Some of the top talents in international sailing are gearing up for a sold-out race on the Halifax Harbour this weekend, as SailGP is set to host its first-ever competition on Canadian waters.
Tickets were said to have sold out only 12 minutes after first becoming available in March — marking a record for the fastest sell-out in SailGP’s history. The Grand Prix competition, which features high-performance F50 foiling catamarans, was founded in 2019 and is in its fourth season.
“It’s been a long time coming and one of the visions of the team when we started was to have a home event, and here we are in Canada,” Team Canada driver Phil Robertson said during a news conference on Friday.
“We’re about to light it up.”
Canada, which joined the 10-country league in the 2022-23 season, currently sits in sixth place on 53 points ahead of Saturday’s race. The three teams with the most points at the end of the season qualify for the winner-takes-all grand final, which will be held in San Francisco this summer.
New Zealand currently remains atop the leaderboard on 77 points, ahead of three-time defending champions Australia.
With two races remaining in the campaign following this weekend’s event, the Canadian squad is hoping to rack up some much-needed points in front of an enthusiastic crowd on the Halifax waterfront.
“We’ve seen some huge swings on the leaderboard just from one event,” Robertson said.
“There’s three left. Anything can happen from here.”
He said being able to compete on Canadian waters is “so special” for both him and his teammates.
“For our team, it’s massive. There’s a lot of proud Canadians on our team and all their friends and family are here supporting so that gives you a real boost,” Robertson told Global News.
“Also, the sailing community in Canada … I think that every single one of them is here in Halifax this weekend to watch this. It’s an event which is going to boost the city and to see the support and effort that the city has put in is unbelievable as well.”
Acknowledging the community’s efforts in setting the stage for the big event, Robertson said his team hopes to secure a big victory on home soil to “tie it all together.”
“That’s the plan,” he smiled.
‘Canada’s turning it on for this one’
Taylor Canfield, driver for the United States, shared his praises for the Halifax waters he’s conducted preparations on throughout the last few days — despite experiencing chillier conditions compared with SailGP’s most recent race in Bermuda.
“It’s a bit colder than the last event we’ve been to,” he laughed.
“It’s so cool racing in these city race courses in front of the crowds. We’ve had two great days out there so far. The forecast looks great and it sounds like everyone’s done an incredible job here to prepare for this event. It’s exciting to see how engaged the city is. Definitely, Canada’s turning it on for this one.”
As a result of Canada acquiring its own team in 2022 — which is currently owned by the league and actively searching for new investors — the sport is said to have experienced a big uptick in interest across the country.
“When we started this team, there were pretty much zero foiling boats in this country,” Robertson said.
“Since we’ve been running for the last two years, we’ve seen a huge growth in kids that are getting hooked on the sport…. We’ve set up 10 foiling centres throughout Canada, it’s huge. The growth has been massive.”
The F50 models used in SailGP races are elevated completely above water, using rudders with elevators and two daggerboards as crewmembers work to get as much speed out of the boat as possible. The boats can reach a top speed of more than 100 kilometres per hour.
“Teams must therefore work together to fly as high as possible without flying too high and crashing into the water, rising speed and losing speed in SailGP’s high-pressure racing,” a blurb from the competition’s website reads.
Halifax Mayor Mike Savage expressed his gratitude towards the organizational efforts of those involved leading up to the upcoming event.
“It’s really an exciting time in this city,” he said, sharing a few words at the end of Friday’s press conference.
“Is Halifax ready for SailGP? Hell yes, let’s get it on!”
Savage said having such a large international competition held in Halifax is a testament to the harbour’s significant history.
“That harbour has shaped this city from the beginning. From the original inhabitants of the land of Mi’kmaq, to the Halifax explosion, from sending people off to war but welcoming them home,” he said.
“The sustainability of that harbour, the life that we get from that harbour, and this weekend the excitement we’ll get from that habour, it’s fun.”
The first race kicks off at 4 p.m. on Saturday, as viewers will be able to take in the high-speed action on both sides of the harbour. The second phase of the two-day event on Sunday will run between 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
— with files from Megan King
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