Sitting down with Paul Goodison

Shirley Robertson

In this edition of Shirley Robertson’s Sailing Podcast, the double Olympic gold medalist Robertson talks to a man with one of the most varied careers in the sport of professional sailing, as she sits down for an extensive chat with one time Team Great Britain teammate Paul Goodison.

Most recently sailing as main trimmer in the 36th America’s Cup with American Magic, a closer inspection of Goodison’s career reveals a remarkable strength and depth that has brought success across a multitude of disciplines in a career that’s spanned several decades.

Growing up in the north of England, Goodison learned to sail on a reservoir, but was quickly mixing it up with that precocious young talent pool of the time, honing his sailing skills with contemporaries Ben Ainslie, Iain Percy, Andrew Simpson, and Chris Draper.

A professional career beckoned, which initially led to an early career campaigning in the super competitive Laser class. After a fourth place in the Athens Games of 2004, Paul topped the podium in Beijing 2008 to win Olympic Gold, completing a journey that had begun in earnest after a night out celebrating his friend’s silver in 1996.

“When Ben returned from Atlanta having won a silver medal, we were all at the Laser Nationals,” said Goodison. “Ben had his medal with him and I remember for the first time, it was the first Olympic medal I’d ever seen, and held, and all of a sudden you make the connection, this is no longer one of those things you see on the TV, this is a guy you’ve sailed against and all of a sudden it became clear it’s not so far away.”

After the highs of Beijing, Robertson and Goodison then turn to the home Games of London 2012, and Goodison is honest and frank about the disappointment of finishing in seventh place. Going into the Games, Goodison felt well prepared, but he reveals how some poorly timed competition with his peers in the gym seriously affected his chances at his home Games – it’s an honest and precautionary tale!

At the same time, Goodison had fallen back in love with sailing on discovering the foiling Moth – he uncovered a new energy and enthusiasm that would propel him to three consecutive world titles in one of the most competitive classes out there. His love of the Moth is clear to see as he shares his enthusiasm with Robertson about the single handed foiling dinghy.

Most recently though, Goodison had been an integral part of the New York Yacht Club’s 36th America’s Cup campaign as main sail trimmer on board American Magic’s Patriot. Goodison and Robertson reflect on many of the key points of the Auckland Cup, as Paul eloquently discusses the process of developing and building a seventy five foot foiling monohull the like of which has never been built before.

Paul Goodison

Ultimately of course, talk turns to the catastrophic capsize midway through the Challenger Series Round Robin that severely affected the campaign.

“I remember clearly with about thirty seconds coming into the mark how dark and black the sky was and how the water was getting rougher,” noted Goodison. “Looking at the speedo, we were doing 42 knots upwind, it was ‘woah, this is pretty full on, this is going to be exciting!'”

Goodison’s recollections on American Magic’s campaign in Auckland are fascinating, as the team desperately tried to overturn the disadvantages dealt by the nature of the capsize.

Looking forward though, perhaps the most exciting of Goodison’s insights concerns the next America’s Cup. He reveals to Robertson he has recently re-signed with the American outfit, and will be continuing in a key role as American Magic continue to represent the New York Yacht Club.

This edition of the podcast is in two parts:

Part 1:

Part 2

Shirley Robertson OBE made history by becoming the first British woman to win Olympic Gold Medals at two consecutive Olympic Games. Shirley Robertson’s Sailing Podcast, produced and edited by Tim Butt of Vertigo Films, is available to listen on her website or via most popular podcast outlets, including iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcast, and aCast.