Sailfaster: The No 1 podcast for racing sailors

Check out this special episode of Sailfaster focusing on the upcoming Women’s J105 Regatta in Annapolis.  Joining me on the pod were regatta organiser and long time advocate for women in sailing, Molly Wilner, along with top sailors Marie Klok Crump and Claire Ward, all sailing in the regatta.  We discussed the origins and goals of the regatta and had a very interesting discussion about the differences between men and women teams, and the barriers that are often faced by women in the sport.  And on a sombre note, this episode included a tribute to Maggie Flanigan, our dear team mate on London Calling, who unexpectedly passed away last week.

photo credit: Will Keyworth

I was thrilled to chat recently with Britain’s top ocean racer Pip Hare.  Pip is a core member of that extraordinary group of athletes - the round the world solo racing sailors who fly across some of the planet’s most inhospitable oceans in huge, high-tech foiling yachts.  With the 2024 edition of the Vendee Globe blasting off in November, I was lucky enough to catch Pip for a fascinating conversation about her journey to the top in ocean racing, and how she copes with the incredible demands of a Vendee Globe race!  I know you’ll enjoy our chat, but to learn more go to piphare.com or IG @piphareoceanracing

Echoing high-performance team development in the business world, sailing instructor Kristen Berry focuses on the more cerebral aspects of sailing and team dynamics. We had a fascinating discussion about this different approach to coaching sailing teams. Lots to take away from the conversation, including why when the helmsperson is yelling it usually means they are out of mental bandwidth (!) and why top teams are highly communicative but whisper quiet. Kristen is a 20-year US Sailing-certified instructor and founder of Annapolis-based Gale Force Sailing.  He also works with the U.S. Naval Academy’s Basic Sail Training program and is advisory board member of New York’s Hudson River Community Sailing organization and executive director of Baltimore’s Downtown Sailing Center.  I love the quote from Galeforce Sailing’s website:  Sailing is a sport filled with challenges, chaos, and curiosity, and you should always strive for elegance. Hope you enjoy listening to this episode!

A fascinating discussion with renowned racing sailor Allan Terhune.  We discussed with Allan in-depth the art and craft of decision-making at gates, his philosophy around focus and simplicity,  and recovering from (and avoiding!) bad starts.  Allan’s a world champion in J/22s, has eleven North American wins in the Lightning, Pan-Am Games gold medalist and a multi -year finalist for Rolex Yachtsman of the Year…so he knows a thing or two about racing!  A great discussion with so many insights and ideas about how to get around the race course in the front of the pack…!

Prepare to hear from Randy Hecht and Russ Silvestri’s masterclass on the finer points of sailing a J/105!  Randy and Russ raced their J/105 Niuhi to back-to-back North American championships on the breezy waters of San Francisco Bay in 2022 and Rye, New York in 2023, only the latest in a long career of sailing success. From collegiate sailing in California to being pipped by Dennis Connor in the 1976 Olympic trials and winning the Pacific Coast Championships in the Etchell class, Randy was a regular on the West Coast racing circuit, but after coming second in the Etchell Worlds he took a 35-year break from sailing to concentrate on work and family.  He jumped back in the game a few years ago on the Knarr, and then the J/105, winning championships in both classes on board boats named ‘Nuihi’ in partnership with long-time sailing partner Russ Silvestri.  Russ’s sailing CV is equally impressive – he competed in four Olympic Trials, won five US titles and a Pan American Games silver medal in the Finn in 1999. He represented the USA at the Sydney 2000 Olympics in the Finn class.  He also participated in the US Challenger series for the 1987 and 2000 America’s Cup.  He was a member of Tom Blackaller’s 1987 America's Cup team that raced in Perth with USA and its revolutionary foils, losing to Dennis Connor in the semifinals.  Russ’ AC experience continued in 2000 when he was part of Paul Cayard’s America One team.  Russ also won the 2014 Lipton Cup and the Grundig Cup in 2009 and 2010 and raced Laser boats at the World Masters Championships in 2002 and 2011.

So, two very accomplished sailors and as I found out, super nice guys too!

A super-interesting and revealing panel discussion with top Charleston sailors the evening before the start of 2024 Charleston Race Week. You’ll about how they prepare for CRW, how local knowledge helps (or hinders!) course, how they manage campaigns and teams and much more! Thanks to Sarah Schaill Colarusso for co-hosting our panel of Madeline Baldridge, Sail Designer for North Sails and PanAm Games Gold Medalist, Jack Jorgensen, consistent top finisher in the North American VX One fleet, Crisp McDonald, co-owner of top Melges 32 'Guillotine', and John Bowden, many times winner of CRW and North Sails Sailmaker.  I apologise for sound quality, which should have been better; I do hope it doesn’t detract too much from your enjoyment of this fascinating discussion.   Image credit:  JBoats.com

This week I was able to grab time with Quantum’s Scott Nixon in between his many racing and sail design commitments.  It was a fascinating discussion that included thoughts on starting, mark rounding and the tactical advantages of wing-on-wing.  I knew Scott would be interesting to have on the pod not just because of his stellar racing pedigree, but also because he is directly involved in testing, design, and development of Quantum’s One Design sail programs, where he is Global Offshore One Design Director.  Scott has sailed with Quantum customers to win championships at the World, Gold Cup, European, North American, and National levels. He actively campaigned, coaches and races in the following classes: J/22, J/24, J/70, J/80, J88, J/105, J/109, J/111, C&C 30, Farr 30, Farr 40, NYYC 42, Swan 45, Melges 20, Melges 24, Melges 32,Melges 40, and TP/ORC 52 classes. He has also won World Championships in the Melges 32 & J/111 classes. Scott lives in Annapolis with his wife Alexis and daughters Savannah and Summer.  I do hope you enjoy the episode! 

Today we’re talking to Cam Farrah, a world champion foiler who experienced what’s it like to be thrown into the Strategist role on the US SailGP team. Cam has some remarkable stories of what it’s like to be at the sharp end of a 70 mph catamaran in full view of the cameras!

Surviving a SailGP series is only one of Cam’s skills, she’s one of the US’s best young sailors and has fully embraced the foiling revolution. She’s been a world champion on Foiling A class Catamarans for the last two years, and a leading sailor on the 69F, the one design foiling monohull that looks like a mini America’s Cup design and similarly sails at astonishing speeds. She’s a recent graduate of Tulane university in New Orleans, and already has a sailing CV that runs to multiple pages. It was truly a privilege to chat to Cam, as you’ll hear, she tells some great stories from the new world of foiling, and has of course, some great insights into sailing faster.  

Today’s episode features sailing legend Dawn Riley at the renowned Oakcliff Sailing Center. Dawn’s been interviewed hundreds of times but I tried to home in on her thoughts on getting boats and teams to sail faster.  Our episode touched on many things – managing campaigns and teams, race preparation, nutrition, and we spent a fair amount of time on her approach to helming. Oh we also talked about being tested to the limits – by the Southern Ocean and by kids learning to sail which was hilarious. I thoroughly enjoyed our chat – Dawn is inspiring, gracious and hilarious.  

Dawn is one of the foremost sailors of the modern era. Famous around the world, she was the first woman ever to manage an entire America's Cup syndicate, the first American, man or woman, to sail in three America's Cups and two Whitbread Round the World races.  Just to zoom in on that for a moment - Dawn was the first women to have an active role on an America’s Cup team in 1992 as pitperson, in 1995 she captained America3, the first women’s team in the America’s Cup, and was skipper of Skipper of Heineken, the only all-women’s entry in the 1993-94 Whitbread round-the-world race.  If you haven’t seen it already, you must watch the film Maiden – it’s the epic story of the first all-women’s team in the 1989-90 Whitbread race, in which Dawn stars with Tracy Edwards, Mandi Swan, Claire Warren, and others.

Dawn is also a passionate advocate for the sport of sailing – under her leadership the Oakcliff Sailing Center in Long island has become one of the foremost providers of community access into the sport of sailing.  And this is where we met for the recording, on a snowy winter’s day in Long Island, New York.  You’ll find the audio quality changes a little as we were in an echoy room; I do hope that doesn’t spoil your enjoyment of what was a terrific discussion.  Take a listen…

Today’s Sailfaster guest is Kristen Robinson.  Kristy’s well-known on the east coast – part of a husband and wife duo who are not only devastatingly successful racers but also terrific fun.   Kristy is a highly experienced and successful sailor, but also she’s a leader of multiple sailing organizations including board and president roles for J70 / 80 / 29 classes, and yacht clubs. On the water she’s always on or around the podium places whether Block Island Race Week on J/29s, 105s and 109s, or at North American Championships on her J/80 or J/109, or locally on the Chesapeake. She’s a really interesting guest given her experience racing so many boats - Laser, J/24, J/29, J/80, Vanguard, J/70, Etchells, J/105 and J/22 classes, J/35, J/109, J/88, J/24, Viper, Soveral 33, and Farr280…

But more than that, she’s a wonderfully warm and funny human being, who makes everyone feel welcome and included at whatever post-race sailing event is happening.  Oh, and Kristy’s also doctoral candidate at Marymount University studying Business Administration.