How SailGP turned the niche sport into a $200 million celebrity investment magnet

"Forget everything you think you know about sailboats. SailGP's F50 catamarans fly above the water on hydrofoils-underwater wings that lift the hulls completely out of the water-at speeds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour. That's 62 mph. On water. Powered only by wind. Most powerboats can't even keep up. The boats don't use traditional sails. Instead, the 50-foot boats have rigid wings built like airplane wings turned vertical,"

"Translation: They catch wind more efficiently than conventional sails, generating massive thrust even in light conditions. When a boat moves forward, it creates its own wind-just like how your hand feels resistance when you stick it out a car window. By angling these high-efficiency wings correctly, F50s use both the actual wind and the wind they create through their own speed to go more than three times faster than the wind itself."

A growing roster of high-profile investors — including Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Kylian Mbappé, Sebastian Vettel, Deontay Wilder, and DeAndre Hopkins — have bought stakes in SailGP teams. One purchase reportedly cost about $45 million for Italy's team. SailGP uses 50-foot F50 catamarans that fly above the water on hydrofoils at speeds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour, powered solely by wind. The boats use rigid, airplane-like vertical wings up to 80 feet tall rather than traditional sails, producing a lift coefficient three times higher than a thin membrane sail. By harnessing both true wind and wind generated by the boats' speed, crews achieve speeds more than three times the wind, creating a motorsport-style, spectator-friendly product that has attracted celebrity investment and higher ticket revenues.

Read at Fast Company