Daniela Moroz: Climbing the SailGP curve

New to the United States SailGP Team roster this season, four-time Formula Kite World Champion Daniela Moroz joined the American team hailing from San Francisco as one of two new athletes chosen through the team’s open application process for female athletes this past spring.

As part of a multi-pronged approach introducing her to SailGP’s F50 racing platform, Moroz has attended each event to date on the SailGP Season 2 calendar where she has started to rotate into active roles on the catamaran during practice, receiving valuable coaching from the team on the water and on shore.

While an existing commitment to compete at the 2021 Formula Kite European Championships will keep Moroz from attending France Sail Grand Prix in Saint Tropez on September 11-12, she offers an update of the process:

What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned this season as part of the United States SailGP Team?
I think many of the big things I learned were about how to work with a team, a dynamic which was pretty new for me coming from singlehanded sailing. I also learned a lot about racing strategy and tactics and how it changes when racing on a course with boundaries and a top gate.

There were a lot of new lessons for me about sailing the F50 itself – how the boat handling changes in different conditions and what it’s like to sail with different configurations of 3 to 6 athletes onboard. Finally, one of the biggest lessons was focusing on the process and making the most of your time to make as many improvements as possible.

What advice would you give to female athletes who want to join a SailGP team?
There are plenty of talented and skilled sailors out there that want to be on the team and while it is of course very important to have that talent, what I think is even more important is having the right attitude and being able to come in every day and give it your all.

Any advice for youth athletes who want to see themselves on a SailGP team in 5-10 years?
Embrace the boring and the monotonous. Your goals should not be oriented around a particular result or endpoint but rather, focus on the process and the day-to-day practices and sessions. Make your goal to get better every single day. Strive for a sustainable process and system that allows you to improve and perform.

What was the biggest surprise for you this season? On shore and on the water?
On shore the biggest surprise was how much work and effort goes into just getting the F50 on the water. It is a huge operation with many different teams of people involved and there are lots of moving parts. It was also surprising to realize how little practice time we have in the week before racing. Teams usually only get about 4-6 hours of training time and so it was important to make the most of that time.

What training plans do you have as you prepare for your future at SailGP?
I really want to learn as much as possible and get into any other foiling boats I can. I plan to spend a lot of time in WASZPs over the winter and continue to learn more of the mechanics of the F50. It’s been an awesome journey so far and I’m excited for the future with the team.

SailGP information – France details – Facebook

How to watch – Results – Noticeboard

SailGP Season Championship (after 4 events)
1. Australia, 32 pts
2. Great Britain, 30 pts
3. Japan, 28 pts
4. United States, 26 pts
5. France, 24 pts
6. New Zealand, 23 pts
7. Spain, 23 pts
8. Denmark, 22 pts

Format for SailGP events:
• Teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event runs across two days.
• There are three races on each day, totaling six races at each event.
• The opening five fleet races involve every team.
• The final match race pits the three highest ranking teams against each other to be crowned event champion.
• The season ends with the Grand Final, which includes the Championship Final Race – a winner-takes-all match race for the $1m prize.

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
December 17-18, 2021 – Australia Grand Prix – Sydney
January 29-30, 2022 – New Zealand Grand Prix – Christchurch (CANCELLED)
March 26-27, 2022 – United States Grand Prix – San Francisco (Season 2 Grand Final)
*Subject to change

2021-22 Teams, Helm
Australia, Tom Slingsby
Denmark, Nicolai Sehested
France, Billy Besson
Great Britain, Ben Ainslie (alternate – Paul Goodison)
Japan, Nathan Outteridge
New Zealand, Peter Burling (alternate – Arnaud Psarofaghis)
Spain, Jordi Xammar (alternate – Phil Robertson)
United States, Jimmy Spithill

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: SailGP