SailGP event takes sunny Plymouth by storm

23rd July 2021

The sun was beaming down on Plymouth last weekend, making sure Britain’s Ocean City looked its best while hosting the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix.

Sold-out crowds watched from the waterfront, with thousands more people watching on the water from boats, paddleboards, kayaks and jet skis, as one of the world’s fastest sailing events took place in Plymouth Sound.

The adrenaline-filled event was hosted by SailGP in partnership with Plymouth City Council, with support from Associated British Ports, English Cities Fund and Sutton Harbour Group.

Council Leader Nick Kelly said: “It was an absolutely amazing weekend in Britain’s Ocean City. The atmosphere along the waterfront was incredible and the natural amphitheatre of Plymouth Sound really does make a fantastic stage for these kinds of events.

“Not only that, but the week leading up to SailGP saw so many people in Plymouth getting involved and engaging with the ocean, including STEM sessions for schoolchildren and free sailing experiences for young people and people with disabilities, which is brilliant.

“Hosting this event was the result of a Plymouth City Council intervention, a deliberate and proactive bid to host SailGP here in our city. This was done to further position ourselves as a National Marine Park, raise the profile of Plymouth on a global scale through high visibility PR and drive investment and economic benefit for Plymouth.

“We would absolutely love to host the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix again – where better than Britain’s Ocean City? We’re currently in advanced discussions with SailGP about putting in a bid for its return in 2022 following this year’s hugely successful event.”

The Plymouth event in numbers:

• More than 1,000 boats signed up to the ‘Bring your own Boat’ programme, viewing from the water
• 4,000 people watching from the Waterfront Viewing area on Plymouth Hoe each day
• 400 local children engaged in STEM activities
• 120 young people provided with sailing experiences on the water as part of the Inspire programme
• 150 volunteers - made up of Mayflower Makers, Plymouth Argyle and Plymouth City Council staff - on hand to help visitors and remind people about Covid-19 safety precautions
• Broadcast in 175 territories, including via SKY Sports as well as live on YouTube

Plymouth is now set to enjoy a great line-up of outdoor events over the coming weeks, with lots to look forward to this summer.

This includes Pride (7 August), the return of the beloved British Firework Championships (18 and 19 August), 1 Big Summer music festival (27 to 29 August) and the West End Carnival (28 August).

The fun continues into September with the Britain’s Ocean City Half Marathon (5 September), the Tom Jones concert at Central Park (18 September) and the Plymouth Seafood and Harbour Festival (18 and 19 September).

Find out more about summer events in Plymouth at visitplymouth.co.uk.