Sail GP Set To Thrill Freo 17 & 18 January 2026

Those Magnificent Men and Women in their Flying Machines – actually fast-foiling catamarans – are coming to Fremantle.

The global Rolex Sail Grand Prix (SailGP) Championship will take place off Manjaree|Bathers Beach in January 2026. Event organisers have released a preview of the 2026 season calendar, with Perth and Fremantle as the first stop in the 11- month competition.

SailGP is one of the world’s most fast-paced and prestigious sailing events, featuring – as this gallery of supplied pics shows – 50-foot one-design catamarans raced at mind blowing speeds of over 100 kilometres per hour in close proximity to the shoreline. Teams from 12 nations race these high-performance F50 foiling catamarans, where teams compete across a season of multiple grand prix around the world. The reigning champion is Diego Botin’s Spain SailGP Team, which won the 2023-24 SailGP championship.

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The competition began in 2018 and now events take place in major cities around the world and in January 2026, sailing central, Freo will be added to the list – woohoo!

This will be a fabulous opportunity to witness this world-class, mind-blowing, adrenaline-fuelled boat racing, up close. Fremantle is known around the world as a brilliant sailing destination and sailing is a sport that’s close to our hearts, made even more exciting by the Fremantle Doctor.

The event will attract thousands of international tourists to WA and will generate enormous global media coverage, showcasing Freo and Perth. Credit goes to Tourism WA for attracting the event to Freo and to our local legends from America’s Cup days, John Longley and Skip Lissiman, who’ve been lobbying for Fremantle’s inclusion through the Warren Jones Foundation.

If the huge crowds that flocked to Sydney Harbour earlier this year for SailGP is anything to go by, we are in for a fabulous time at Manjaree/Bathers Beach and the South Mole in January. The 2025 SailGP/Sydney attracted a record 21.1 million viewers worldwide, and SailGP boasts more than four million followers on socials.

The event will run over a two-day weekend in January, as well as the following two years, 2027 and 2028, as part of a three-year deal. There will be a minimum of three 15-minute fleet races on the first day and on the second day – two fleet races and a match race final between the three leading teams.

Collisions are discouraged – but things happen! Boats that collide during an event accumulate contact and damage points, which result in point deductions. Each boat has a driver (or helm), who steers the boat; a flight controller, whose primary responsibility is to keep the boat airborne as much as possible; a wing trimmer, who controls the wing’s shape for optimum speed; grinders operate the winch handles to trim the wing sheet and a tactician (strategist) who monitors the wind, assists with manoeuvres and watches the fleet. Prize money across the 2026 SailGP Championship amounts to USD $12.8 million!

Fremantle Ports CEO Jodie Ransom said ‘the port was very excited to play its role in supporting such a high-profile international sporting event, with the Inner Harbour and Victoria Quay set to facilitate key parts of the event operations.’

There will be purpose-built grandstands, on South Mole with a range of ticketed options, on land and sea.

This morning Fremantle MLA and Minister Simone McGurk kicked off proceedings on Fleet Street, South Mole supported by BONDS Flying Roos Grinder Kinley Fowler and Coach Ben Durham and a veritable media scrum, including FSN.

And SailGP also unveiled its offering this morning of ticket and fan experiences that will put spectators at the heart of the adrenaline-fuelled action for the inaugural Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix presented by KPMG. More than 15,000 fans are expected at Fremantle’s Bathers Beach over the two-day event,17–18 January 2026.

For the first time in Australia, fans will have the exclusive opportunity to secure Waterfront Grandstand seats, offering allocated seating just metres away from the national teams battling on identical, high-tech foiling catamarans at speeds exceeding 100 km/h.

From the grandstand, to premium waterfront decks, relaxed beachside access and on-water viewing, SailGP’s comprehensive ticketing program offers unforgettable experiences for every fan.

Tickets are expected to be in high demand, and fans are encouraged to register for SailGP+ here to receive early access and exclusive pricing during the pre-sale from Friday, 22 August. General public tickets will be available from Thursday, 28 August.

KEY EVENT INFORMATION
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SailGP+ Pre-sale: 10am AWST Friday, 22 August – 5pm AWST Tuesday, 26 August
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General Public On-sale: From 10am AWST Thursday, 28 August
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Event Date: Saturday, 17 & Sunday, 18 January 2026
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Location: Bathers Beach, Fremantle, Western Australia

For more information keep an eye on Sail GP and FSN!

* By Jean Hudson @jeansodyssey.

Jean is our Shipping and Sailing Correspondent and also a regular feature writer and photographer here on the Shipping News. You may also like to follow up her informative Places I Love stories, as well as other feature stories and Freo Today photographs, right here.

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