BY SAILORS FOR SAILORS
EMOTIONALY CHARGED RETURN TO STAR FOR IAIN PERCY
©SSL / Marc Rouiller IAIN PERCY (GBR)
boat. Andrew Simpson, Percy’s crew and best friend, with whom he’d won Star boat gold and silver medals at the Beijing and London Olympiads respectively, drowned during America’s Cup training on San Francisco Bay in May 2013 and it wasn’t for another five years that Percy could bring himself to step on board their London 2012 steed for 2018’s Bacardi Cup in Miami. “Obviously it’s been a big deal for me,” said Percy at the time. “I haven’t sailed in a Star race since the last race of the London 2012 Olympics which in itself is emotional. Then to go through everything since with Bart - it’s a big thing for me.” Catalyst for this reunion was Percy sailing with Anders Ekström on Artemis Racing in the 44Cup. Another Star Olympic medallist, who, with Freddy Lööf, had been Percy and Simpson’s training partner, Ekström was also a close friend of Bart’s. “They got on really well and were very good friends, with a similar outlook on life - both really into their families and home and their lifestyles. They both saw sailing in its place…” recounts
N
o return to a boat can have been more emotionally charged than that of British three time Olympic medallist Iain Percy to the Star
Percy. If there was ever someone to step into Bart’s shoes it was he.
While it took them a while to get in the groove, the 2018 Bacardi Cup concluded with their sneaking past Robert Scheidt to win the last race. Similarly it took time for Percy and Ekström to find consistency at the 2019 SSL Finals in Nassau, their progress through the event appearing terminal on at least four occasions before, no doubt wafted along by the spirit of Bart, they won the event by centimetres in a three-boat photo finish, a moment that neatly summarised their event. Today Percy regularly sails with Torbjörn Törnqvist on the 44Cup and with Tony Langley’s Gladiator on the 52 Super Series, but this plus his principle job is as CEO of Artemis Technologies and having a young family leave little time for ‘his own sailing’.
“It is nice to do something completely different - very refreshing,” said Percy of the SSL Finals. “I enjoy sailing with Anders, I like the Star boat and I think the SSL Finals format is great. We have to thank the SSL for what they’ve done to sailing in general, putting this much effort into promoting the sport we all love and trying to get it across to people. Everyone is very grateful.”
©SSL / Gilles Morelle
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