SailGP and American Magic Unite for First Long-Term Training Base in Florida
The base will bring SailGP and American Magic together to accelerate training, technical development and next-generation talent
Posted On: January 8, 2026 By :SailGP has established its first long-term training base at the American Magic performance and innovation center in Pensacola, Florida, which opened on January 7.
Set to provide SailGP teams access to world-class facilities that support year-round performance and innovation, the partnership will bring together SailGP and American Magic to accelerate training, technical development and next-generation talent.
Pensacola will serve as American Magic’s first permanent base, as well as a North American training hub for SailGP teams, from September 2026 as part of a multi-season agreement through to the end of 2031.
“Today’s news marks an exciting next chapter for SailGP and our competing teams,” said Sir Russell Coutts, co-founder and CEO of SailGP. “With access to world-class training and facilities, our athletes can continue to develop year-round – bolstering competition and ensuring we continue to attract and retain the very best in the sport.
“Pensacola’s selection reflects its growing importance as a high-performance sailing hub, offering world-class facilities, consistent conditions and a central base for SailGP in the United States. We’re delighted to work alongside our partners at American Magic on this bold new venture.”
“The American Magic High Performance Center is the foundation of our long-term vision: building a sustainable, high-performance American sailing platform,” said American Magic Co-Founder Doug DeVos. “By positioning Pensacola and the U.S. as a destination for world-class training, we strengthen our ability to support sailors across youth, women, Olympic, and SailGP programs.”
A Shared, Centrally Coordinated Facility
The Pensacola training base will operate as a shared, centrally coordinated facility, with the league managing scheduling to ensure fair, consistent access for all teams. SailGP teams will be able to train at the facility throughout the season, with on-water and shore support centralized alongside technical specialists, safety resources and other dedicated facilities and services provided by American Magic.
Designed to support year-round preparation, the base will allow SailGP teams to test, train and innovate outside of race weekends as the championship continues to scale globally. All teams will train under the same operating standards and will access the facility on a pay-to-train model, paying only for the days they use under a consistent structure designed to ensure fairness and managed access.
The news comes ahead of the upcoming Rolex SailGP Championship’s 2026 Season debut in Perth, Australia. The largest-ever fleet will hit the startline – 13 international teams – competing across two action-packed days of racing, on January 17-18, 2026.
Meanwhile, the 2025 season marked several key milestones with record audience growth, new commercial partnerships, high-profile investors and scaled global operations. Launched in 2019, it was SailGP’s fifth season, featuring 12 Grand Prix events for the first time, four new venues and 12 teams.
More details on tickets to the Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix presented by KPMG can be found at this link.
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