On Thursday 10 May 2018, the Official eSailing World Championship will officially launch at World Sailing’s headquarters in London, Great Britain, starting the journey to a live arena final this October.

In partnership with the leading digital sailing platform, Virtual Regatta, the inaugural season of the eSailing World Championship will commence at 20:30 BST / 21:30 UTC on 10 May and will culminate in the final in Sarasota, Florida, USA on Tuesday 30 October 2018.

From now, through to the launch, the countdown will commence on Virtual Regatta’s in-shore game.

The eSailing World Championship will be made up of a series of Challenges and Live Events with different levels of importance. During each Challenge and Live Event, gamers will be able to compete in as many races as they want, for free. These regattas will enable players to accumulate points that will establish their standings in the eSailing World Rankings.

Leading gamers will then advance to the Playoffs to determine who will head to Florida, the sunshine state, for the final for the opportunity to be crowned the first ever eSailing World Champion.

The eSailing World Championship is aimed at everyone from expert sailors to sports gamers. Virtual Regatta has experienced that around half of players are non-sailors, and with a young age profile and World Sailing view the Championships as a perfect way for fans without access to sailing equipment or facilities to become engaged in the excitement of the sport.

The unique qualities of sailing – combining sport, nature and technology – lend themselves to a virtual gaming environment. The multiplicity of variables, with the combination of equipment and the forces of nature, make virtual sailing every bit as challenging and strategic as the real thing.

Virtual Regatta currently has more than one million active players on its platform and has acquired in excess of 100 million views on Dailymotion.

“Following our announcement of the eSailing World Championship last November, anticipation for the competition format, types of boat which will be available and playability has been incredibly high,” commented World Sailing President Kim Andersen.

“We’re delighted with the progress we have made and in Virtual Regatta we have a committed partner to ensure we appeal to expert sailors and gamers with a fantastic user experience at the heart of the game play.

“We’re excited to release the game to the world and inspiring more people to engage with our sport.”

“We are very pleased to be joining World Sailing in partnership,” expressed Philippe Guigne, founder and CEO of Virtual Regatta.

“Our e-sailing model has been proven over the years by players from around the world. The support of the governing body of the sport adds value to our concept and the players involved. It also confirms the growing importance of gaming on a digital platform for the development of our sport.”

World Sailing are inviting members of the press to attend the launch on Thursday 10 May at World Sailing’s Executive Office from 18:30 BST / 19:30 UTC.

World Sailing President Kim Andersen, Founder and CEO of Virtual Regatta Philippe Guigné and World Sailing Chief Commercial Officer Hugh Chambers will present the eSailing World Championships with a unique opportunity to become one of the first players of the game afterwards.

Interview opportunities will be available with Kim Andersen, Philippe Guigné, Hugh Chambers as well as World Sailing’s Board of Directors and CEO Andy Hunt.

For further information and to confirm your attendance please contact World Sailing Communications and Digital Manager Daniel Smith on daniel.smith@sailing.org.

About Virtual Regatta

Virtual Regatta is the leading digital sailing platform with a community of more than one million players.

Founded in Paris, France in 2002 by passionate sailor Philippe Guigné, Virtual Regatta strives to give everyone the possibility to discover and practice sailing.

Since its inception, Virtual Regatta has created and published an Offshore and Inshore version of the game, mirroring the real sailing world. More than 150 digital competitions have been organised to date with a record 485,000 participants playing in the Vendée Globe.

In addition, Virtual Regatta is the official and exclusive game of major sailing events including the Volvo Ocean Race, Vendée Globe, Extreme Sailing Series and the Star Sailors League.