Tethered onto the boat with a harness, I scramble from a high-speed chase boat onto the F50 and hop into an available slot at the helm. Grinder and Canadian Olympic canoeist Tim Hornsby helpfully suggest I hang on for dear life. The wing sail adjusts, and instantly we launch metres off the water, flying above choppy waves to the high-pitched hum of water literally boiling with pressure around the foils. Wearing a high-tech helmet, I listen to the crew constantly adjusting for the conditions, calmly directed by Phil. “Jibe in three, two, one”…we make a knife-sharp turn, and instantly I get hit with G-force. The crew somehow runs across the trampoline to take identical  positions on the other hull, the wing sail shifts, and once again, we explode with pace, pounded by the wind and ocean spray. Very few individuals get the opportunity to sail at 80 km/hr on a high-tech racing yacht beneath the Bay Bridge of San Francisco. “How was that?” asks Phil. My clever answer is: “Pure velocity without friction,” –  but it takes a few hours for my adrenaline to subside before I can think of it.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of SailGP is the fact that sustainability is baked into every aspect of it. It was one of Larry Ellison’s founding visions, and building a global sport from scratch has made it possible to implement positive social and environmental actions from the outset. Fiona Morgan, SailGP’s Chief Purpose Officer, believes that sport has a unique voice in popular culture, educating and inspiring everyone across the political divide. 

“We’ve committed to reducing our carbon footprint, using biofuels, increasing efficiency, cutting down on waste, all while working with our host cities,” she explains in the media lounge. With just three seasons under its belt, SailGP has mobilized their teams for action, inspiring other sports to follow its wake and create their own version of the Impact League.

For Canada, this includes partnering with Vancouver-based Ocean Wise on a range of initiatives to protect and restore the ocean, including shore clean-ups and water sampling in host city ports to understand the presence of microplastics. The team also launched an international award-winning youth-outreach program called We CAN Foil, giving youth across the country the opportunity to learn about foiling and inspire tomorrow’s champion racers.

Airing on TSN in Canada, SailGP clearly has the wind in its sails and is set to expand both the number of teams and host cities for a fourth consecutive season. More good news for Canada is an announcement that we’ll be hosting one of five events scheduled for North America, with Halifax, Victoria, Kingston and Montreal all bidding for the honour (the location is yet to be confirmed). Season Four kicks off in Chicago on June 16, 2023.