The sale of the U.S. SailGP Team marks a ‘momentous day’ in SailGP’s history, according to league boss Russell Coutts, who called it ‘the biggest deal in the sport of sailing.’
The team has been acquired by an ownership group comprising technology investor Ryan McKillen, Margaret McKillen, and professional sailor Mike Buckley, alongside a diverse group of investors from the sport, technology, entertainment and media industries. It means that half the 10 teams in SailGP’s F50 fleet are now privately owned.
Reacting to the news, SailGP CEO Russell Coutts said: “This is a momentous day not only for the league, but also for the sport as a whole.”
He pointed to several developments in the U.S. market, such as the largest American television audience in league history watching the Spain Sail Grand Prix on CBS, and the bumper number of U.S. based events in Season 4 - Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.
“We have talked about this season being our breakthrough season and it really feels like this is coming to fruition – we have increased the number of events in the U.S., seen industry-leading figures for our CBS broadcast and now made history with the biggest deal in the sport of sailing,” he said, adding, “we welcome Ryan, Margaret, Mike, Taylor, and our new investors to the league and wish them every success for the future.”
The refreshed United States SailGP Team led by incoming driver Taylor Canfield will compete for the first time at next week's Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas on December 9/10.
