British gold Olympic medalist Saskia Clark provides an insight into SailGP on the eve of the big event
Sometimes asking the most innocent of questions can get you in all kinds of trouble.
So when I asked British sailing athlete Saskia Clark which was more important, the world championships or the Olympics, I knew I had put my foot in it.
“I’m an Olympic gold medalist so I suppose I’m going with that,” she replies with a cheeky and wry smile.
Saskia is one of a number of people who have converged on Abu Dhabi this weekend for SailGP, which sees a star-studded sailing cast part of ten different internationals teams compete for world championship honours.
The former Olympic gold medalist now works in her role at SailGP, where one of the aims is to popularise the event throughout the world, with the azure oceans around Abu Dhabi being the latest destination.
“We really do want to promote sailing everywhere. It is predominately practiced by the old Commonwealth countries like Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, but we really do want to make it appeal to everyone. Hence why coming to Abu Dhabi and Dubai is so important for us.”
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Like many other sports which commands a huge entourage, sailing, with its moto ‘Powered by Nature’, is also coming under the microscope for sustainability, an ongoing challenge which organisers and supporters are trying to face.
“Naturally our sailing boats are powered completely by wind which makes us different to many other sports. But we have tried to reduce the carbon footprint that we create travelling around to events and we have taken lots of measures to do so.”
One of the best aspects of this whirlwind sport is that all teams compete from the very same starting point, in that all the boats are mechanically identical. This means that success is very much dependent on the six athletes on board the boat.
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Tactics and strategies vary depending on the strength of the wind and as Saskia revealed, athletes prefer to deal with conditions which they grew up in.
“All the guys from Australia and New Zealand love the high winds while the participants from the Mediterranean like calmer waters. Judging by the weather today the conditions will suit the latter,” she said.
The two main races which take place on Saturday and Sunday form the highlight of the weekend, but SailGP is turning their event into a more family filled day out with fun activities for everyone.
Famed English band Take That will take to the stage on Saturday evening, while a dedicated community, education and outreach initiative, Inspire, is also taking place with the aim of inspiring the next generation of sailors from local schools.
If you are looking for something fun to do this weekend, then give this event a go. It is one event that will definitely put the wind into your sails!
For more information, visit sailgp.com
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