January 24, 2023
2 minutes reading time
eSailing World Championship 2023 kicks off as thousands of eSailors take on Cabo Verde in first challenge
The 2023 eSailing season is underway with the first in a series of weekly regattas on the world’s most popular boats, including F50, J70, Laser and 49er, which culminates in the live Grand Final in October.
Held in tandem with The Ocean Race in-port series, the first round began on 21 January with thousands of eSailors taking on the waters of Cabo Verde – the destination of Leg 1 of The Ocean Race.
This year’s championship qualification period is split into three seasons, each with its own final for the top 40 players. The Winter Season runs from 21 January to 22 March with the final scheduled for 25 March 2023, the Spring Season then kicks off and extends through to the final at the end of June, and finally the Summer Season wraps up in mid-August 2023.
The top 10 players from each season will advance straight to the Semi-Finals, where they will be joined by Special Event winners from events held as part of The Olympic eSport Series and eSailGP.
After the playoffs, the top 10 players will be joined by the winner of the World Sailing Steering the Course regatta to race at a live in-person Grand Final in early October 2023 for a share of the $10,000 USD cash prize pool courtesy of Virtual Regatta.
Last season’s Grand Final was held at Ocean Live Park in Alicante, Spain, the venue for the first leg of The Ocean Race, on 7 January 2023, where Alexandre Kowalski (AlexK – RS) held off a late challenge to be crowned 2022 eSailing World Champion.
Over 4,000 people tuned in on the World Sailing YouTube channel to watch the live final and World Sailing is currently welcoming applications to host this year’s final.
Scott Over, World Sailing’s Commercial Director, of World Sailing, said, “Since 2018 the eSailing World Championships have been a major promotional asset for our sport. The upcoming season offers great opportunities for competition and more chances to race for both beginner and experienced sailors looking to move up the ranks and win titles.”
This year marks the sixth year of Virtual Regatta‘s partnership with World Sailing, and the fifth anniversary of the popular eSailing World Championship. For more information and to register, please visit www.virtualregatta.com.