Black Foils strategist Liv Mackay says, “all the teams love this place because of the level of engagement of the fans, how much they’re into sailing, and the incredible enthusiasm they see all around them. After every event, they say the same thing. The atmosphere is just brilliant.”
What to expect
More boats on the start line. The largest grandstand ever seen on the Waitemata Harbour waterfront. The best F50 sailors in the world. And boats that are a big step-up in performance from what we saw at last year’s event in New Zealand.
“Changing to T-foils and new rudders has seen a huge increase in average boat speeds, and there’s been a lot of development work on the wing sails, plus a whole lot of systems updates which you don’t see externally.”
“It’s made the boats much faster, more reliable, but most of all, it means we can sail the boat more creatively. That’s where teamwork really comes into it.”
“There have been a lot of crew changes in other teams recently, and from our perspective, we find real strength that our team is staying in place. That’s something we’re really happy about and feel strongly that it’s going to benefit us.”
The roar of the crowd
Liv has vivid memories of last year’s event in Auckland.
“It wasn’t the result we wanted, but the experience was so surreal. Even with all the noise on the boat, the wind and rush of the water on the foils, we could still easily hear the cheering coming from boats moored around the edge of the racecourse, and the huge roar from the grandstand on the finish line.”
“It was really super special, and I’ve never experienced anything like that anywhere else in the world. I can’t wait to have that feeling again.”
How great is it to be back home again?
Black Foils crew sail all around the world, competing at the highest level every month of the year in a different location. Sounds glamorous. We asked Liv for her thoughts.
“It’s challenging to develop a new way of living and create routine and structure while travelling constantly. You’ve got to balance your energy and time and then cope during race week when it’s really hectic.”
“You have to gear your whole lifestyle so that you’re in peak form physically and mentally for each event. Plus, there are media and other off-water commitments, so once the racing is over, you’re exhausted. Then it starts again.”
“With the northern American block of the circuit or the European block, it’s not practical to come home because of all the flying, changing time zones, etc. So I just move from one place to the next.”
“But during the southern hemisphere part of the schedule, I get to come home, connect with friends and family who I constantly talk to on the phone, but there’s nothing like seeing them face to face.”