SailGP to return to San Francisco, New York in 2020

Published Oct. 29, 2019 12:19 p.m. ET

NEW YORK (AP) — SailGP will return to San Francisco and New York for its two U.S. regattas during its second season in 2020.

The San Francisco regatta will be May 2-3 before the global championships shift to the Hudson River off Manhattan on June 12-13.

The season will begin in Sydney on Feb. 28-29.

Team Australia, skippered by Tom Slingsby, will defend its inaugural championship. Slingsby's crew won the $1 million, winner-take-all finale over Team Japan last month.

Rome Kirby and his all-American squad will be looking to improve on its last-place finish in 2019. They had their first race win during the New York regatta. The other returning teams are China, France and Great Britain. The league plans to add at least one additional team during Season 2.

"We were able to see American flags waving and hear the cheers of the shore-packed crowds at both U.S. stops last year," Kirby said. "It was like nothing I had experienced before, and propelled us to our first victory. For those who haven't seen SailGP yet, it's not at all what you might expect — it is the new pinnacle of our sport and I very much look forward to sharing it with home crowds in San Francisco and New York next year."