Sitting down with American Magic

Shirley Robertson

In this edition of Shirley Robertson’s Sailing Podcast, Shirley heads to Barcelona to interview some of the key personnel from American Magic, the New York Yacht Club’s challenger to the 37th America’s Cup.

Embarking on their second America’s Cup challenge, American Magic are a team rich in sailing talent, with a roster boasting a mix of some of the most experienced campaigners and some of the sport’s brightest rising stars.

Robertson starts the two part podcast with one of the sailing team’s newest signings, co-helm Tom Slingsby. A previous winner of the Cup in 2013, Slingsby joins the team as co-helm with Paul Goodison, creating a mouth watering combination that sees two of Olympic Laser sailing’s fiercest of rivals come together in the Cup’s new “dual helm” configuration. As Slingsby admits, it’s a setup the pair are still figuring out.

“Goody and I for sure, we have different ways of racing, I might be a bit more aggressive probably and a bit more into boat on boat sailing and Goody, his way is to go fast and make sure that we’re sailing the boat at optimum, and we’ll sail away from them that way. It’s just going to be a blend, who knows how that’s going to work, we’re still working on it honestly!”

Robertson also talks to sailing super coach Tom Burnham, the man tasked with getting the most out of American Magic’s talent pool, before spending time sailing the AC40 simulator with rising star Harry Melges.

Robertson then opens Part two of the podcast with Slingsby’s co-helm, Paul Goodison. One time Olympic team mates, Goodison and Robertson reflect on the legacy of the team’s AC36 campaign in Auckland, a challenge cruelly cut short by dramatic capsize, before discussing the intricacies of the twin helm setup, in a chat that reflects the rising confidence of the team.

“I think we’ve got a real chance. I think, there is a belief that we are good enough on our day to do this and to get over the final line and I think if we get a boat that we think we’re going to receive, and we race to the level we know we’re able to then I think on our day we’re going to be right there.”

Part two continues with a discussion on AC75 design, as Robertson talks to American Magic design team member David Oliver, before moving on to Riley Gibbs, another of the team’s rising young stars. Robertson’s final guest is the mastermind behind American Magic, Terry Hutchinson, himself embarking on his sixth America’s Cup campaign. Robertson and Hutchinson discuss what kind of racing we’re likely to see in next year’s Cup, as well as the make up of the new look American Magic sailing team.

This edition of the podcast is in two parts:

Part One:

Part Two

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.