Emirates GBR and Team 14 claim first slots on SailGP’s Pensacola training F50

SailGP's new training F50 is booked for 42 sailing days before Christmas, starting with a 17-day run. GBR are using their slot to chase the last Grand Final place, and none of their closest rivals for it have time booked before Dubai.

Emirates GBR and Team 14, the league’s incoming season seven entry, are the first teams on the schedule for SailGP’s shared training F50 at its new base in Pensacola, Florida, with sailing starting today.

According to information received by The Foil, the boat has 42 sailing days booked before the Christmas break, kicking off with 17 consecutive days on the water. A full day on the water runs to more than six hours, roughly a whole SailGP regatta’s worth of sailing. American Magic is supplying a 26-person shore team to keep the F50 running at that pace.

Team 14 have also booked further sessions as they work to get up to speed as the league’s newest team. The Black Foils and Flying Roos share the first week of November, with one team sailing in the morning and the other in the afternoon, while Germany and Italy have time booked in December.

SailGP’s first long-term training base is housed at the American Magic Performance and Innovation Center in Pensacola. The league’s agreement with American Magic, who also own and operate Denmark’s Rockwool Racing, runs through 2031 and gives teams a shared training hub outside race weekends, with American Magic supplying technical specialists, safety systems and shore-side support. Teams pay for the days they use rather than running their own permanent training operation at the base. SailGP controls the schedule and says central allocation gives all teams fair access, with training run under consistent operating standards.

The defending champions sit fifth with two events left, six points behind third-placed Artemis, who hold the last Grand Final berth and lead the fourth-placed United States by three. With the Flying Roos qualified already in Valencia and Los Gallos having sealed their place by winning in Geneva, three teams are left chasing the final spot.

Of those three, only GBR have extra training booked before Dubai, and driver Dylan Fletcher said the team jumped at the slot as soon as the base was announced.

“Regardless of where we thought we’d be, we knew we needed to be pushing for the Grand Final – it’s so rare to get training in SailGP, so we’re really excited about it,” Fletcher told SailGP.

GBR arrive on the back of a ninth place in Geneva, and Fletcher sees the Pensacola block as a chance to sharpen up for the conditions in the Middle East. “We’re going to be able to work really hard on all the little details and the light wind conditions we’re expecting in the Middle East – it’s going to be really powerful,” he said.

“Ultimately, we’ve got nothing to lose – fourth or 10th are all the same for us, we want to be in the Grand Final,” Fletcher added. “The best thing you can do is come in on a really positive trajectory and feel like you’re on form.”

The Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix runs at Mina Rashid on 21–22 November, before the season wraps up a week later at the Abu Dhabi Grand Final on 28–29 November.