Ewan McGregor, the Scottish acting legend, joined Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team with his friend Eric Strickland for a high-speed sailing session. This took place aboard their F50 race boat at the New York Sail Grand Prix on Saturday.
McGregor’s Sixth Sailor Experience
McGregor and Strickland stepped onto the 50ft foiling catamaran after the first day of racing at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix. The catamaran can reach speeds of 100km/h. They participated in the Emirates GBR Sixth Sailor Experience, preparing for their upcoming transatlantic sailing adventure, which will be featured in the series True Wind.
The documentary is being directed by David Alexanian and ELIXIR FILMS, the team behind the Long Way Round, Long Way Down, Long Way Up and Long Way Home series.
McGregor and Strickland joined Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher MBE, Wing Trimmer Stuart Bithell MBE, Flight Controller Luke Parkinson, and Grinders Nick Hutton and Neil Hunter on the F50, reaching speeds of over 90km/h.
“It’s like an extraordinary adrenaline rush,” McGregor said of his Sixth Sailor Experience with Emirates GBR.
High-Speed Sailing Impressions
McGregor commented on the speed and G-force experienced while sailing. “Just the speed and the G-force in the corners, the speed is amazing,” McGregor stated. “You realise immediately you’ve got no ides whare you’re doing – especially running across the boat, it’s the first time you’ve done anything like that in your life, but I got a bit better at it each time.”
He added, “It was one hell of a sailing lesson – I loved it, I had such a great time.”
Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix Details
The Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix marks the sixth stop of the Rolex SailGP Championship’s 2026 Season. Thirteen teams are competing at venues around the world. Emirates GBR, the reigning champion after their victory at the 2025 Season Grand Final in Abu Dhabi in November, currently holds second place on the 2026 Season leaderboard with 35 points.
- Australia’s BONDS Flying Roos are in first place with 45 points.
- Spain’s Los Gallos are in third place with 34 points.
- Emirates GBR has Sir Ben Ainslie as CEO.
Challenging Conditions on the Hudson
The New York racecourse is known for its iconic backdrop of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. Saturday’s conditions proved challenging, with a wind speed of about 40km/h, strong river currents, and compressed race boundaries. The high winds impacted the craning of the F50 race boats into the Hudson, limiting the number of boats able to participate.
The craning process followed championship standings order, allowing Australia’s BONDS Flying Roos, Emirates GBR, Spain’s Los Gallos and USA to be on the water. Only three boats raced due to the damage sustained by the Aussies’ F50 during practice laps. Emirates GBR secured a scorecard of 1-2-2 in the three races that took place on Saturday.
Conditions are set to be much lighter.