WASZP North American Race Team Joins SailGP Inspire in Halifax

Sailing the WASZP is increasingly becoming one of the clearest pathways into the best teams, programs, and experiences in high-performance sailing.

This weekend, sailors from the WASZP Class North American Race Team have been welcomed into the SailGP Inspire Program as SailGP returns to Halifax Harbour for one of the most exciting weekends in global sailing. For these young athletes, the opportunity is more than a front-row seat to the fastest racing on water. It is a chance to step inside the professional side of the sport, learn from the SailGP environment, and then carry that energy directly into two major WASZP championships in Nova Scotia.

The team is in Halifax for a major stretch of racing that includes the Canadian Nationals at Bedford Basin Yacht Club, followed by the WASZP North American Championships at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. Together, the events create a true foiling festival for the Class, bringing top sailors from across the continent to one of Canada’s most active and historic sailing communities.

The SailGP Inspire opportunity also comes on the heels of FOIL4ALL, an amazing community event sponsored and directed by WeCANFoil that just wrapped up on the Halifax waterfront. FOIL4ALL brought foiling directly to local sailors and families, creating an open and welcoming entry point into the sport. From first rides to high-performance progression, the program showed exactly how a major international event can leave something meaningful behind for the local sailing community.

That local growth has been supported by a strong Canadian partnership led by WeCANFoil. The Canadian foiling community has not only helped welcome the WASZP Class to Halifax, but has also invested in creating real access for local sailors. FOIL4ALL is a powerful example of that mission in action: taking the excitement of SailGP and turning it into an opportunity for more people to get on the water, try foiling, and see a pathway into the future of the sport.

“We are incredibly grateful to the NorthStar team and SailGP for opening the door for our sailors and for supporting the growth of foiling here in Halifax,” said Agustin Ferrario, WeCANFoil Program Director. “FOIL4ALL showed what is possible when the local sailing community, the Canadian team, and world-class partners work together. This kind of access inspires young sailors, supports local programs, and helps build a stronger pathway from first flight to high-performance racing.”

For the WASZP sailors, the connection is clear. They are not arriving in Halifax only for championship racing. They are stepping into a broader movement that includes community access, youth development, professional inspiration, and international competition all in one place.

During the Halifax SailGP weekend, the WASZP Class North American Race Team has had the chance to use the SailGP team training simulator, giving the sailors a rare look at the speed, decision-making, communication, and precision required at the top of the sport. They will also be on the water in the WASZP, running races between SailGP events and showcasing the next generation of foiling talent in the same harbor that is hosting the F50 fleet.

For the sailors, the access is extraordinary. Between their own racing, they will be able to get up close to the action from coach boats and experience the scale and intensity of SailGP from inside the racecourse environment. Seeing the world’s best sailors manage starts, boat handling, communication, tactics, and high-speed risk in real time is the kind of learning opportunity that cannot be recreated in a classroom or standard training session.

It is also a powerful reminder of why the WASZP has become such an important pathway boat. The Class gives young sailors an accessible, one-design platform to develop the exact habits that matter in modern high-performance sailing: flight control, apparent wind awareness, athletic boat handling, tactical discipline, and the confidence to make decisions at speed. The connection to SailGP Inspire shows how clearly the pathway now extends from local clubs and community programs into the professional foiling arena.

Halifax is an ideal stage for that connection. FOIL4ALL introduced foiling to the broader community. SailGP Inspire brings young athletes close to the professional end of the sport. The Canadian Nationals at Bedford Basin Yacht Club will give sailors a fast, flat-water venue in a community that has embraced foiling. From there, the fleet moves to the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, one of the most historic yacht clubs in North America, for the WASZP North American Championships.

The back-to-back format creates a rare opportunity for sailors to train, race, learn, and build momentum over multiple weeks in one location. It also shows what is possible when professional sailing, national Class racing, local clubs, and community programs work together.

For the WASZP Class North American Race Team, the weekend is a bridge between aspiration and reality. The sailors are not simply watching SailGP from the shoreline. They are participating in the ecosystem around it. They are meeting the people, seeing the tools, studying the racing, connecting with local sailors, and then putting their own boats on the water.

That is what makes this moment so important for the Class in North America. The pathway is becoming visible. Young sailors can start through local access programs, progress through regional racing, join Class training, qualify for major championships, and now experience the professional environment that represents the highest level of the sport.

As SailGP brings the world’s attention to Halifax Harbour, the WASZP sailors will be there as part of the show and part of the future. Their next challenge will come quickly, with the Canadian Nationals and North American Championships waiting just ahead. But this weekend, they get something equally valuable: a glimpse of where the sport can take them.

For the sailors of the WASZP Class North American Race Team, Halifax is not just another stop on the calendar. It is a launchpad.