U.S. SailGP Team completes line-up

With the second season for SailGP to kick off in Bermuda on April 24-25, the U.S. SailGP Team have revealed its complete SailGP Season 2 lineup with the announcement of Daniela Moroz (USA), CJ Perez (USA), and Paul Campbell-James (GBR) to its roster in addition to its acquisition of Philippe Presti (FRA) as head coach.

The additions bolster a previously announced lineup that includes Rome Kirby (USA), Andrew Campbell (USA), Cooper Dressler (USA), and Alex Sinclair (ANT) — all selected by helm Jimmy Spithill (AUS) who took over team leadership from Kirby.

The U.S. team joins seven other campaigns as they compete in identical F50 catamarans for the championship’s 8-event $1 million winner-take-all prize.

Moroz, a four-time Formula Kite World Champion and two-time U.S. Sailing Rolex Yachtswoman-of-the-Year along with Perez, a highly skilled competitor from Hawaii’s flourishing WASZP sailing circuit, both bring an impressive amount of foiling experience to the American squad.

Both athletes join the roster as the top-selections from the team’s open application process for American female athletes, a search that began in February as part of the league’s commitment to helping create an inclusive future for the sport.

“We were overwhelmed by the quality of athletes who applied, and our entire sailing team took part in the selection process,” said Spithill. “Daniela and CJ both bring to our team an impressive amount of foiling ability which is paramount to racing at this level. We’re excited to welcome them to the roster and develop their talent further.”

Moroz will join the team this month to start a development process aimed at introducing her to the team’s F50 racing platform while, at the same time, Perez will begin a remote training program in Hawaii as she prepares for SailGP events later this season.

Adding to the U.S. SailGP Team’s new-look roster is veteran British wing trimmer Paul Campbell-James who joins the team with a combined four SailGP and America’s Cup campaigns to his name.

Campbell-James is expected to bring an additional performance advantage having been instrumental in the development of the new modular wings debuting in SailGP Season 2 which will enable racing in a broader range of wind conditions and could push the F50 to record-breaking speeds.

“Paul is one of the most talented wing trimmers in the sport and we are lucky to have him,” said Spithill. “He also represents an incredible learning opportunity for Daniela and CJ as we look towards their careers.

“We’ve designed our roster to increase the U.S. SailGP Team’s competitiveness, both now and in the future, and we can’t wait to start racing.”

Key to that competitiveness will be the learnings from the team’s new head coach Philippe Presti.

Presti, who coached the Australia SailGP Team to a Season 1 championship win, is expected to have an immediate impact on the U.S. team’s performance given his collaboration with Spithill across multiple successful campaigns in the past.

Season 2 Team and Positions
Jimmy Spithill (AUS) – CEO, helm
Rome Kirby (USA) – Flight controller
Andrew Campbell (USA) – Grinder
Cooper Dressler (USA) – Grinder
Alex Sinclair (ANT) – Grinder
Paul Campbell-James (GBR) – Wing trimmer
Daniela Moroz (USA) – Athlete
CJ Perez (USA) – Athlete

SailGP details – Team rosters – Results – How to watch – Facebook

SAILGP SEASON 2 SCHEDULE*
April 24-25, 2021 – Bermuda Grand Prix
June 5-6, 2021 – Italy Grand Prix – Taranto
July 17-18, 2021 – Great Britain Grand Prix – Plymouth
August 20-21, 2021 – ROCKWOOL Denmark Grand Prix – Aarhus
September 11-12, 2021 – France Grand Prix – Saint-Tropez
October 9-10, 2021 – Spain Grand Prix – Andalusia
January 29-30, 2022 – New Zealand Grand Prix – Christchurch
March 26-27, 2022 – United States Grand Prix – San Francisco (Season 2 Grand Final)
*Subject to change

2021-22 Teams
Australia, Tom Slingsby
Denmark, Nicolai Sehested
France, Billy Besson
Great Britain, Ben Ainslie
Japan, Nathan Outteridge
New Zealand, Peter Burling
Spain, Jordi Xammar/ Phil Robertson*
United States, Jimmy Spithill
* Xammar will helm with Season 1 skipper Phil Robertson (NZL) serving in an interim capacity. Details.

Established in 2018, SailGP seeks to be an annual, global sports league featuring fan-centric inshore racing in some of the iconic harbors around the globe. Rival national teams compete in identical F50 catamarans with the season culminating with a $1 million winner-takes-all match race.

Source: U.S. SailGP Team, Scuttlebutt