SailGP high-speed international sailing race could be coming to Edinburgh Marina next year

The aquatic answer for Formula 1 could cast off from Edinburgh's new marina in 20 The new marina coming to the north of Edinburgh has launched an ambitious bid to bring a sailing race series to the Scottish capital. The managers of Edinburgh Marina near Granton hope to host the SailGP event next year. It's a high-speed racing challenge which takes place close to the shore, featuring national teams from around the world. Competitors use advanced foiling catamarans which "fly" out of the water, reaching speeds of up to 60mph. SailGP has drawn big crowds when hosted in other cities such as New York and Sydney, offering "epic battles between nations and top athletes." There were more than 133,000 spectators during its first season in 2018. The bid is due to be discussed at an Edinburgh city council meeting this week. A motion by councillor Jim Campbell says: "SailGP is an exciting international sailing series established by Larry Ellison and Sir Russell Coutts in 2018. "The racing is fast, and close to shore, attracting considerable interest when held in other cities such as Sydney, San Francisco, New York, Marseille, Cowes and Copenhagen. "An opportunity exists to bring this to Edinburgh and the Granton Waterfront in 2021." Competitive sailor Ben Ainslie is part of the British team and the current champions are Australia. Edinburgh Marina is expected to be complete around April 2021, as part of a major project to redevelop the waterfront in the north of the city. A spokesman for the marina said: "Edinburgh Marina have just submitted their bid to bring this event to Edinburgh to be hosted at the new 427 berth marina with 24/7 access at all states of tides."