The tactician's role: Elliot Hanson on his career change of tack

Elliot Hanson represented Great Britain in the Laser at Tokyo 2020. Since then, he's moved into keel boat sailing – not just as a crew member, but as a tactician building and running a team in the Cape 31 class.

In this conversation with The Foil's Andy Rice, Elliot talks honestly about what that transition has actually looked like: discovering he genuinely loves sailing in teams despite coming from single-handed racing, the challenge of managing expectations when you don't have the biggest budget or the most training days, and why he thinks being the fastest learners in the fleet matters more than being the all-star crew on paper.

Andy and Elliot get into the details of how he structures race days – pre-race briefings to prime the team, what to address in the moment versus saving for the end-of-day debrief, and how the tactician sets the emotional tone of the whole boat.

They also talk about the age-old tension between the front and back of the boat, how cross-training builds respect across roles, and what it takes to create an environment where less experienced sailors feel safe enough to ask questions and push back.