Catamarans in a league of their own

New global circuit will feature fastest sailboats on planet

SAN DIEGO - SailGP, the new sailing league founded by tech billionaire Larry Ellison and five-time America's Cup winner Russell Coutts, will leap from concept to reality next month when six souped-up catamarans hit the starting line off Shark Island in Australia's Sydney Harbor.

SailGP will be a true global league, featuring many of the world's most accomplished sailors racing aboard the planet's fastest sailboats: 50-foot, wing-sailed catamarans that fly across the top of waves on hydrofoils.