Regatta: SailGP celebrates Hollywood premiere in the espionage thriller "Tenet"

The actors in the espionage thriller "Tenet" are among the greats in their field: the science fiction film "Tenet", directed by Christopher Nolan, features well-known stars such as John David Washington, Robert Pattison, Elizabeth Debicki, Michael Caine and Kenneth Branagh. It also features two high-speed SailGP F50 catamarans and a number of well-known sailors, including Olympic champion and SailGP premiere winner Tom Slingsby and American helmsman Rome Kirby. As the script called for an action-packed sailing scene, the impressive racing machines became the focus of the film crew. The scenes were filmed in 2019 following the Cowes SailGP off the Isle of Wight. The boats were given a new look and were crewed by active sailors from the professional series.

Filming in England, one of seven "Tenet" locations around the world, took a week at the time. The film features dramatic duel scenes between a white and a blue catamaran in the Solent. While the story itself was kept secret for a long time, the film crew worked intensively with the sailors to create gripping impressions, which Christopher Nolan himself attached great importance to. The British-American director, screenwriter and producer became famous for his reinterpretation of the comic book character Batman in the trilogy "Batman Begins", "The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Rises". His productions "Inception", "Interstellar" and "Dunkirk" are also well-known.

The SailGP racing machines can also be seen for a few seconds...

"When we heard that the SailGP was going to be part of a Hollywood film, everyone wanted to be there," recalls 35-year-old Olympic Laser champion Tom Slingsby. The Australian, who was voted World Sailor of the Year in 2010, won the America's Cup in 2013 with Larry Ellison's Oracle Team USA and lost again in 2017 off Bermuda to Emirates Team New Zealand. Slingsby's star then rose in the new professional series SailGP founded by Sir Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison. "It's one of those stories that you hear about and think it's cool, but don't think it will ever come true. It was exciting to get a sneak peek at Hollwood and it was fun to be a part of this project. I can't wait to see the film," says Slingsby. So far, the sailors have not been allowed to talk about the project. But now it's premiere day: 26 August. As of today, the film can also be seen in German cinemas.

Tom Slingsby enthuses: "The best thing for me is the fact that people will be able to see the F50s in full flight mode on the big screen for the first time. This will bring a whole new audience to the SailGP. Hopefully the film will also change people's perception of our sport and they will come to see us in real life. Real sailing is as good as any Hollywood film." In the professional series SailGP, which is also staged at great expense, national teams from all over the world compete against each other for a season prize money of one million US dollars. Nevertheless, the Hollywood production has taken the way sailing action sports are portrayed to a whole new level. Several helicopters, support boats, high-tech camera boats, Imax cameras, a large production team and stylists were used during filming. Sir Russell Coutts described the successful advertising campaign for the SailGP as a "privilege".

The 2021 series will continue on the water in April off San Francisco and in June off New York. Sir Ben Ainslie won the first and only regatta this year shortly after his new entry with Ineos Team UK, before the coronavirus pandemic also put a spanner in the works for the SailGP. Next year, after the American summits at the start of the season, the action continues in England, Denmark, France and Spain. The league is planning seven to nine events in its postponed second season.