Okay, sure. Ryan Reynolds isn’t the only charismatic movie star who also happens to be smart, attractive, and a millionaire thanks to numerous business ventures that supplement his Hollywood earnings. Nor is he the only charismatic actor—smart, attractive, and a multimillionaire—who owns a stake in a professional sports team. In fact, he co-owns more than one. But that’s not news either.
However, Ryan Reynolds did make headlines this weekend during the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix of SailGP. Instead of simply posing for photos alongside the Australian team BONDS Flying Roos SailGP—which he co-owns with another charismatic, intelligent, attractive, and wealthy star —Hugh Jackman— Reynolds put on his helmet, felt the water hitting his face and the G-forces on his body, and even got to helm his team’s flying F50, a racing trimaran capable of exceeding 55 miles per hour (90 km/h), before the official start of the races in the waters of Great Sound, in Bermuda.
And, let’s be honest, even the fact that Reynolds boarded his team’s boat in Bermuda probably wouldn’t have been big news on its own. But I felt compelled to publish this little story because of what he said after sailing the deep blue waters of Bermuda alongside skipper Tom Slingsby and his crew.
“It’s been the most incredible experience of my life,” Reynolds said. “It’s absolutely crazy. The world needs to know more about this sport. It’s really amazing.”
And I have to say that, based on my own experience sailing one of these incredibly fast boats, he’s absolutely right. Sailing at more than twice the wind speed in a fully foiling F50, powered by a rigid wing and generating G-forces typical of Formula 1, is simply wild. In the best possible way.
But I’m also humble enough to know that far more people will be interested in what Ryan Reynolds thinks about the speed and excitement of SailGP than in the opinion of a sailing journalist with a bit of a pseudo-preppy vibe. And that’s perfectly fine by me!
As a lifelong sailor who has followed the development of SailGP since the aftermath of the 2017 America’s Cup in Bermuda—when Oracle Team USA lost the Cup to Emirates Team New Zealand—I love seeing how SailGP and other major events continue to evolve and grow. And if Ryan Reynolds helps more people discover the power, beauty, and excitement of ultra-high-performance racing, I’m all for it.
And, by the way, his team, the BONDS Flying Roos, won this weekend’s race in Bermuda, the fifth stop of the 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship season. The next event in the championship will be the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix, scheduled for May 30 and 31 on the Hudson River. And I have a feeling that there will be no shortage of excitement or star power there either. We’ll be keeping an eye on it.