Andy Rice

—Senior Contributor

Andy did his first interview while he was campaigning a 470 dinghy on the Olympic circuit. It was a windless ‘no sailing’ day at Hyeres Olympic Regatta in 1990, just a few months after the Berlin Wall came down, with East German sailing star and multiple gold medallist Jochen Schumann. He has been writing about sailing ever since. Andy still races actively today in the one-man Musto Skiff fleet, although the day job is very much writing and live commentating across a range of events around the world. As well as working at the past five Olympic Games, going back to Beijing 2008, Andy has reported at the America’s Cup, The Ocean Race, the Vendée Globe among many other grand prix regattas. Since the start of 2025 he has been writing for The Athletic/New York Times, reporting on the SailGP circuit. At the less glamorous end of the sport Andy also maintains active links with the grass roots dinghy scene as the organiser of the Selden Sailjuice Winter Series, for all those mad dogs and nutters that still want to go racing in the coldest, darkest months of the Great British winter.

Ineos vs Athena: What happens when you make Ben Ainslie angry

“They’ve made a big mistake. They’ve made me angry; you don’t want to make me angry.” The words of Ben Ainslie after a controversial race 8 of the Olympic Regatta at London 2012. The Danish and Dutch competitors in the Finn...

Luca Rizzotti bought a Moth in 2007 and accidentally started a movement

When we launched The Foil at the start of this year, it was understandable that quite a few people incorrectly jumped to the conclusion that it must be a Luca Rizzotti project. After all, this passionate Italian has become...

Trouble in the Strait of Hormuz points to sailing's future

A fortnight ago, had you even heard of the Strait of Hormuz? Until the Middle East blew up, this narrow stretch of water that connects the Arabian Gulf with the Indian Ocean was barely known to most of us. Now it seems like the...

Low-breeze Sydney still a welcome distraction from reality

It is amazing how being in the bubble of SailGP can distract you from all that is going on in the world, not least the proliferation of hostilities in the Middle East. As soon as SailGP’s podium presentation was complete, and the...

Lightning threat calls off SailGP practice – again

No practice racing for the second event running. Normally sailors aren’t that bothered about missing a practice race, especially if it’s chucking down with rain like it has been in Sydney for the past 24 hours. But lost time in...

'The safest is when you're pushing hard' - Billy Gooderham explains flight control

Last season, NorthStar SailGP Team’s flight controller Billy Gooderham spent most of his race time focused on a piece of PVC tape on the bow of the F50. “It is now painted on the boat for us with a new paint job this year, so...

Jury verdict: Black Foils pushed too hard before Auckland crash

The Black Foils could have sailed their F50 more conservatively in order to avoid the loss of control that resulted in the collision with the French team at the Auckland SailGP Grand Prix earlier this month. That’s the broad...

The long shadow of Sassnitz – and the split-fleet future

The problems at the SailGP weekend in Auckland date back to the problems at SailGP in Sassnitz last August, in more ways than one. 1. The disintegration of the Brazilian F50 on the practice day in Germany, caused by a rare...

How SailGP’s Auckland weekend took a dark turn

It was a shocking change of momentum to witness the Black Foils’ fall from grace on home waters. After the battle to put the broken F50 back together after that collision with Switzerland in Perth, Pete Burling and his crew came...

SailGP to split the fleet for Sunday races

SailGP race officer Iain Murray has decided to split the fleet into two groups for Sunday’s concluding fleet races before the three-boat final at the New Zealand Grand Prix in Auckland. While The Foil hasn’t yet heard the reasons...

Black Foils grinder Sinclair suffers breaks to both legs

Following the catastrophic collision between New Zealand and France during Saturday’s SailGP racing on a gusty and unpredictable Auckland Harbour, the New Zealand team has published this statement on Saturday evening: “Black...

Lightning threat puts a stop to vital practice day

On Friday 13th, it was tempting fate to push the fleet of 13 boats on to Auckland Harbour for a day of practice racing. With so few practice days on the season schedule, canning a day of sailing is a big deal. But with the threat...

American Magic buys Rockwool Denmark

Four weeks ago, when I interviewed Nicolai Sehested in the mixed zone after Saturday’s opening day of racing at SailGP Perth, I asked the Danish skipper a cheeky question. There he was, still dripping wet in his wetsuit and...

Black Foils and Los Gallos seek Auckland retribution

The Black Foils have been in a dark mood about that penalty in Perth, and ‘Los Gallos’ have been seeing red over their lack of compensation points for a broken boat during training in Perth. While neither Burling nor Botín can...

The Olympian windsurfer with a golden future far beyond LA 2028

Having worn the yellow bib going into the winner-takes-all medal race final at Paris 2024, Grae Morris might be forgiven for harbouring a few regrets at missing out on Olympic gold. But the young Australian windsurfer is not...