News Around the World
What very Silly Billies. The Soggy Beaver team of young Canucks approach Ketchikan and the end of this year’s 750nm R2AK Race to Alaska – the 7th team to ring the very much anticipated finishers’ bell. They later conceded that the Soggy Beavers went through periods of tetchiness on the 11-day voyage, not helped by the fact that 90 per cent of the time they were paddling into headwinds with little use for their exciting new sailplan – including a particularly forgettable 100km upwind paddle through the Johnstone Strait
a lot! Then I moved into foiling Moths plus with Sail Team BCN I started with the GC32 foiling cat. I’ve now been foiling for over a year... And now we have recently started training here with the AC40 that we rented from the French team for a few days. SH: Is it difficult without your own AC40 to train with before the dance begins? SM: It’s a bittersweet feeling, because it’s true that we don’t have an AC40, but we do have a very, very good team. But with an AC40 things would still be completely different. I don’t enjoy seeing how the America’s Cup teams can train with their own boats, it discourages you a little to see them training almost every day. But I am very happy because now we have finished the second block of training with our chartered boat and the improvements from one day to the next are substantial. We are taking advantage of all the opportunities and our improvement curve is steep. I have to say that the French team has treated us very well and helped us a lot. SH: With such wide experience what do you think are the best categories that are emerging exclusively for women? SM: The reality is that in professional sailing there are no women’s circuits. And in open circuits such as the TP52 or RC44 there are very few girls. In the Alegre team, for example, there are only two women, the data analyst and me. I see it as a movement that is just beginning to happen, and to me that it now exists at all is a big first step. Now we have to learn and take advantage of the opportunity that
the Women’s AC gives us, and why not one day be able to compete in the big one? These boats have no physical component in the afterguard and so that barrier is gone. The barrier is basically expe- rience, which is why it is important that we take full advantage of this campaign to acquire it. SH:What do you know about the other invited Women’s AC teams? SM:We know that the Dutch women are practising in the simulator every day and the virtual regattas they do with us are going very well! Canada set up its base at the Barcelona International Sailing Centre (BISC) and they too spend many hours on the simulator. The Swedes have their own AC40 and after extensive sailing in Belfast they just moved to Badalona (four miles from the Cup base). So for sure they will dominate that group. SH: The semi-finals, a challenge or a goal? SM: The boat is complex and we have to be very careful that it does not turn into a runaway horse. The objective is to perform well without pushing too hard, avoiding problems with other boats or with controlling our own boat. We have to be realistic, we have only been flying it for a few hours; if we advance through the series we will gradually push more. SH: In what conditions have you been able to navigate the AC40? SM:With very little wind, some days 14-15kt and a couple of times with big waves. We had no complications or any nosedives, but we could immediately see the difference between pushing hard or
36 SEAHORSE
sailing a little more conservatively. SH:What future options do you consider after Barcelona 2024 with the Cup’s now very restrictive nationality rules? SM: Well… There are people who are working to try to create a Spanish AC team, and the fact that we are now in the Youth & Women’s categories can help with this. Obviously it would be a great plus if the next edition is in Barcelona, or even in Valencia as some people say is still possible. SH: What other future options do you have? SM:Outside the world of foiling I am very happy with the TP52, and also with the Puerto Calero team on our RC44. I have also had offers to sail the Swan circuit but I didn’t have time to commit, but with more time that is another interesting opportunity. Today these are the three best professional circuits so I am well-motivated. Off- shore sailing is not in my plans at the moment. But in the world of foiling I hope that the AC40 circuit can become a reality and that we will find some opportunity there. The same of course in SailGP. SH: So, Sylvia, now your forecast for the upcoming Women’s AC? SM:OK, but excluding Spain please. The final could be between the English and the Kiwis, but Luna Rossa are strong and I think the Swedes will go far. And of the young people I see the Italians as the top favourite, even if Marco (Gradoni) eventually does not sail the AC40. I have the impression that Luna Rossa is preparing very well… Carlos Pich
USA (Much) more than a race For all of us who choose to race offshore there is an element of craziness. Why willingly subject yourself to being cold, wet and tired just to get around some rock or buoy at speeds just a little less slowly than your rivals (let’s be honest). Yet we do it anyway because there’s some kind of satisfying elegance to harnessing the wind and waves to propel us around in a manner that’s more efficient than our competition… then maybe reminiscing and bragging about it afterwards. The annual Race to Alaska (R2AK in our acronym-filled lives) is
a bit like this, but different in only a way that most things in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) can be different. Starting in Port Townsend, Washington and ending in Ketchikan, Alaska, this 750-mile adven- ture – divided into two parts – has some rare twists on ‘normal’ offshore sail boat racing. First, entry is not limited only to sailboats. Any floating craft can
be used but it cannot be propelled by a motor or have outside support. Given the long stretches of light air inevitably encountered in this part of the world some entries find inspiration in solutions used by the indigenous people who have inhabited this region for centuries: kayaks. Yet at 750nm, a good portion in open waters, this is perhaps a little more effort and adventure than most of us might envisage. A boat with sails therefore makes sense, but what to do in long
NICK REID
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