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When the fifth season of SailGP gets underway in November, modification for the F50s include two sets of new foils plus an electric motor for light winds.
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After testing has occurred over the past 18 months at venues around the world, high-speed T-Foils will be added to the fleet of F50s in January 2025, in time for the second event being held in New Zealand. The T-Foils will replace the existing L-Foils that have been used since SailGP’s inception in 2019.
Constructed from machined titanium and carbon, the high-speed T-Foils have thinner sections than the current L-Foils, reducing the drag at high speed. “The T-Foils will enable teams to have more control at high speed and better performance,” said SailGP CEO Russell Coutts . “One of the big surprises has been the increased performance when sailing upwind, approximately 5.5 km/h faster.”
Coutts said the foils would also level the playing field for new teams joining the league – and create a learning curve for even the most experienced crews: “With the change impacting the entire fleet, no team will have more experience using these foils, which will likely level the playing field. Fans may be set for a new pecking order and some surprise results next season, which should make for a great spectacle.”
SailGP has had a long-term ambition to introduce T-Foils, which have been specifically designed to improve performance, control and safety of the F50s at high speeds. They are also less prone to damage when subjected to high negative loads in a nose-dive which has been an issue with the original foils.
Safety was also a key consideration in the upgrade. In addition to providing more control and performance, the outer tips of the T-Foils – which protrude outside the hulls – have been designed to break off in the event of a high-impact boat on boat collision. Further testing and refinement of the T-Foils will be carried out ahead of Auckland, before final adoption across the fleet.
In addition to the high-speed T-Foils, SailGP is also in the process of producing new light-wind foils, designed to ensure the F50s are able to get up onto the foils at almost 3 km/h less wind than currently feasible.
Ahead of testing in Dubai, which is where SailGP’s opening event of its 2024/2025 will take place, Coutts said, “I expect the light-wind foils to have an even bigger impact on our racing and the competition as a whole. It will provide faster-paced, more entertaining racing for the athletes and fans in lighter winds and provide greater certainty of racing within the targeted broadcast window – irrespective of conditions.”
A New York Times report also noted how all boats this season will be equipped with a drop-down electric motor that can be deployed in light-air situations to enable foiling, or to help boats get back onto their foils if they fall off, for example during a maneuver.
Falling off the foils has been problematic at some events with light winds where boats have trouble achieving the necessary speed through the water — about 16 knots – under wind power alone. Without this speed, F50s drag their hulls through the water, which slows the boat.
While SailGP is still completing the details for how this will be integrated into racing, the motors represent a step change. “It’s a new innovation for sailing that hasn’t really existed before,” said said Andy Thompson, SailGP Mmanaging Director . “I think it will ruffle some feathers for sure, but we’ll implement it in the right way.”
SailGP information – YouTube – Facebook
Season 5 Schedule
2024
November 23-24 – Dubai, UAE
2025
January 18-19 – Auckland, New Zealand
February 8-9 – Sydney, Australia
March 15-16 – Los Angeles, USA
March 22-26 – San Francisco, USA
May 3-4 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
June 7-8 – New York City, USA
July 19-20 – Great Britain *
August 16-17 – Sassnitz, Germany
September 6-7 – Taranto, Italy
September 20-21 – Geneva, Switzerland
October 4-5 – Andalucía – Cádiz, Spain
November 7-8 – Middle East *
November 29-30 – Grand Final – Abu Dhabi, UAE
* Venue to be announced
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.
Source: SailGP, Scuttlebutt, NY Times
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