Anna: Racing with legendary Martine Grael was special – but there’s work to be done
Grinder Anna Weis discusses working with interim driver Martine Grael at the Switzerland Sail Grand Prix
Published 09/28/2026
Looking back, it was a strange week building up to Geneva. But something that has changed in our team over the past year is how well we deal with curveballs. The team did a really good job of managing the situation we found ourselves in.
On paper, the result isn't what we wanted, but we're still in the fight going into the last two events of the season. We just have to keep chipping away and working hard so that when we get to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, we're ready to race well.
Racing with Martine Grael was really special, because I've always looked up to her as she has always been a huge inspiration to me.
First and foremost, our team has been extremely committed and intentional about creating more opportunities for women, especially in roles that haven’t always been accessible to them. It was a very exciting moment making history being the first two women to race together on an F50. I firmly believe it's possible for this to be the norm.
While it was a significant moment, it did also highlight the gap in opportunity and experience for women in our sport. I don't want it to be a case of "We've checked that box." We still need to acknowledge that there's a massive barrier to entry for women and that meaningful and lasting change is going to take time. Progress isn't always linear, and it's going to be slower than we want, but moments like this are a massive step in the right direction.
Overall, if that’s to be Martine's last event for now, it was a really positive experience to have her. I'm honored that I got to sail with her. She's a legend, and I have so much respect for her.
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Communication was always going to be different, and it showed how much trust and constant, precise communication matter. When you bring someone new in, some inconsistency is inevitable, no matter who it is, because every team does things differently. That said, we still had good moments, we made it through the weekend, and we're still in a position to fight for the Season Championship.
Martine was very complimentary about our team culture, and that's another thing we've worked really hard on; we’re really tight as a group. Hearing that from someone on the outside was validating because we want anyone who comes into the team to feel a part of the team.
The conditions made for a super difficult weekend – F50’s want to foil! It was a challenging racecourse, and there weren't always many passing lanes, so a lot came down to the start and your positioning around Mark 1. If you didn't get off the line, you were out the back, and it was hard to gain points back.
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Gaining a point on Artemis in that last race was huge. Andrew said how important it was that everybody stayed locked in until the very last moment even though we weren't going to get points on the board. PK and Mac on the chase boat took charge of that and realized we could gain a point back on Artemis, and that point could be the difference between making the Final and not.
I'm sending Taylor and Harry all the healing energy, and hopefully they'll be back strong before too long. With the squad we have, I have full confidence we can push hard and get into the Grand Final.
Read more: Andrew on U.S. SailGP Team's trailblazing duo
We’ve come a long way in a short time, so being in this position now is very rewarding. But the work is far from done. Everybody has the mindset that it's not over until it's over, and we're pushing extremely hard to arrive in Dubai and Abu Dhabi as prepared as we can be.
See you in Dubai,
Anna
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