This year in New York Harbor, the typical bustling vessel traffic made way for a thrilling event—SailGP. Often compared to Formula 1 but on water, this two-day competition features advanced catamarans racing at high speeds.
The U.S. Coast Guard demarcated a specific race area in one of the country’s busiest ports, commonly full of commercial and recreational boats. Among the competitors was Nicole van der Velden, a seasoned sailboat racer from the Spanish team Los Gallos. She previously competed here in the 2025 New York Sail Grand Prix, experiencing the harbor’s challenging wind patterns, strong crosscurrents, and stunning views.
Reflecting on her previous race while scanning the scene of the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge, van der Velden said, “You’ve seen it in so many movies, and then it’s all around you. It’s such a unique and dynamic place for a race.”
The event stands out amidst a busy sporting season in the New York area, which also includes the NBA finals and the soccer World Cup in New Jersey. SailGP’s spectacle showcases vibrant sailboats with sails designed like airplane wings, sailing close to the shore for spectators to fully appreciate their speed and agility.
“When people think of a sailboat race, they think of white triangles on a blue background far from shore, slow-paced, hard to understand, elitist,” commented Sir Russell Coutts, who co-founded SailGP with tech mogul Larry Ellison seven years ago. “We’ve shortened the races and moved them close to shore where you can see the speed.”
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