Taylor: Strong Performances Keep Us Hungry For More
U.S. SailGP Team driver Taylor Canfield writes to you ahead of the New York Sail Grand Prix
Published 05/22/2026
It’s always important to maintain a sense of perspective in sailing. Last season, our P7 in Bermuda would have been a win for the team. But having a taste of stronger performances keeps us hungry and wanting more, while also realizing we still have a lot of room to grow as a team. That’s the exciting part of it.
Of course, as a competitor, it’s tough to miss out on the Final, but when we really looked back at the racing, Sunday wasn’t bad. After going through all the video, we realized we did a lot of good things. We were literally one mistake away from finishing P4 for the weekend.
So I think it feels worse than it actually is. It really came down to one foil-rake handoff between Hans and I that I didn’t nail. Overall, I think we’re sailing the boat a lot better, the team’s sailing quite well, and we just need to continue refining those little moments that can be so costly in such a tight fleet.
Executing The Starts
I thought we had a very good grip on our starts before racing. We did a lot of starting laps and warmups, and it felt like we had a good understanding of how the start box was laid out and how our timing worked.
It definitely seemed easy at times, and you’re going to have those days where everything just plays out in your favor. The awareness was really high and the comms were really good in the starting box. We were able to carve out our positioning and our hole going into those final moments before the start.
The seas kind of parted for us a few times, if you will, and it’s nice to have those moments where you can be pointing at Mark 1 at full pace. That felt pretty good.
Tackling Different Conditions
We still have some small refinements to make but, overall, I think we’re sailing the boat quite well through the whole range.
Even in the lighter conditions on Sunday, the results don’t really tell the full story. I think we did a lot of good things and sailed back into the fleet several times, but then we’d have one tough moment that dropped us back again. It was a little bit of a yo-yo – we’d make gains and then have a setback.
Overall, though, I’m happy with the gains we’ve made across the range of wind conditions. That consistency is probably the next step for us. When you watch teams like the Australians and the Spanish, who are consistently on the podium, they’re just rock solid through every maneuver no matter the conditions, and they’re always making the right decisions around the racetrack.
Personally, I’d like to improve my overall awareness of the racetrack and where the other boats are. That’ll help us fight back into races when we’re toward the back.
Tech Base Talk
Everyone in the Tech Base talks but naturally you have more friends in some teams than others. But after five really closely fought events, I think everyone is holding their cards pretty close right now!
The fleet is getting so much tighter from a performance standpoint that teams are becoming a bit more reserved. It’s not that it’s less friendly, but I think teams are starting to realize, “These guys are more of a competitor than we thought,” so maybe they’re not quite as open anymore.
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No one else does what we do, so it’s nice to have those relationships and people you can bounce ideas off if needed, all while competing at 110% every time we get together.
We’re now getting ready for a quick turnaround and looking forward to New York. It’s such a privilege for all of us to represent the United States and getting to do so in front of a big, passionate crowd of home supporters is even better. We want to give you something to cheer about and we can’t wait to see you!
See you soon,
Taylor
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