Report by Harriet G,
At the beginning of May, I was very lucky to have the opportunity to spend a week in Bermuda completing the SailGP Inspire programme. I would describe SailGP as the Formula One of sailing and the Inspire programme is an opportunity to be able to train and race in Waszps, which are foiling dinghies. It offers the chance to watch the boats in action, as well as a look into the different pathways into SailGP.
On the first day, we spent the morning admiring how blue the water was from the ferry, enjoying the sun and rigging the boats. We then launched into some very warm water and enjoyed an hour of sailing around the bay. That evening, my host took us to some of the Bermudian beaches and we had a BBQ knowing it was raining in the UK.
On the second day, we took a RIB over to the sailing compound for our first look at the F50s (the SailGP boats) which had just launched. We then received our Inspire kit and met the other competitors. Next, we had a long day sailing the Waszps where I got to see some turtles, which was a highlight that day. After sailing, we had a tour of the island before going for dinner.
There was no wind, on the third day, so instead we got to give foil boarding a go which I was terrible at, but it was fun nevertheless. We then went to the SailGP compound for a tour, including a visit to the Team Emirates GBR boat, where we had a Q&A with Nick Hutton whilst on the boat. We all got to try the different roles, taking on a grinding challenge and getting to press all the buttons. My host then took us to the yacht club where we had dinner with the Danish team. We could ask them lots of questions about how they got into SailGP and any advice they had.
The fourth day was our first day of racing but we started off with going to the athletes’ press conference, getting to see how they dealt with tricky questions, like ones questioning errors they had made in the previous event. It was amazing to see how professional and calm they stayed whilst still adding a bit of humour to their answers. We then started racing with each fleet getting in a few races including a race on the F50 course where we raced in-front of them and watched them sail. They were very quick.
The fifth day was Saturday and the first day for the official Grand Prix. It was breezy, which made for tough racing but I started seeing a lot of improvement in my starts and upwind sailing in the Waszp. We saw some F50 racing where the high wind made for spectacular sailing.
The last day of racing was Sunday. We finished the last of finals racing then quickly derigged the boats so we could watch the racing from the grand stadium. We were just outside the gate mark which made for amazing spectating as the boats were very close. After the first race we had the Inspire prizegiving where Sebastian Kempe (RHS alumnus) got 3rd and 1st Bermudian. We then watched the last few races and headed back in the RIBs. The F50s are so quick that the Spanish boat (the recent winners) caught up with us so we stopped so they could sail around us. This meant they got very close and exchanged waves and congratulations whilst they foiled past. After packing everything up, we headed for a quick swim in our host’s pool then headed to the post SailGP party for a final celebration.
I learned loads during the week and would urge anyone to take the opportunity to do SailGP Inspire if they can. It was one of the best weeks. I would like to thank the sponsors of the event, my coaches and competitors, and give a massive thank you to my host Hal who showed me and the two British boys the island and its hospitality.