Why Portsmouth's Sail Grand Prix will blow you away this summer - and Olympian Sir Ben Ainslie should know

The Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix has been touted as the most exciting racing on the water and will be taking place off Southsea seafront on July 19 and 20.

The ‘fast and furious’ action will see rival nations go head-to-head in a series of races in cutting-edge F50 catamarans. The high-power, high-adrenaline event will bring back memories of when Sir Ben brought the America’s Cup World Series to Portsmouth in 2015 and 2016.

Sir Ben - who has won four gold and one silver medal at the Olympics - told The News: ‘For people who haven't followed it or seen it before, they'll be really blown away by Sail GP. It's effectively 50ft foiling catamarans that lift up out of the water and go to speeds of over 100km an hour. For any kind of vessel, whether that's a powerboat or a sailing boat, those are phenomenal speeds.

‘You've got 12 international teams all racing against each other on a very, very tight race course and going for season championships over 14 Grands Prix around the world. So it's a really, really intense competition with the best sailors in the world.’

Sir Ben, who as CEO of Emirates Great Britain Sail GP team was in the city as guest speaker at the Shaping Portsmouth Conference 2025 in The Guildhall, added: ‘People who remember the America's Cup World Series will know what a great event both of those were in 2015 and 2016. For those that weren't able to see that or are new to the area, you've got to get down and take a look. Honestly, if you think you knew what sailing was all about, you'll be completely blown away. It's seriously cool. So get down and enjoy yourself!’

Winning the America's Cup World Series in Portsmouth remains fresh in Sir Ben’s mind. It was a series which saw 240,000 people visit the city and the eyes of the sailing world on a sunny Southsea seafront.

‘Those are some of the best memories I've had in the sport, to race in front of a home crowd in America's Cup level competition, and we actually managed to win both events. There were really, really huge crowds on Southsea waterfront - I think we had some of the biggest crowds we ever had in the America's Cup or sailing anywhere in the world.

‘It was brilliant to see that support for the team - we hope to see that level of support for the local team again in Sail GP.’

As well as bringing America’s Cup racing to the city, Sir Ben and the GB team also purpose-built their own £12m HQ at The Camber in Old Portsmouth. But there was disappointment to follow when the sailing team left and the designers were moved out to Brackley, Northamptonshire. Although BAR Technologies and Sir Ben’s official charity the 1851 Trust - which tours schools to raise awareness of STEM subjects and environmental sustainability - remain in the city, Sir Ben recalls it was a tricky time.

‘That was something that was difficult,’ he said. ‘Effectively, it was a decision taken out of our control in terms of the technical programme. But I'm really proud of what the technologies business has achieved. I was just down there earlier and they're going from strength to strength and having a great impact on the local economy.

‘I think the technologies that we developed through the America's Cup and involvement with other high-level sailing competitions can really feed into the maritime industry on a global level. It's great to see a Portsmouth-based business doing so well.’

For more details and ticket information on July's event, go to the Sail GP website