The first SailGP athletes and F50 catamaran have arrived at the American Magic High Performance Center in Florida, where a shared training facility will operate until 2031.
SailGP has officially opened its first permanent training base in Pensacola, Florida, with the arrival of the first athletes and F50 foiling catamaran at the American Magic High Performance Center.
The opening on Monday (19 October) follows the announcement of the Pensacola training base in January, previously reported by Afloat.ie.
Under an agreement between SailGP and American Magic running until 2031, the facility will provide year-round training opportunities for the championship's international teams.
Equal Access for SailGP Teams
The Pensacola base will allow teams to train outside race weekends, with facilities for crew development, technical testing and introducing new athletes to F50 sailing.
SailGP will control scheduling to provide equal access across the fleet, while multiple teams will be able to train simultaneously.
Andrew Thompson, SailGP Managing Director, said the facility would allow teams to invest more consistently in athlete development.
"Pensacola offers consistent conditions and a world-class setup that will allow our teams to test, train and innovate continuously," he said.
Teams to Pay for Training Days
Teams will use the facility under a pay-to-train arrangement, paying for the days they book rather than maintaining their own permanent training infrastructure.
The first ten training days will be excluded from the US$10 million annual operating cap applying to teams under their participation agreements.
The shared facility will provide technical support, safety resources and testing services.
American Magic Partnership
The arrangement brings SailGP into the American Magic High Performance Center at the Port of Pensacola.
American Magic Chief Operating Officer Tyson Lamond said the five-year agreement would also provide opportunities to involve the local sailing community.
Emirates GBR driver Dylan Fletcher, one of the first athletes to visit the base, said the additional training time would help crews improve their preparation.
"It gives us the opportunity to truly push the limits, dial in our communications and refine our playbooks," he said.
The development comes as SailGP, now in its sixth season with 13 national teams, plans further expansion of its racing calendar and fleet towards 2030.
More coverage is available in Afloat.ie's SailGP news archive.
