SailGP's fifth season will begin in Dubai at the weekend, with Rolex as the title sponsor. This partnership has been in place since the creation of the league.

Rolex has been involved with sailing for almost 70 years and will become the title sponsor for the Los Angeles Grand Prix in mid-March of next year. It will also continue to be the official timepiece for SailGP as part of the 10-year agreement.

SailGP CEO Russell Coutts said, "What they like most about SailGP, is that it is modern, it attracts a bigger and younger audience, and it is an annual championship." He added Rolex was "inextricably" linked to the league.

Coutts said that SailGP, now in its fifth season, was able provide sponsors and venue owners with the security that sailing events lacked previously.

SailGP is a global racing series in which teams compete in high-profile venues on foiling 50-foot catamarans of the latest technology. The event was founded by Oracle's Larry Ellison who had previously been involved in successful U.S. America Cup campaigns.

Coutts stated that SailGP is still in discussions with other companies to join forces. He highlighted energy and financial services, as potential areas of interest.

Coutts stated that the SailGP events offer a unique fan experience, including hospitality.

He added, "The sport didn't have a platform before this, where they could plan and activate... a ten-year arrangement. It just didn't exist, not an entity which is professionally televised, and marketed consistently."

SailGP will offer $7 million in bonus prize money for the fifth season, when Brazil and Italy join.

The foils that lift the catamarans from the water have been modified, and Coutts predicts speeds up to 110 km/h in ideal wind conditions.

'MORE VISIBLE'

Joel Aeschlimann is the International Sponsorship Manager at Rolex. He said that Rolex will "be much more visible around SailGP and in the next few years". The distinctive logo of Rolex is displayed prominently on the jibsails of the catamarans.

Aeschlimann, a SailGP partner, said: "We were very happy to be a founding partner and we had firmly believed that the vision of Russell and Larry would work."

Aeschlimann stated that this faith has paid off, and that the package assembled by SailGP allows for enjoyment, whether watched on the shore, screen, or from the water. It includes all the ingredients needed to enjoy a modern sporting event.

Rolex was attracted to SailGP by the combination of the world's best sailors, the latest technological innovations, and the human emotions and achievements.

Rolex sponsors 15 major international sailing races including the Sydney-Hobart Race and Fastnet Races. It also partners with institutions such as the New York Yacht Club, the Royal Yacht Squadron of Britain, and the New York Yacht Club.

The company also has connections with SailGP participants such as Ben Ainslie who owns the British team and runs it, Tom Slingsby who skipper Australia's F50 and Hannah Mills who won two golds at the Olympics and is Britain's strategist.

Rolex, Formula 1's partner since 2013, was replaced by the French luxury company LVMH this year. The two companies agreed on a 10-year deal. (Reporting and editing by Ed Osmond; Additional reporting in New York by Amy Tennery)

(source: Reuters)