, and it had electronic rake control,” recalls Parkinson.

“You could have three people on trapezes. You had configurable tack and gybe functionality, and it was just really ahead of its time. The boat had a heavy weather main and an all-purpose main and two jibs as well – it was very versatile. It was just a boat to remember, a very special boat.”

Superfoiler stats rating
Top speed: 35+ knots
LOA: 7.97m/26ft 2in
Launched: 2017
Berths: 0
Price (New): €220,000
Adrenalin factor: 95%


For Yachting World’s list of cool boats, click here.

Read more on Scuttlebutt

Posted in Article



SailGP: No rule change after Fremantle prang

Thursday
Feb 12
2026
Posted by XS Editor

No rule changes have been made following a spectacular collision, 90 seconds into Race 1, where the Swiss Sail GP team sliced the Kiwis’ stern section off just behind the aft crossbeam, missing helmsman Peter Burling by just a metre.

Read more on Sail-World

Posted in Article



American Magic acquires Danish team

Thursday
Feb 12
2026
Posted by XS Editor

ROCKWOOL Racing SailGP Team, one of 13 teams competing the SailGP global sports league, has been acquired by leading sports investor and American Magic Co-Founder, Doug DeVos. The transaction brings together leaders in global business and high-performance sport with a shared ambition to accelerate on-water performance and bolster the next generation of professional racing talent.

“American Magic are world-class operators, equipped to compete at the very highest levels of our sport,” said Sir Russell Coutts, SailGP CEO and co-founder. “Together with the shared commitment and mission of ROCKWOOL, this new team ownership has the foundations for sustained performance, innovation, and growth for many years to come.”

Led by DeVos, part of the family ownership group of the NBA’s Orlando Magic, the US $60 million transaction was supported on this acquisition by Miller Johnson and IKON Capital, the sports-focused investment and advisory platform, which also joins as a co-investor in the team.

“This is an exciting time for American Magic,” noted DeVos. “Partnering with SailGP and ROCKWOOL Racing brings together three organizations committed to high performance. SailGP has reshaped the sport through global competition, innovation, and fan engagement, and ROCKWOOL Racing is already a high-performing team with a strong foundation.

“Together, we see a clear opportunity to build a winning team, deliver results on and off the water, advance elite talent, and inspire the next generation of sailors, designers, and boat builders.”

American Magic will own and operate the team, with ROCKWOOL continuing as Title Partner until 2032. ROCKWOOL will remain central to the team’s identity and long-term vision, supporting performance, innovation, and global brand growth within the championship. The team will continue to represent Denmark and will feature a minimum of three Danish athletes when fully crewed, in line with SailGP nationality rules.

The team – led by Danish driver Nicolai Sehested – will transition into American Magic’s broader performance eco-system, with a focus on elite performance and talent development. Earlier this year, SailGP launched its first long-term training base at the state-of-the-art American Magic Performance and Innovation Center in Pensacola, Florida, as part of the wider agreement between the two organizations.

“This acquisition transforms a passion-driven project into a return-delivering, strategic investment in a fast-growing sport,” noted Mike Cazer, CEO of American Magic. “We look forward to building the team’s high-performance platform, helping it compete at the front of the fleet, and adding value to the league. Success, for us, means developing a winning team in ROCKWOOL Racing, strengthening SailGP, and delivering for our title sponsor – ROCKWOOL.”

The second event for Season 6 will take place at 4:00pm to 5:30pm local time on February 14-15 in Auckland, New Zealand (10:00pm to 11:30pm EST on February 13-14). For team crew lists: click here.

SailGP information – Auckland details – How to watch

Season 6 – 2026 Schedule:
• Jan 17-18 – Perth, Australia
• Feb 14-15 – Auckland, New Zealand
• Feb 28-March 1 – Sydney, Australia
• Apr 11-12  – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• May 9-10 – Hamilton, Bermuda
• May 30-31 – New York, USA
• June 20-21 – Halifax, Canada
• July 25-26- Portsmouth, GBR
• August 22-23 – Sassnitz, Germany
• Sept 5-6 – Valencia, Spain
• Nov 21-22 – Dubai, UAE
• Nov 28-29 – Abu Dhabi, UAE
Note: The 11th event was moved to Geneva from Saint-Tropez, France.

Season 6 format:
• Thirteen teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event is two days.
• All teams compete in up to seven qualifying fleet races of approximately 15 minutes.
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race for the event title.
• The season ends with the Grand Final event which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing.
• All teams are privately owned except for New Zealand and Spain which are owned by the league.

Season 6 prize money:
A total of USD $12.8 million is up for grabs in 2026. The winner of each of the 13 events takes home $400,000, with $260,000 for second and $140,000 for third. The team with the most points at the end of the season wins $400,000, while the team that wins the Championship Final Race wins USD $2 million.

F50 Configuration:
All teams use same configuration based on weather forecast. There are four wingsail sizes (18m, 24m, 27.5m, and 29m), two T-foil daggerboards (high-speed and low-speed), and one set of rudders with high-speed and low-speed settings.

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.

Source: SailGP

Read more on Scuttlebutt

Posted in Article



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