Canada's NorthStar SailGP Team claims Impact League top spot after winning third focus area: Climate
by SailGP 18 Sep 03:23 NZST
Canada NorthStar SailGP Team helmed by Giles Scott in front of the grandstand on Race Day 1 of The Rolex SailGP Championship ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland, New Zealand © Ricardo Pinto for SailGP
SailGP has today announced the winner of the third Impact League Focus Area for the 2025 Season, Canada's NorthStar SailGP Team, which claimed the top spot in the Climate Action category and now lead the overall Impact League leaderboard.
As part of SailGP's season-long Impact League - an industry-first competition which runs alongside the racing - teams were challenged to design and deliver projects that address climate change in ocean-connected communities and ecosystems. Over a two-week judging period, submissions were ranked according to the scale, depth and durability of their positive impact, with the Canadians emerging as the standout performers. This marks the first time Canada has won a focus area challenge, outperforming defending Impact League champions, Emirates Great Britain, and inaugural Impact League winners (Season 3), the Black Foils from New Zealand.
Working in partnership with the Community Eelgrass Restoration Initiative (CERI) at Dalhousie University, the Canadian team led the largest eelgrass planting in Atlantic Canada, involving 45 youth sailors planting 2,000 eelgrass shoots just off the coast of Halifax. The project builds on previous efforts in Season 4 through a collaboration with ROCKWOOL Denmark, now establishing a long-term eelgrass restoration initiative. By restoring vital eelgrass habitats, the team is helping to pull carbon from the ocean and create habitat for countless marine species. The eelgrass, which acts like a natural filter, also strengthens the shoreline, helping to withstand big storms. Judges praised the project as "a highly tangible example of sport driving real environmental outcomes," noting the compounding benefits it will bring to the region if the eelgrass thrives.
NorthStar SailGP Team athlete, Tim Hornsby commented: "The eelgrass planting was a great experience. It was really fulfilling and I feel like we made a difference. The SailGP Impact League allows us to look for different projects and ways to have a positive effect on our sport. It also really does mean we are getting out in the community and doing some hard work to make the world a better place in the future."
In second, New Zealand were recognized for their bold and effective campaigning for policy change. Partnering with Live Ocean Foundation, the team launched Foil4TheGulf, New Zealand's largest foiling event,to spotlight the urgent need for marine protection in the Hauraki Gulf, alongside efforts to mobilize the sailing community and broader public to advocate for the expansion of protected marine areas.. Judges highlighted the team's strategic use of influence, to affect legislative change, calling it "one of the most impactful things that influential athletes can do."
Emirates Great Britain took third place with a campaign focused on global climate education. In partnership with youth social network Goodwall, they launched the #PowerUpChallenge — inviting young people to engage with the role of renewable energy in sport, with winners receiving both financial support and mentorship from SailGP's renewable energy partner, Low Carbon.
Returning judge, Sam Sutaria, CEO WaterBear Network, praised the evident elevation in this year's projects from the teams: "SailGP is redefining sailing and the Impact League is redefining impact in sport. Judging Climate Action for the second year in a row, I saw a big shift in the sophistication and calibre of the projects. From NorthStar delivering localised impact in the ocean south of Halifax, to the Black Foils advocating for legislative change, to Emirates Great Britain investing heavily in climate education for youth around the world - these teams are showcasing the potential of sport to shift the dial."
New to the judging panel for the 2025 season, Annie Horn, Director, Social Impact & Inclusion and Sustainability, NBA, commended the Impact League: "SailGP's Impact League is redefining what it means to compete with purpose. Judging the Climate Action category gave me a front-row seat to how teams are innovating for a more sustainable and inclusive future—on and off the water."
Catch all teams back in action this weekend, as the most exciting racing on water returns with SailGP setting sail on Lake Geneva for the very first time. The Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix will unfold over two action-packed days of racing, September 20-21, 2025. Tune in to Sailgp.com/Watch to follow all the live action across the weekend.