New SailGP season. Same disappointing results for Team USA.
Chesapeake sailor Craig Ligibel provides SpinSheet fans with a SailGP update:
When the US SailGP team unpacked its bags two weeks ago and slipped the shiny F-50 catamaran into the friendly water of Los Angeles, the team was brimming with excitement about being able to compete in front of home crowds and perhaps enjoy a reset of what had been up to this point a disappointing season.
After a dramatic capsize in the Sydney event four weeks ago which took the team out of the running, the Americans were looking forward to showing their fans in LA and San Francisco what they could do racing against the best in the world with back to events held the past two weekends.
“Didn’t happen the way we had hoped,” a determined US SailGP co-owner, CEO, and strategist Mike Buckley told SpinSheet last week. “No excuses [for finishing at the back of the fleet in both events].” The US team seemed to start well enough but never achieved the consistency needed to be competitive in either of the race venues.
“The scorecard doesn’t show the improvement we as a team have made, but finishing 11th and 9th is nothing to hang our hat on,” continued US driver Taylor Canfield. “At our stage of development, we shoot for progress in each and every event. We are confident that with progress will come victories.”
The winner’s circle in both the LA and San Francisco was populated by familiar SailGP names. Last year’s season champion Spain picked up the win in SFO with Canada walking off with the top prize in LA. All in all, after five international Sail GP events, a different national team has claimed victory each time. The best Team US has been able to manage was a third-place finish in the season’s debut in Dubai.
The high-flying sailing circuit next heads for its inaugural event in Rio de Janeiro.
Heading to Brazil it is perennial favorite Australia on top of the season’s leaderboard followed closely by Emirates GBR and Spain. In overall statistics, Team USA is 11th out of the fleet’s 12 boats. Australia’s Tom Slingsby, whose boat suffered a heart stopping collapse of its wing in the final race of the San Francisco event, puts his team’s position in the standings this way: “For us it’s all about consistency. Thank goodness nobody was injured when the wing crumpled. Now it’s all about finding the cause and getting the boat back together for Rio.”
Buckley and Canfield have been firm in their commitment to their present team. “We might make some tweaks here and there… but in the final analysis it’s only been a few missteps here and there that have relegated us to the rear of the fleet,” affirms Canfield. Between now and Rio the team will spend lots of time looking at data and analyzing video. “It’s not on-water time, but its time well spent getting ready for the next challenge,” says tactician Anna Weiss. Despite the distractions that will be evident in Rio, Weiss is confident her team can focus on the job at hand. “We might have a bit of fun,” she says with a smile, “but our job is to get better every day.”
Flying F-50s have a fan base.
Since its humble beginnings five years ago with six boats and a meager six-event schedule, Sail GP has mushroomed into an international showcase of sailing excellence. Hundreds of thousands of fans cram waterside stands for a glimpse of the flying F-50’s. Hundreds of thousands tune in via multi-media channels worldwide.
Buckley describes the fans who are drawn to the sport thusly: “We have the diehard sailors who are a bit skeptical about our foiling boats… and we have people who come out for the lifestyle and fun of following a global racing event. We’re not Formula One—yet—but the potential is there with our fan incentives and onsite hospitality to take our place among the world’s most exciting sporting attractions. As for the sailors, this is sailboat racing. All a sailor needs to do is see these boats in person to become a believer.”
To that end, Buckley foresees the day when SailGP will have the resources to stage mini-exhibitions all across the country, perhaps at sailboat shows like the Annapolis Sailboat Show, as a way to draw more true sailors into the SailGP fanbase. “The more we can expose people to these boats, sailors and non-sailors, the more excitement we can build. We need to get the resources to outreach to yacht clubs and boat shows. Once somebody sees these boats in action they are in awe.”
As a collegiate, Buckley sailed just across the Bay at Washington College. He is very knowledgeable about the East Coast sailing scene. Buckley recalls some Swan 45 match race exhibitions staged in Annapolis years ago. “As a young sailor just starting out, I really wanted a place on those boats. Very exciting to see up close. We would love to put something together like that for Annapolis and other strong regional shows,” he says with all sincerity. "Give us some time. We’ll make it happen.”
SailGP comes to the East Coast
For SailGP fans whose travel plans don’t include a trip to Rio in May, consider making arrangements to attend the New York event on Governor’s Island June 8-9. Your roving reporter can vouch for the venue and the excitement of racing in the Big Apple. Go to SailGP.com for ticket information.
By Craig Ligibel
