Jimmy Spithill is one of the world’s most decorated sailors, known for leading what is often called the ‘greatest comeback in sporting history’. Former driver of the U.S. SailGP Team, Spithill now navigates the uncharted waters of team ownership, having built the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team from the ground up in just six months. Watch the documentary Uncharted to find out how he did it.
The man
Jimmy is one of the most recognizable names in professional sailing. A veteran of eight consecutive America’s Cup campaigns, Spithill won the trophy twice and reached four America’s Cup Finals in a row as skipper. First in 2010 with BMW Oracle Racing and again in 2013 with ORACLE TEAM USA where he led what is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history, coming from 8-1 down to win 9-8 in the final match. His expertise in foiling is undisputed having helmed one of the first race boats to introduce the revolutionary concept in 2012.
A Red Bull athlete and recipient of the prestigious ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year award in 2014, Spithill is multi-disciplined across several sports, most notably completing the grueling Molokai 2 Oahu (M2O) paddleboard World Championships in 2013 and 2014.
A SailGP veteran, Spithill was previously the driver and CEO of the United States SailGP Team, winning multiple events with the team until its private sale in 2024, after which he spearheaded the creation of the Italy SailGP Team.
What is SailGP?
SailGP is a dynamic and revolutionary sporting league that showcases the best sailing talent, cutting edge technology and a commitment to a sustainable future. SailGP was founded by Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison in 2018.
Rival teams from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and USA battle it out at iconic venues around the world in short, intense races for a total prize pot of $12.8 million. Teams compete in identical hydrofoiling F50 catamarans that fly above the water at electrifying speeds of over 100 km/h.
The Championship is decided at the end of the season following a year-long competition where the best of the best rack up points to reach the Grand Final – a showdown where the top three teams go head to head to win the SailGP season trophy and USD $2 million dollars.
What makes the Rolex SailGP Championship so spectacular is that all the teams compete on identical F50 catamarans.
The F50 – a marvel in foiling design
The culmination of 10 years of development in high-performance, foiling and multi-hull racing has led to the F50 being a technological marvel.
Based on the AC50 catamaran which raced in the 2017 America’s Cup, the F50 revolutionised the sport with its foiling design, allowing it to hit speeds of over 100 km/h in perfect conditions. Measuring 15 meters, the F50 is a one-design class that sails over three times the speed of the wind.
Despite being based on the concept of the AC50, the F50 shares few similarities with its predecessor; nearly the entire design was reworked to create faster, flatter and more stable flight. The foils are constructed with higher modulus carbon fiber, producing a thinner section which has less resistance at high speeds. The geometry of the boards has also been extended outside the maximum beam of the boat. These improvements all contribute to the boat moving significantly faster, as the onset of cavitation – the ‘boiling’ of the water which creates air bubbles that increase drag and reduce lift – is delayed until much higher speeds.
Taking flight
To adapt to various wind and weather conditions, the F50 catamarans are equipped to race with three different wing sizes, – the 18m high air wing, the 24m all purpose wing and the 29m low air wing, as well as interchangeable daggerboards and rudders. All this allows SailGP to optimize performance.
The smallest wing is used in strong winds to maintain control, the largest wing is deployed in light winds to maximize power, and the middle wing is the all-purpose wing to cover all bases.
The F50 is similar to an airplane on the runway. When it reaches the right speed, its hydrofoils lift the boat out of the water. While racing, the athletes are on the limit. If they fly the F50 too high or lose control, they could crash. Capsizing is also a constant risk – with the boat flipping over spectacularly if there’s too much power in the wing.
STAT: France holds the current F50 racing speed record of 99.94km/h set at its home event in Saint-Tropez in Season 3.
Athletes on board the Canada F50 set a new speed record while testing the incoming T-Foils in 2024, hitting 101.98 km/h
