#season five sailgp

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Changes coming for Season 5 of SailGP.

Foiling in lighter winds is a laudable goal, but g*d help any crew member ever goes over or through the fairings or trampoline with this setup and at higher speeds.

Would be good to get some real candid thoughts from teams on this development.

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Well, we can’t confirm the world domination part, but…

And it seems there will be more space rockets (and robots?) built at that workshop:

From this week, Rocket Lab – who pioneered the use of carbon composites in space by developing the world’s first carbon composite orbital rocket – will lease SailGP Technologies’ 70,000 square foot development and manufacturing complex in Warkworth.

More than 50 SailGP Technologies New Zealand based team members will remain at the facility and join the Rocket Lab team, supporting a growing production rate for the Electron rocket and the rapid development of Neutron, Rocket Lab’s new 13,000 kg payload class rocket. As part of the transition, Rocket Lab will retain the facilities’ advanced manufacturing equipment including an autoclave, ovens, composite material cutting plotters, CNC metal machining equipment, and large-scale CNC composite machining equipment to support accelerated R&D and production.

Founded in 2001 as Core Builders Composites (CBC), the Warkworth facility has in recent years become heavily focussed on building and maintaining the cutting-edge F50 catamarans used in SailGP’s global racing league – one of the world’s fastest growing sport leagues – which accounts for around 80% of its work.

With 85% of SailGP events being staged in the northern hemisphere – growing from five to thirteen events since its inaugural season, the league will relocate its manufacturing facility to Southampton near SailGP’s global headquarters in London, England. SailGP Technologies will transition its operations to the South Coast of England from November this year, with the aim of being fully operational by April 2024.

[happypeachwhispers]

Next project: VOTE!

yes yes, the "Fries" are crunchy and well seasoned but the insightful and sometimes spicy chit chat between them and AHA is almost over. Later today and next week the last two parts will be posted. Time for something new and equally exciting! Down here a list of the podcasts I found, but if you have suggestions, please let me know!

Too Late Night Show After Dark Podcast : Sebastian has a good long friendly conversation with Alex Høgh Andersen from Vikings about hygge and youtube!

Into the Depths : Episode 3 of Into The Depths sees us head to home waters for the first ever Danish SailGP event in Aarhus. So, what better guest than a true Viking - Danish actor Alex Høgh Andersen? Alex tells all about joining the team onboard the foiling F50 for the ride of a lifetime and reveals some of his biggest challenges as he has risen to become one of Denmark’s most in-demand actors. Ever wondered what life was really like on the set of Vikings? Well, now you can find out…

RADIO GLAD: Lars Hauberg is visited by Alex Høgh Andersen who is currently in the American series "Vikings" which hits all over the world. Alex plays the angry and tormented Ivar Benløs who is the son of the Viking chief Ragnar and - as the name says - can not walk on his legs, but must drag himself off the floor with the help of two sharp daggers, which he furiously chases into the ground. Alex talks about the many challenges in his work. About struggles and joys - and about how it all started with the Fairytale Theater and mother's good advice.

PodPassion: This week, Mads Emil Grove Møller is visited by the actor Alex Høgh Andersen, who has enjoyed great success in the HBO series 'Vikings'. The conversation touched on his acting career, ‘Vikings’, experiences. In addition, the talk touched on Alex's passion for photography and an upcoming book, charity, social media, personal goals and what it's like to be a world star.

Alene: This episode of 'Alone' features actor Alex Høgh Andersen and 16-year-old Emma. Together they talk about life as actors, about feeling alone without really being that and his problems.

Livets Skole: Today's guest has truly experienced adventures in the big world. In today's episode, we talk with actor Alex Høgh Andersen, about the journey abroad, and all the vulnerability and excitement that brings.

Jonas og Malte Mod Verden: It's December, but that does not mean we're going into Christmas mood. Because we have been visited by a real Danish Viking. Name is Alex Høgh Andersen who plays Ivar The Boneless in History Channel's "Vikings" on HBO Nordic. We're talking about the life of the new international actor, both the past and the future in front of the camera, what to do when you're not crawling around and throwing axes. And then we fix some problems in the worst possible way.

Ildsjael: We are back! And what a section! Alex Høgh Andersen is on fire!We hear the stories about the back of the medal, by playing “Ivar Benløs”, in the global mega-success 'Vikings' and about the price that Alex has personally had to pay to perform at SO high a level while he himself struggled with physical and mental challenges. It's wild! Alex is currently nominated for a Bodil, for Best Male Lead, for his work in Ole Bornedal's "The Shadow In My Eye" - and in addition to his work as an actor - his heart beats for photography and for humanitarian work. Now we turn up the heat! Ladies and gentlemen; Alex Høgh! Get inspired!

DIGITAL+SOCIAL: In a unique series of masterclasses recorded live on Instagram, Jonas Risvig takes you on the journey of inspiring Danes. The message is simple: stay home and unfold your creativity.

Køretimen: Have you ever seen a Viking in a Porsche? If you're listening to this episode of Driving Time, then you have at least heard what it sounds like when you ask a true Viking to pick five pieces of music. Today's guest is the hyper-talented actor Alex Høgh Andersen, who plays the role of Ivar The Boneless in Vikings. It's pure driving pleasure, love of music and a good solid nice conversation - it's a driving lesson. Listen carefully.

Mads og A-holdet (talk show format): The A-team : Actor Alex Høgh Andersen, TV host Sofie Linde and comedian Melvin Kakooza. Sharing intimate photos, a bonus daughter from the past and a potential neighbor conflict.

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SAILGP New York 2019 – Japan takes first ever SailGP event win in New York In front of fan-lined shores, Japan beat Australia to sit atop the leaderboard by one point NEW YORK – June 22, 2019 – In front of large crowds lining the waterfront in downtown Manhattan, the Japan SailGP Team – helmed by double Olympic medalist Nathan Outteridge – beat off strong competition from Tom Slingsby’s Australia SailGP Team to win its first event in the inaugural SailGP season. An intense final match race took place between the two notorious rivals on the Hudson River racecourse, which saw drama before the start as the high-powered F50s, capable of intense speeds, made contact. A penalty to Australia saw Japan eventually get the better of the season’s leaders and take the victory in New York. “Here we knew it would be a challenge and what I am really proud about is that our whole team focused every single step of the way,” said Outteridge. “I am relieved because we really needed a win, we deserved to win, and I am proud of everyone’s effort. The Aussies are, without a doubt, the team to beat, and I think now we are starting to even out the playing field and can’t wait until Cowes.” New York’s urban landscape provided an extra challenge for the world-class athletes this week as they battled shifting breezes and varied wind speeds on a smaller, more challenging racecourse. Boat handling and maneuvering on the foils was significantly more of a factor than ever before as the boats flew around the Hudson at the fastest speeds yet seen on SailGP, with the Australia team hitting a top speed of 48.69 knots (nearly 60 mph). It was the superior adaptability of the Japanese team that won the event on the Hudson. “It was tough conditions, but the Japan team was better. They’ve been better than us the last two days, and they deserve the win,” said Slingsby. “The way this sport has gone, and the way Nathan and my careers have gone has been amazing, and we’re so happy to be here racing each other; unfortunately, it’s on different teams, but it also makes it more fun.” The United States SailGP Team, led by Rome Kirby, gave the estimated 30,000 people lining the shore a reason to cheer when they crossed the finish line first in race five. Scoring its first ever SailGP win on home turf was a special moment for the United States SailGP Team, and a move that placed the crew third overall at the event. “The boys were pretty fired up to go racing today, and it showed,” said Kirby. “To win a race is awesome but we want to win events. But we’re happy to be on the podium, and it was awesome to see the crowd out there.” Only one point separates Japan and Australia on the Season 1 leaderboard, but now four teams have proved they are capable of winning races, putting the pressure on for the next event in Cowes. One team that will be looking forward to racing in Cowes is the Great Britain SailGP Team, which suffered a capsize on the Hudson that significantly damaged its wingsail. The British will be eager for redemption in front of their hometown crowd at the first European event of SailGP’s inaugural season. “It’s been a disappointing weekend all in all for us – we learned a lot from our capsize yesterday, and I’m proud as a team of how we came back after that setback,” said helmsman Dylan Fletcher. SailGP’s next stop is Cowes, UK, over the weekend of August 10-11, when the home of British sailing will be able to witness the intense racing and awe-inspiring speeds of the F50s. New York SailGP Results 1 // Japan // 49pts 2 // Australia // 45pts 3 // United States // 37pts 4 // China // 33pts 5 // France // 32pts 6 // Great Britain // 27pts

Sail GP NY

All photos and text from www.catsailingnews.com

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A three-year agreement is great, but there is no guarantee that SailGP will be back.

But from all accounts, the harbour management side of things was handled better than other venues.

Fingers crossed we will hear positive things by summer’s end.

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Re the controversy about Season 5:

In the latest episode of Racing on the Edge, SailGP’s behind-the-scenes show, league chief executive Sir Russell Coutts said that should Canada, France and Spain all find the funding for next season, then New Zealand would be the team potentially on the chopping block if they find themselves still being partly league funded.

Speaking to the Herald ahead of this weekend’s season finale in San Francisco, Black Foils co-chief executive and driver Peter Burling said they had not had any conversations with the league about the possibility of them not being on the starting line in season five.

“There haven’t been any conversations that look negative for us next season,” Burling said.

“We’re really happy with the commercial programme we’ve got building. Obviously, we’re one of the current league-owned teams so we always get dragged back into these conversations, but we’ve got an amazing group of partners, we’ve got a really loyal group of fans which we’re really proud to represent.

“The growth of the team of the last year has been unbelievable so we’re really excited to push that forward and continue to build our programme.”

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From SailGP and the New Zealand SailGP team promo

« ITM NEW ZEALAND SAIL GRAND PRIX SET TO BE THE WORLD'S LARGEST TICKETED SAIL RACING EVENT

Fans lucky enough to secure a spot at the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch will be part of history! The event is set to be the world’s largest-ever ticketed sailing event with 22,000 fans expected across the weekend (plus on-water spectators). Voted best venue on the Season 3 calendar by SailGP athletes, the Season 4 leg of the circuit in Christchurch is set to be even bigger and better than its debut last year.”

Kudos to the Southern Hemisphere fans. Be safe everyone!

AND more musical guests announced:

SailGP has announced an epic music line-up for the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix, with multi-award-winning Kiwi drum and bass icons Shapeshifter and singer-songwriting legend Sir Dave Dobbyn set to perform across the two-day spectacle, 23-24 March 2024.

Shapeshifter will bring their five-strong line-up to entertain fans post-racing on Sunday 24 March. Hailing from Ōtautahi Christchurch themselves, the group have performed sold-out shows around the world but admit there’s nothing like playing to a home crowd.

Shapeshifter released ‘Amokura’ in 2023, a single that honours the rhythms of the Cook Islands and shares a name with the New Zealand SailGP Team’s high-performance F50 catamaran. A perfect alignment between the band and the most exciting race on water!

Performing on Saturday, Sir Dave Dobbyn has written the soundtrack to many New Zealanders’ lives, with a string of hits to his name including ‘Beside You’, ‘Be Mine Tonight’ and ‘Slice of Heaven’. Both artists will play on the Platinum Lawn, with performances amplified to the rest of the Race Stadium via large screens.

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Great day for Canada on the water. Saying goodbye to to crypto-owner has never looked better!

Now it is up to us fans to fund and find new ownership!

Chicago (USA) - 17 June 2023 - The Rolex United States Sail Grand Prix Chicago got underway yesterday in Chicago, with fans lined along Navy Pier to watch ten teams battle it out in the first event of SailGP Season 4.

Despite a bit of turbulence shoreside for the team since the end of Season 3 last month, Phil Robertson and the Canadian team did what they do best, perform on the water.

Precise starts and seamless teamwork translated into third, first and fifth place finishes meaning that at the end of day one, the team was just two points out of first, just behind New Zealand and Australia.

Going into today, completely different conditions meant that the teams were sailing with the 29 metre wings and just four crew onboard. The extremely light air conditions were fickle, but the Canadians persevered to finish at the top of the leaderboard after five races and progress into the finals against New Zealand and Australia.

“It’s all on when you get to the last race. We had a good sniff at it, but we just didn't quite get there. It was slow, but racing,” said Phil. “Everyone is in the same position, the boats and breeze are identical, so it is still a race. But there is not much you can change in that sort of format, it was a short course and light.”

“We finished third, but for the team as a whole, it’s a great start to the season. We’re over the moon to be on the podium. If we keep this momentum going, we will be in great shape by the end of the season,” said wing trimmer Chris Draper. “Phil is the best starter in the league!” added strategist Isabella Bertold.

“It’s a solid result, with all the chat that was going on and an unsettled lead up to this race, we had our backs against the wall and we delivered,” said Phil.

Also competing in Chicago this weekend were seven young Canadians from the weCANfoil programme. Jackson Macaulay of Halifax finished second overall and Tate Howell (Toronto) was the top Canadian female in the Inspire Regatta.

The team’s sights are now set on the Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix on 22-23 July.

SAILGP SEASON 4 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (after one event) //

1 // New Zealand // 10 points

2 // Australia // 9 points

3 // Canada // 8 points

4 // ROCKWOOL Denmark // 7 points

5 // Spain // 6 points

6 // France // 5 points

7 // Emirates GBR // 4 points

8 // Switzerland // 3 points

9 // United States // 2 points

10 // Germany // 1 point

CANADA SAILGP TEAM CREW LIST // ROLEX UNITED STATES SAILGP CHICAGO

Phil Robertson / Driver

Chris Draper / Wing Trimmer

Billy Gooderham / Flight Controller

Tim Hornsby / Grinder

Tom Ramshaw / Grinder

Jake Lilley / Grinder

Isabella Bertold / Strategist

Jareese Finch / Reserve Sailor

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News Round-Up, 30 October 2024

(The “It’s almost Halloween!” edition.)

SailGP: Veterans join Brazil SailGP Team

Led by double Olympic Gold Medalist Martine Grael, history has been unkind to new entrants that climb the learning curve in mastering the F50 and race format. But unlike the USA that struggled with inexperience last season, Grael will not be flying so nearly blind. 

For starters, she will be joined by her 49erFX Olympic teammate Kahena Kunze who had been the strategist for Germany. Kunze, at 5′8″, will be the reserve athlete and step in where needed. The five other starters are:

- Andy Maloney (NZL), Flight Controller – former New Zealand Flight Controller - Leigh Macmillan (GBR), Wing Trimmer – former France Wing Trimmer and Trimmer for Great Britain in America’s Cup - Richard Mason (DEN/SWE), Strategist – former Denmark Grinder and previously with British and Swiss - Marco Grael (BRA) and Mateus Isaac (BRA), Grinders

Vendée Globe: Meet the Women of the Vendée Globe 2024-25

For 2024-25, the female contingent is led by the British veteran Sam Davies on Initiatives-Coeur 4, who will be starting her fourth Vendée Globe.

There are three skippers on their second race – the Franco-German sailor Isabelle Joschke on MACSF, Britain’s Pip Hare on Medallia, and Clarisse Crémer of France on L’Occitane En Provence.

Two more will be starting the race for the first time in Violette Dorange of France on Devenir, who at 23 is the youngest skipper ever to attempt the Vendée Globe, man or woman, and Justine Mettraux of Switzerland on Teamwork-Team SNEF.

Vendée Globe: The most competitive edition ever?

More sailors than ever will pit themselves against the physical, mental, elemental and technical challenges of sailing alone around the world when a record fleet of 40 IMOCAs starts the Vendée Globe’s 10th running on 10 November. It is the longest race course in sport: from Les Sables d’Olonne in France, and back, around the world non-stop without assistance. Technically they are racing for €200,000 – the 1st place prize money. But in reality they are racing for a place in history.

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Look… yeah, I was totally hyped for the Transat NY-Vendée and now the first five days have gone by without a post, and I apologize for that. I was hoping I’d start work at an NPS job in Manhattan before the end of May, but I didn’t hear back until last Tuesday, when I’d already worked a week at my usual seasonal job in Boston, so between moving in and doing the paperwork and legwork to transfer on short notice and then SailGP this weekend… I WAS REALLY BUSY!

And because ordinary people couldn’t get into Moonbeam Marina, when I was still in NY at the beginning of the month, I actually saw fewer boats pre-start this year than in 2016 when everyone was at North Cove by the WTC.

But you can see the tracker here and because they’re going against the prevailing winds and currents, they’re actually only a little less than halfway across the Atlantic!

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Interesting timing for this article in today’s NZ Herald

Never would have pegged Russell as a vegan.

A Telling Excerpt:

Coutts loves having New Zealand on the SailGP circuit – the country’s rich sailing history, extraordinary talent and natural environment make it an obvious destination – but he’s exasperated at the hoops he must go through to host a leg of the series here.

“The most complicated country in the world by far,” he says.

“I’m saying on a scale, it’s 10 times more complicated than anywhere else in the world.”

Coutts says it’s the same for anyone wanting to build a house or any other development.

“You have to deal with so many different entities.

“I’ll give you some real-life examples … because what I’m really talking about is how competitive is New Zealand with the rest of the world.”

If you’re not competitive, he says, “everyone loses”.

He cites the SailGP events this season in Los Angeles and New York – the event is now into its fourth season with 12 cities on the circuit.

“You roll into New York, the mayor’s office gets everyone together; they seemingly have the authority to do that – so that’s traffic, the harbourmaster, the Coast Guard, air traffic control because we need to fly helicopters.”

Everyone is in the room to accommodate the event. “You’re really dealing with one entity, one objective.”

Conversely, in New Zealand, it’s messy.

“You do a deal with major events in New Zealand. You do a deal with the city – in our case Christchurch or Auckland.

“You’d think that’d be enough, right? But no, it’s not. Now you’ve got to go away and deal with the local iwi, you’ve got to deal with the harbourmaster, you’ve got to deal with environmental [agencies].

“All of these discussions, and any one of them could trip you up.”

After a lifetime on the ocean, Coutts says he describes himself as an environmentalist. “I care, but there’s an efficient way to handle that and there’s an inefficient way to handle it. I think we’re in a highly inefficient bucket at the moment.”

He talks to developers who say 40 per cent of their costs are now in compliance and bureaucracy. “Think about that for five seconds – it’s just not sustainable.”

Another exerpt About Larry Ellison:

Towards the end of lunch, Coutts refers to a message he’s received from Ellison, highlighting how engaged the billionaire is in SailGP, and the personalities involved.

It is clear from our conversation that the pair have big plans to build the popularity, professionalism and business model of SailGP – through fans’ experience at events to viewers’ access to data and comms on the water.

Coutts is off to an NBA game in March; he loves how that American sport, in particular, constantly evolves for its fans.

We return to the conversation around Drive to Survive, and what that show has done for Formula One.

He reveals Ellison had wanted to do something similar with sailors “way, way back”.

“He called it in his words, reality TV. Let’s do a behind-the-scenes reality TV show of what’s actually going on.”

It was well before Drive to Survive, says Coutts.

“When Drive to Survive came out, I copped it a little bit. He was like, ‘Why the hell haven’t we already done that?’”

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Australian Tom Slingsby has already set his sights on next month’s KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix as the team continues to chase its first elusive win of Season 4.

There’s just a month to go until SailGP returns to the iconic waters of Sydney Harbour for the 8th event of Season 4, with the 10 strong fleet battling it out across five fleet races and the three-boat Final on February 24-25.

…

“Sydney usually provides the best conditions of the season,” he said. “We’re a bit more comfortable in those windier conditions than some of those new teams.”

…

He added that the team, which has failed to win an event yet this season despite dominating previous seasons, would be exploiting its ‘local knowledge advantage’ when racing gets underway. 

“We know those waters really well, we know how the tides work, we know the winds and where the shifts might happen.” 

Strategist Nina Curtis added that ‘having that home crowd behind us could really make the difference’ as Australia pursues its first win of the season.

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The third installment of Season 4 for SailGP brings ten teams to the France Sail Grand Prix taking place in Saint-Tropez on September 9-10.

The F50 fleet will go head to head for five qualifying fleet races with the top three-boat to face off in a winner-takes-all Final for the largest share of the $300,00.00USD event purse.

Light wind conditions are forecast, meaning the F50s are likely to be fitted with the largest 29m wing and light air foils – there’s even a possibility of reduced crews.

All eyes will be on home team France, which has had a slow start to the season and currently sits in 8th on the overall Championship leaderboard. But France will be trailing a new flight controller in Saint-Tropez, as Jason Saunders has transferred from the Swiss team.

Could this mark a turnaround for Quentin Delapierre’s team, or will limited training time with their new crew member prove detrimental to the performance of Les Bleus?

Jimmy Spithill’s United States marked its first and only Season 3 win in Saint-Tropez last season, beating New Zealand and Emirates Great Britain in the Final. But since then, the team’s performance has lagged and the Americans haven’t come close to the podium again. Could Saint-Tropez host the team’s long awaited comeback?

Elsewhere, Spain will be looking to repeat their historic victory in Los Angeles while Australia, at the top of the season leaderboard, will be looking to extend his lead over the wider F50 fleet.

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Go Kiwis! From yesterday’s New Zealand Herald:

“Time’s certainly flown between the grand final in San Francisco and the season four opener here in Chicago. I guess the last month or five weeks, we’ve had the ability to first off debrief San Francisco and the season as a whole, and it has given us an opportunity to look at what changes or how to make bigger steps forward,” New Zealand SailGP team wing trimmer Blair Tuke said.

“I guess as you head to the final end of the season like we did as we headed to San Francisco, you’re making minor tweaks because obviously, it was still a race to get into the final.

“We’ve had the opportunity now to look at some possibilities of how we sail the boat; you won’t see anything drastic, but we’ve got a chance to make some slightly bigger changes in order to step forward.

“That was quite a pleasing process as well because the team, we did come so far from the beginning and that leaves us in a great position heading into season four now.

“We’ve got really good continuity in the sailing team. The same crew that was in San Francisco is here in Chicago and will be for the first two or three events at least, so that gives us a good foundation to build from as we head into the season.”

“We’re heading into this weekend pretty excited. It’s a good place to be — the start of season four and ready to go.”

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The crew roster hasn’t been announced yet, but Brazilian Olympic sailor Kahena Kunze has already been involved with SailGP as a strategist for Team Germany.

In fact, when Germany joined a year ago, I speculated…

And back in March, Russell Coutts said…

“What will really change things is we’re highly likely to have a top female athlete driving one of the F50s in season five,”

“There’s going to be a new team coming in. I’ve probably said too much. But I think that team have the skills to eventually win. Now that’s going to make the difference.”

So… maybe it really could be Martine Grael? It’s possible they could be the nucleus the team is formed around in the same way the 49er duo of Tuke and Burling are the core of the NZ team.

After all, my Governors Island prediction did come true...

Hola Brasília!

New team announcement for season 5.

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Turning the diversity question into trying to defend the Gulf States events unprompted (especially when he could have talked about actual Race For The Future projects and Inspire success stories) is kind of… eeesh. Like, I really liked the Bermuda 2021 posters created by a local artist because I learned about Black Bermudian history and the slave trade in Bermuda from the article about her artwork on the SailGP site! THAT subverts stereotypes about sailing a heck of a lot more than holding low-wind events in petrostates because they offered you money.

But on a brighter note…

“And we’re going to add two more teams in season five.”

Hmmm, we already know Jimmy is working to set up Team Italy, but what could the other one be? China or Japan coming back? A normal Bermudian team without the dumb crypto gimmick? Kahena Kunze splitting from Team Germany to go start Team Brazil with her Olympic bestie Martine? Simeon and Carolijn coming in for a Team Netherlands?

OH Russell…

… how much did you pay for this coverage?

But yes, Phil Robertson is gold.