Overview SailGP is a global league of national teams racing identical F50 foiling catamarans, 15-meter boats that lift clear of the water on their foils; France set the class speed record of 58.11 knots at Sassnitz in 2026. The league builds, maintains and runs every boat and shares the technical data between teams, so the racing is decided by the crews. The 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship ran 13 grands prix with 13 teams, from Perth in January to a grand final scheduled for Abu Dhabi in November. On site A grand prix runs over two days. Up to seven short fleet races put every boat on the course at once, and the top three meet in a winner-take-all final. The course sits close to the shore as a race stadium, with big screens carrying the broadcast graphics and live commentary. In Dubai in 2026, for example, spectators could choose between a waterfront grandstand, a premium grandstand with fast-track entry, the Vela Beach Club with dining and a simulator, and a private shaded lounge for groups. Each F50 carries six crew - helmsman, wing trimmer, flight controller, two grinders and a strategist - and flies one of three wing heights, from 18 to 29 meters. Talent and Influencers Tom Slingsby drove Australia to the first three championships. Spain won the fourth and Great Britain the fifth. The United States team won the Sydney and Valencia grands prix in 2026; American Taylor Canfield took over its helm during the 2023-24 season. The F50s also appear in Christopher Nolan's 2020 film Tenet, which put the Japan and United States boats on screen. Track record Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts founded SailGP in 2018, and the first season in 2019 ran five events with six teams. Sweden's Artemis made it 13 teams for 2026. The Impact League scores every team on carbon reduction, gender equity and youth engagement and pays its winners in donations to charity; Great Britain won it in 2023-24 and 2024-25. Brand presence Rolex is the championship's title partner, and individual grands prix carry their own presenting names, as with the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix in 2026. Teams carry partners of their own, often in the team name itself, as with Emirates GBR, the Bonds Flying Roos and DS Automobiles France. Hospitality at each stop runs from grandstand seats to beach clubs and private lounges at the water's edge.