Opinion / Analysis
Coutts confirms safety overhaul – but is SailGP ahead of the game or playing catch-up?
Following the collision in Auckland that put Louis Sinclair and Manon Audinet in hospital, Russell Coutts confirmed at Sydney's press conference that engineering teams are deep into design reviews. That includes looking at...
The simulator arms race: How the America's Cup moved indoors
The modern America’s Cup boat is designed in the simulator, validated on the water, and raced by sailors who first learned to fly it on land. Walk into any modern Cup base and the most valuable boat isn’t in the shed; it’s in a...
Tom 'Mozzy' Morris: SailGP's Auckland safety review doesn't add up
I’ve seen a race management hearing document that appears to contradict SailGP’s official safety narrative around the New Zealand–France collision in Auckland. And it also seems to back up what Pete Burling and Blair Tuke have...
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...
Freddie Carr: A week that changed the sport
How did we get to a point where nearly 20,000 paying fans turned up to watch sailing in Auckland over a single weekend? That doesn’t happen by accident. For SailGP it felt like a line in the sand – and, more broadly, a marker for...
SailGP's F50 super licence is here – but can the infrastructure keep up?
For the first time in SailGP's seven-year history, there's a formal system to ensure everyone who steps onto an F50 is fully prepared to handle it. The F50 super licence is now mandatory for anyone who wants to train or race on...
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...
Freddie Carr: Auckland incident will be another turning point for safety
Seeing a wing lying across a broken catamaran brings back the toughest memories of the 2013 America’s Cup, when the sailing world lost Andrew Simpson in a training accident in San Francisco. Watching the Black Foils in Auckland...
Where's sailing's talent ladder?
“This is the Formula One of sailing.” I’ve lost count of how many times that line has been wheeled out while walking guests through an America’s Cup base or hosting at a SailGP event. It’s a bit cheesy, sure – but at the very top...
The results are in! What's missing in sailing media?
A week ago we asked a simple question: what stops you following more of the sport, and what would make it easier? The answers came back loud, specific, and slightly exasperated. The survey is still open if you want to have your...
From coach boat to control room: How data and AI are redefining coaching
For decades, elite sailing coaches were defined by their presence on the water. Chasing fleets in RIBs, shouting instructions between manoeuvres and relying on instinct honed over years of racing was the norm. Today, that image...
Russell Coutts wants Olympic sailing to think bigger
It can seem like Russell Coutts doesn’t talk about much else than SailGP. But that doesn’t mean he’s completely switched off from the rest of the sport. Quite the opposite in fact. The New Zealander doesn’t make much of a...
How to unite the fractured world of sailing
This morning at boot Düsseldorf, a new initiative was announced: World Sailing Day, designed to "promote all types of sailing, inspire new audiences, and strengthen the sport's future across generations and continents". It's a...
AC38: 6 key questions that still need answers
The launch event in the Palazzo Reale di Napoli for the 38th America's Cup this week was certainly impressive. But in terms of things actually learned? We're not left with a whole lot more than we already knew from the America’s...
Rise of the machines: Why automation is a problem
Did you know that Tom Cruise does his own movie stunts? Yes, of course you do. It’s part of the reason why his movies are such profitable blockbusters. After 30 or more years of incredible CGI effects, the Mission Impossible...
Knowledgebase
Knowledgebase Articles
Build-up to LA2028
The Olympic sailing programme for the Los Angeles 2028 Games has a lot of similarities with Paris 2024. The same 10 events stay the same from 2024, although the hope and expectation is that the weather will be much kinder than...
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Olympic History
Olympic Sailing is one of the oldest sports on the modern Olympic programme. Originally known as Yachting until the Sydney 2000 Games, the sport’s Olympic history reflects the evolution of sailing itself, transitioning from a...
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