'A natural amphitheater': Organizers say SailGP event in Halifax a success

On-the-water excitement and packed piers over the weekend point to the inaugural SailGP race in Canada as being a resounding success.

“We knew it would be good, we knew it would be fun, but it was off the charts and it blew away all our expectations,” says Frank Denis, the executive director of Sail Nova Scotia, the organization that hosted the Rockwool Canada Sail Grand Prix in the Halifax Harbour.

It was thought attendance would be about 20,000, but that was way off. Early estimates show closer to 50,000 people per day showed up on Saturday and Sunday.

Records were set for the fastest sellout. The 330 boat passes, so people could watch from the water, were the most sold ever, as was the amount of merchandise sold on Saturday.

“I think SailGP, coming into this, knew there was a level of excitement, but didn’t understand that there would be people lined up, trying to get into the race stadium two hours before the event,” says Denis.

According to Denis, the racers felt the excitement too.

“The French sailors were saying Saturday was the best SailGP race event they’ve ever done. I think it’s a natural amphitheater. They love racing for fans and to see the fans lined up from Pier 21 right down to Purdy‘s Wharf gave them some encouragement, gave them some excitement.”

Jeff Sittler was in the crowd and the Kitchener, Ont. resident says he will be back.

“The races were awesome. It was amazing watching how they hydroplane and come basically right out of the water,” he says.

“It was fantastic,” adds Ross Jefferson from Discover Halifax.

“If anyone was down here, you saw people on top of the roof of all of the buildings. The waterfront was stacked full, people were in parking garages having viewing parties.”

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Jefferson says the economic impact isn't known yet, but it should surpass the early projections of $14 million, especially with so many people tuned in on TV from around the world.

“We saw a tremendous jump in our own website traffic, people who are interested in learning a little bit more about Halifax, maybe for a visit or something else. It definitely raises the attention of Halifax on the global stage,” he says.

As with most first-year events, there are some things to work on, like increasing the number of tickets for sale and potentially a grandstand.

“The challenge with a grandstand on the piers is simply the weight distribution, but it is something that SailGP is looking at, some on land surfaces that they could build some grandstands on,” Denis says.

First, SailGP and the city will both need to agree to bring the event back. The two sides signed a mutual agreement contract for three years.

Denis says discussions will begin shortly and a decision will hopefully be made by Labour Day.

Click here for a photo gallery of images from SailGP.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.