In the lead-up to the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix set to take place on Sydney Harbour on February 18-19, members of The Australia SailGP team popped in to Gosford Sailing Club recently to share some tips and show off the SailGP Championship trophy.
Gosford was the second stop in a two-week regional Championship Trophy Tour being led by Season 2 winners, the Australia SailGP Team, to inspire the next generation of young sailors.
Crew members and Olympic silver medallists Jason Waterhouse and Nina Curtis conducted a training session with the club’s youth sailors and hosted a Q&A for club members.
Curtis and Waterhouse even challenged the young sailors in a sprint race, providing quite the spectacle for the large crowd in attendance.
Central Coast sailor and CEO of the Australia SailGP Team, Tom Slingsby, also made a guest appearance.
Waterhouse, who is the flight controller for the Australia Team said the support received since SailGP launched has been incredible.
“Last year’s race in Sydney, where we came out on top, is one of the greatest memories I have,” he said.
“It’s important for us to repay this support and hopefully showcase the beauty of the competition and inspire the next generation.”
SailGP’s Inspire global community and education outreach initiative aims to build a sustainable sport and play a leading role in diversifying sailing.
Its goal is to provide equal, life-changing opportunities for young sailors and new career pathways for all without gender, race or socioeconomic background presenting a barrier to entry.
With gender equity at its heart, Inspire’s Women’s Pathway Program ensures the best athletes have equal opportunity to compete on the F50s.
Curtis joined the Australia SailGP Team in Season 2 as a strategist, progressing through the Women’s Pathway Program onto the Flying Roo.
The two-times Australian Female Sailor of the Year made history as the first female athlete to win a SailGP event, in Cadiz in 2021, before helping the Aussies clinch the Season 2 Championship by winning the Grand Final in San Francisco.
“It was a great experience meeting the young sailors – no doubt some of them will be jostling for our spots in a few years’ time,” she said.
“Clubs like Gosford are the lifeblood of our sport so it’s important that we do what we can to both support them (and) demonstrate how a bit of talent, hard work and belief can lead to incredible experiences as a sailor.”
Defending champion Australia, currently sitting atop the leaderboard, will compete against Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and the USA at the Sydney event, promising high speed, high-tech and high-drama adrenaline-fuelled racing.
Driver Tom Slingsby’s Australia Team will be aiming to extend its lead at the top of the table on its way to a potential third straight championship victory.
Tickets for fan experiences at the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix in Sydney are available through SailGP.com/Sydney.
Primary Source: Media release, Feb 5, 2023, Gosford Sailing Club