World-Class Sailing Race Comes to the Port of Los Angeles
In March 2025, the world’s premier sailing competition is coming to Los Angeles.
Rolex SailGP Championship is a series of worldwide sailing grand prix events, where national teams race on high-performance F50 foiling catamarans—one of the fastest sailboat classes in the world, capable of reaching 60 miles per hour. The catamaran shape combined with the F50’s foiling design—which lifts the boat out of the water to maximize speed—results in a futuristic vessel more reminiscent of a flying car than the average person’s mental image of a sailboat.
Started in 2018 and marketed as “the most exciting race on the water,” SailGP aims to expand sailing’s audience by bringing world-class teams to venues worldwide. Rival teams from the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Brazil, Italy, Canada, France, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and Spain compete in short, intense races for prizes totaling $12.8 million.
SailGP aims to be the world’s most sustainable professional sports league. As of 2025, all SailGP events are 100% powered by renewable energy, and the fleet of event support boats are completely powered by clean energy and biofuels. The league’s technical base is also powered by renewable energy, and it ships catamarans between race locations using a carbon neutral shipping partner.
This year, the two Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix races will take place on March 15th and 16th. Situated in the Port of Los Angeles, the racecourse is one of the most difficult of the season. Team Spain won in LA last year and ultimately became the 2024 champions. This year, the U.S. team is vying for a win at home.
In addition to bringing audiences the thrill of professional sailing races, SailGP engages young people worldwide through its Inspire Program, which provides hands-on education and sailing experiences. The initiative’s core mission is to provide underprivileged youth with equal opportunity in the sailing world, aiming to make sailing accessible to young people no matter their race, gender or socioeconomic status.
As of 2023, SailGP had reached over 15,000 youth participants globally, and the league’s goal is to reach 25,000 by the end of 2025. As part of the program, SailGP provides young people with work experience and internships. More than twenty previous participants are now employed at SailGP, and SailGP reports that hundreds of previous participants are now employed across the sailing industry.
The Inspire Learning Program has brought over 7,000 young people on technical tours of SailGP boats at worldwide race venues to teach them about sailing technology, harnessing wind power for marine transportation, and climate change. At the upcoming races in the Port of Los Angeles, the opportunity to learn about sailing and see the race up close will be brought to LA’s youth thanks to local sponsors.
On race day, viewers can watch the course from the grandstand at Berth 46 in the Port of Los Angeles, near the AltaSea campus. Those interested in attending can purchase tickets here.
