Sailing-SailGP hopes to hook new fans with ‘Uncharted’ docuseries

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NEW YORK (Reuters) -SailGP announced its first-ever docuseries on Tuesday, with the three-part project “Uncharted” focusing on Red Bull Italy SailGP CEO Jimmy Spithill, who is leading the team through their inaugural season.

SailGP is the global sailing championship featuring national teams competing in identical, high-performance F50 foiling catamarans that can reach speeds of over 50 knots (93 kph).

The league co-founded by billionaire entrepreneur Larry Ellison hopes to convert a new generation of fans amid ongoing growth in both attendance and television viewership, with big name sponsors lining up over the six years since its launch.

“As an emerging league, content development is super important to us,” said Melissa Lawton, the SailGP Chief Content Officer, who has been charged with ramping up the league’s entertainment arm.

“It’s central to building our brand around the world and breaking down barriers of entry into sailing as sport.”

“Uncharted” launches next month amid a surge of popularity for sports documentaries, boosted by Formula One’s “Drive to Survive,” that helped develop a new crop of American fans.

SailGP has drawn natural comparisons with Formula One and found its charismatic hero of the docuseries in Spithill, the former U.S. SailGP Team driver who has become one of the sport’s most decorated athletes after winning the America’s Cup at just 30 years of age.

“These boats are very, very fast and very unstable. And if you put them at the wrong angle or have any kind of equipment failure, anything could go wrong,” Ellison said in the documentary.

“These boats even end up, upside down. Some of the athletes succumb to the pressure, but not Jimmy. He was much more formidable than I ever realized.”

(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York, editing by Ed Osmond)