Yacht Racing Life Podcast

Justin Chisholm’s guest is Sebastien Sainson – technical director of the French Gitana Team, that recently launched the latest generation Maxi Edmund de Rothschild Ultim trimaran – Gitana 18.

After a guided tour of this truly spectacular boat on the dock outside the Gitana team base in Lorient Justin sat down with Sebastien to find out more about the innovation that has gone into this remarkable ocean-going multihull.

On the latest episode of the Yacht Racing Life Podcast I'm joined by James Pleasance – executive director of the World Match Racing Tour to discuss the history, evolution, and future of one of sailing's most iconic competitions. During our chat we examine: how the tour has managed to constantly adapt over its more than 20-year history; how it has somehow stayed relevant – despite the America's Cup move into high-performance foiling racing; its key role in developing new sailing talent, and plans to expand into new territories, like Saudi Arabia. 
Image © Ian Roman / WMRT

On the latest episode of the Yacht Racing Life Podcast Justin Chisholm is joined once again by fellow British yachting journalist Magnus Wheatley to chew over the goings on at the third event of SailGP Season 6, which took place in Sydney, Australia over the past weekend.
The racing may not have been as adrenaline-fuelled as the previous two events, but despite the uncharacteristic drifting conditions that prevailed out on Sydney Harbour, Magnus and I still had plenty to talk about, including:
the two starkly contrasting performances from the event winners, Taylor Canfield's US SailGP Team – who strung together their best ever – and Tom Slingsby's hometown heroes, the BONDS Flying Roos – who sparkled at times but ultimately missed out on a place in the final by some margin.
the impressive performances of the other two event finallists – Dylan Fletcher's Emirates Team GBR and Diego Botín's Spanish Los Gallos 
plus, we debated the thorny question of whether SailGP might be losing its appeal to sailing fans and the wider sporting audience – and asked whether a racing format change could help to spice things up?

Image © Felix Diemer for SailGP

On the latest episode of the Yacht Racing Life Podcast I'm joined by Danish SailGP skipper Nicolai Sehested from the ROCKWOOL Racing Team for a catch-up on the Danish team's journey since joining SailGP back in 2020 at the start of the international circuit's second season. 
The pair discuss how SailGP has evolved over that period and touch on the performance upgrades the sailors have experienced aboard their F50 foiling catamarans since those early days. Sehested explains the workings of the close relationship between the sailing team and its long-time naming sponsor, the world-leading stone wool building insulation products manufacturer – ROCKWOOL, and how the company leverages its involvement in SailGP so effectively. Sehested also explains in more detail how the team's recent acquisition by Doug DeVos' American Magic organisation came about and the positive impact it will have on the team going forward. 
The pair also discuss the shocking crash that took place at the previous regatta in Auckland, New Zealand between the Kiwi and French teams that injured two crew members and has put both boats out of action for the foreseeable future. Sehested shares his opinion on whether the New Zealand team's season is effectively over and the duo discuss what might need to happen to keep the sailors safe during racing in windy conditions.
The episode concludes with Sehested taking a look ahead to the upcoming SailGP event in Sydney, Australia where the teams will have to factor in the vagaries of the wind around the notorious Shark Island.

Justin Chisholm and Magnus Wheatley discuss the recent SailGP regatta in Auckland, New Zealand, which was marred by a serious collision between the Kiwi and French teams. They delve into the implications of the crash, safety concerns in the league, and the need for changes in race formats. The hosts analyze team performances, including the Americans, French, Australians, Italians, and the Spanish, and discuss the impact of technical issues on racing outcomes. They also explore financial aspects of SailGP, including team valuations and potential future developments in the league, and speculate on whether the spilt-fleet format is now here to stay.
Image © Simon Bruty for SailGP