Andrew: We Know We’re Capable In Any Conditions – Perth Proved It
Strategist Andrew Campbell writes directly to U.S. SailGP Team fans following the Perth Sail Grand Prix
Published 01/26/2026
I’m back home in California now, catching up on my sleep after the flight back from Perth – though I’m not suffering too badly with jet lag!
It was, on reflection, a good weekend for us. The practice days were really positive for us. They forced us to confront some of these conditions that have been really difficult for all the teams, but difficult for us in terms of learning how to use the T-foils in that sea state. That puts Fremantle in a unique category as a difficult place to race any sailboat – especially in the foiling catamarans.
So, no, the conditions were not easy. The 18-meter wings are their own little animal that we have to learn how to tame. Michael (Menninger) is doing such a great job learning how all these different configurations work, and giving him extra hours in that conditions and with those configurations is so valuable.
Giving Hans (Henken) the time to really experiment and lock in the different settings, in terms of cant, rudders, and all the variables that come into flight control, just giving those guys extra reps, extra time, extra corners, makes the whole rest of the racetrack smoother.
Then, come Saturday, we had to basically forget about the 18-meter wing and start using the 24-meter wing! That meant going back to some settings that we had in the notebook rather than those we’d been practicing all week. It’s always the way it is – the conditions are changing and you have to be adaptable in SailGP.
Fresh Start For 2026 Season
As you know, I rejoined the team midway through last season. So this is my first full season back on the squad and there is a mentality that we have a fresh start. We’re looking at points on the board and finishing regattas. We still need to get on the podium, though. There are a lot of things that are still part of our process and goal-setting framework.
I always come back to what you hear Mike (Buckley) talk about. I think that is the mentality of our team – that we are a process-oriented group. If the process is right, if we attack the problems in small pieces and assign responsibility and accountability to each of those areas of the racetrack where we know we can get better, then the results will come. We’re less focused on going out there to lay down results or make statements.
The reality is that other teams will notice when they see that our processes are consistent and making improvements that maybe aren’t being made across the fleet. I think we are making gains in all areas, and we’re very humble about the fact that we have a lot of gains left to be made.
We’re also conscious that we’re competitive and that we should be competitive in any conditions. Mike said it pretty well the other day: This team is known for being really comfortable in light air and especially non-foiling conditions, and all we did this weekend was confirm to ourselves that we should be competitive in any conditions.
If that proves to somebody else that we should be a force to be reckoned with, then great. They’ll give us more respect when they line up next to us. But we’ve known that we’re capable in any conditions, and we’ve been chipping away at those things for the last six to eight months since we had that rollover in personnel.
We’ve got three weeks now until Auckland and we’re all desperate to build on this momentum.
Speak soon,
Andrew
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