Ewan McGregor and his friend Eric Strickland stepped aboard Emirates Great Britain’s F50 at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix on Saturday, calling it an “extraordinary adrenaline rush” during a day when only four boats made it onto the Hudson River and jus
On Saturday, the Hudson River didn’t feel like a backdrop—it felt like a test. During the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix, wind hovered around 40km/h, strong river currents tightened the margins, and the F50s’ craning into the water was disrupted enough that only four boats got out to the course.
Into that high-voltage moment stepped Ewan McGregor and his close friend Eric Strickland. The Scottish acting legend and his childhood companion boarded Emirates Great Britain’s F50 race boat for the team’s Sixth Sailor Experience after the first day of racing. taking on a session that reached speeds of over 90km/h.
McGregor and Strickland were on the 50ft foiling catamaran once the first-day racing had finished. with the boat itself built to push toward 100km/h. They shared the ride with Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher MBE. Wing Trimmer Stuart Bithell MBE. Flight Controller Luke Parkinson. and Grinders Nick Hutton and Neil Hunter.
For McGregor, the learning curve wasn’t theoretical. Standing, moving, and finding balance in a craft built for speed and corners meant absorbing G-force in real time. He described the experience as “like an extraordinary adrenaline rush. ” adding: “Just the speed and the G-force in the corners. the speed is amazing. You realise immediately you’ve got no ides whare you’re doing – especially running across the boat. it’s the first time you’ve done anything like that in your life. but I got a bit better at it each time. It was one hell of a sailing lesson – I loved it, I had such a great time.”.
The Sixth Sailor Experience is part of a preparation window for an upcoming transatlantic sailing adventure. That journey will be documented in the series True Wind. directed by David Alexanian and ELIXIR FILMS—whose previous work includes Long Way Round. Long Way Down. Long Way Up and Long Way Home.
Saturday’s racing itself carried the strain of those conditions. With craning completed in championship standings order. the boats able to make it onto the Hudson were Australia’s BONDS Flying Roos. Emirates GBR. Spain’s Los Gallos. and USA. Even after that. the day still narrowed sharply: while four boats made it onto the water. only three raced because Australia suffered a nosedive during practice laps and sustained damage to their F50. which rendered them out of the racing.
Emirates GBR entered the New York event as the reigning champion. after winning the 2025 Season Grand Final in Abu Dhabi in November. In the 2026 Season. the championship has 13 teams competing at iconic venues worldwide. and Emirates GBR currently sits second on 35 points — one point ahead of Spain’s Los Gallos in third. while Australia’s BONDS Flying Roos are first on 45.
The venue is one of SailGP’s most iconic settings: teams race on the Hudson River with the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline in view. But on Saturday. the river conditions were among the most challenging ever experienced in SailGP. and the race boundaries felt especially tightly compressed.
Three races took place on Saturday. Emirates GBR finished with a scorecard of 1-2-2.
Dylan Fletcher MBE summed up the day with a mix of respect and frustration. “It was super difficult conditions out there but it was great to get some racing in. We felt like we started well but unfortunately let the Spanish slip past us.”
Asked about the special guests onboard the F50 after racing. Fletcher called it “awesome.” He said McGregor was “absolutely stoked and it was top end conditions. ” and described watching him adapt fast: “He was absolutely ripping it. we had him on the wheel of the F50 and he was crossing the boat at 90+ km/h. There was certainly plenty of G-force and we were throwing it around the corners. Sailing with Ewan McGregor was certainly not anything I thought I’d be doing when I was ripping around with on my Laser Pico on Pitsford Reservoir as a kid.”.
Race day two at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix begins on Sunday at 20:30 BST. with conditions expected to be much lighter. The programme calls for three full fleet races before the top three teams progress to the winner-takes-all event final. with all the action available live in the UK on TNT Sports 3.
Ewan McGregor Eric Strickland Emirates GBR SailGP True Wind Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix F50 Dylan Fletcher Hudson River