Pensacola? There was something... Exactly: this is where the US team American Magic trained for the 37th America's Cup. Now the newly inaugurated American Magic Performance and Innovation Centre has been opened there. With the opening of the ultra-modern facility, the SailGP League announced on 7 January that it would also operate the first training centre for its teams there in future. The cooperation agreed with American Magic has a term of five years and is set to last until at least 2031.
No America's Cup, but a SailGP alliance
Following the cancellation of the American Magic racing team for another America's Cup entry, the alliance with the Sail Grand Prix and its conductor Russell Coutts is now in place. Pensacola is to serve as the first permanent base for Team American Magic and at the same time operate as a North American training centre for all teams. The start of SailGP activities in Pensacola is planned for September 2026.
For the current season, the training base comes very late and can only be used for intensive preparation for the last two or three of a total of 13 events. For most of the SailGP participants, however, after a long period of thirsty training: better late than never. Penscaola is located on the Florida coast, roughly between New Orleans and Tampa. The shallow water area, which is not very busy, is ideal for testing and training.
The partnership between the league and American Magic is intended to give the SailGP teams access to first-class facilities that, according to the operators, "promote performance and innovation throughout the year". In addition to free training sessions, technical developments, tests and the promotion of young talent will also be promoted here.
Year-round training should be possible
The partnership should be a win-win situation for both sides: The American founders will have a strong partner who will contribute to the costs through its activities and paying teams. And the SailGP teams will finally have the training base from which the racing teams that join the league later and also the Germany SailGP Team by Deutsche Bank have been dreaming about it for a long time, calling for it time and time again. SailGP co-founder and CEO Russell Coutts described the upcoming new training opportunity as "ground-breaking", saying: "Today's news marks an exciting new chapter for the SailGP and our participating teams."
With access to world-class training and facilities, our athletes can continue to develop throughout the year - enhancing competition and ensuring we can continue to attract and retain the best in the sport." Russell Coutts
Russell Coutts continued: "The choice of Pensacola reflects its growing importance as a high performance centre for sailing. It offers world-class facilities, consistent conditions and a central base for the SailGP in the United States. We are delighted to be working with our partners at American Magic on this bold new project."
One of the co-founders of American Magic is the American businessman and experienced sailor Doug DeVos. Very successful for years in the 52 Super Series with "American Magic Quantum Racing" and a strong driver of the US American Magic campaign in the recent America's Cup, the 62-year-old Amway Co-Chairman said: "The American Magic High Performance Centre is the foundation of our long-term vision: to build a sustainable, high-performance American sailing platform. By positioning Pensacola and the U.S. as a destination for world-class training, we are strengthening our ability to support sailors in youth, women's, Olympic and SailGP programmes."
SailGP and American Magic in a double pass
The training base in Pensacola will be operated as a shared, centrally coordinated facility. The league will manage the scheduling. This will ensure fair and standardised access for all teams. The SailGP teams will be able to train at the facility throughout the season, according to the league, with on-water and on-shore support centralised along with technical specialists, safety resources and other dedicated American Magic facilities and services.
This state-of-the-art facility is the perfect solution for us in many ways." Russell Coutts
It has not yet been announced when and how many F50 trailers will be available in Pensacola. However, a press release from the league provides the following information: "The base has been designed for year-round preparation and allows the SailGP teams to test, train and innovate outside of race weekends as the championship continues to grow worldwide."
The new training base will definitely lead to a higher quality of racing. I see it as a massive step forward." Russell Coutts
It was announced that "all teams will train to the same operational standards". In doing so, the league wants to emphasise its "commitment to sporting fairness and competitive integrity". According to the league, the teams will use the facility on a "pay-to-train model", but will only pay for the days they use it. It has not yet been revealed how much a training day will cost the teams.
The new season starts on 17 January
The good news came for around 100 SailGP sailors shortly before the start of the new sixth SailGP season. The battle for the championship starts on 17/18 January in Fremantle, Australia, with the Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix presented by KPMG.
The largest fleet in SailGP history to date will be at the start here: 13 international teams will be lining up for the anticipated strong wind power play. Click here for the first overview of the new season. Two action-packed days of racing are expected. The races will once again be broadcast by ZDF this year. Click here to go to the SailGP page of the second team, where the broadcast links will be available shortly before the start of the event.
