Anna: Being In Final Contention Makes Me Hungry For More

U.S. SailGP Team grinder Anna Weis writes to you following the Rio Sail Grand Prix

Published 04/28/2026

Walking away with a P4 after the first Rio Sail Grand Prix is huge for us. SailGP is so difficult to come away with anything in the top half, so that was a really good result.

I thoroughly enjoyed Rio as a venue but it was a super tricky race track with really inconsistent conditions, and the more variable it gets, the harder it is to stay consistent with your results.

Taking all of that into account, P4 is a great result, but we know there’s a lot to improve on, too.

Finding Our Range

On Sunday, with the bigger 27.5m wings, we were pretty out of range for the breeze we had. That made it super challenging to sail the boat properly. I don’t know if we’ll end up sailing that configuration again in that kind of wind because it was pretty full-on.

SailGP introduced the new 27.5m wings at the end of last season. We’ve sailed a bit with them before, but not a ton. The main issue was that there was more breeze than we would normally sail with that wing.

Typically, in that breeze range, we’d be on a 24m wing. With the extra power, it becomes much more difficult to control in the puffs and the breezier moments of each race. Everyone in the fleet was learning, and no one had it easy that day.

So you end up trying to get rid of power because there’s more breeze and you’re on a bigger setup – you become overpowered pretty quickly. We were also on the high-speed rudders, which are smaller, and that added another layer of difficulty. It was a configuration that nobody had really sailed before, so it was all about learning how the boat would react and how to set it up properly. It was a big challenge.

But we leave knowing there’s a lot more to learn and work on. It’s a really good feeling to finish with a solid P4 and still have a lot to take away. That keeps the learning, motivation, and discipline going. Overall, I really enjoyed it.

Competition Steps Up

Coming off the win in Sydney, there was a little bit of added pressure because you feel like you need to perform again to prove you deserved it.

We’ve had positive results followed by some that weren’t as strong, so coming into the season it was about whether we could maintain consistency. That does weigh on you a bit. But everyone has a really good mindset – we’re not focused on results, just progression.

That’s what has allowed us to keep competing with the top group. That mindset is everything for consistency. It’s nice to be in contention for finals, and it makes you hungry to get into more of them. When you make the Final, it feels like a relief – you can just go out, sail, and do your best.

Even without the Kiwis on the start line, the fleet is more competitive than ever this season.

You look at how the Aussies sailed on Sunday - winning every race - it was incredible and they were untouchable. With Artemis joining and reaching their first final, it’s clear they’re not here to tread water.

Everyone has their strengths, and it’s no easy feat out there. Every race is a battle. The level just keeps getting higher and higher, and you have to keep

improving to match that. That’s the name of the game – how quickly you can get better and stay there while continuing to learn. That’s also what makes it so fun.

We’re looking forward to returning to Bermuda next month. It’s a stunning venue and one we’ve missed on the SailGP calendar before heading to New York.

Speak soon,

Anna

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