Skippers Press Conference – what they said…

The seven international skippers are gearing up for one of their biggest challenges of the season – the River Elbe in Hamburg. Before they head out onto the racetrack later today, they met the media at the official press conference – this is what they had to say.

Thursday 28th July 2016

The seven international skippers are gearing up for one of their biggest challenges of the season – the River Elbe in Hamburg. Before they head out onto the racetrack later today, they met the media at the official press conference – this is what they had to say.

Arnaud Psaroghis, Alinghi

“We won in Qingdao but in Cardiff we didn’t sail at our best, we made too many mistakes and the other teams were stronger. Here, we think we have found what we did wrong and will improve on those points and push hard.”

Taylor Canfield, CHINA One

“We are very happy to be competing in one of the highest level multihull circuits that exist and we are growing as team. We are new to the game this year and trying figure out the boats and the foiling.

“We have been rotating through a few crew trying to find the right combo and we are getting to that point now, so we can focus more on the tactics, and not just the boat handling side. We hope to up to 13 podiums we got in Cardiff this week.”

Neil Hunter, Land Rover BAR Academy

“Generally from Cardiff we learnt so much and at this event we have a complete Academy team, onboard – it’s just the youngsters here! We’ve been working hard in the gym and on our boat handling and I think we are ready to mix it up with the top teams here in Hamburg.”

Morgan Larson, Oman Air

“This is a new venue for me, so yesterday was my first look. The river is tight, the current, the traffic, the wind – they all play a role. It will be a challenge. It is perfectly placed for the spectators.”

Diogo Cayolla, Sail Portugal - Visit Madeira

“The Sail Portugal - Visit Madeira project is a long term project. This year is a learning year, we want to rotate our crew members so that next year we can stabilize the crew.”

Rasmus Køstner, SAP Extreme Sailing Team

After watching last years capsize video…. “We have good memories of Hamburg but also some tough ones. That capsize was a good example of what not to do when you are leading the regatta! That time we pushed it too hard and that’s what happens.”