Taylor: We Knew Our First Event Win Would Come

A note from U.S. SailGP Team driver Taylor Canfield following the Down Under victory

Published 03/19/2026

It’s a pretty cool feeling getting that first event win with this team. We knew it would come because we could see the progress we were making as a group. It was just about putting everything together over a full weekend.

We did a nice job in Sydney. We weren’t in the best position after Saturday, but we knew we still had a shot. We reset that night, came back with a solid plan on Sunday, and executed well.

I don’t think anyone was focused on whether we would win sooner or later. The mindset has always been to improve every minute we’re on the water. That includes race days, especially since we don’t get many training days.

Momentum building

Looking back, in the two events leading into Sydney, we showed we could put strong races together. I saw a stat that we’re now second for podiums this season, which shows the gains we’ve made.

We’ve had some tough races, including in Sydney, but our confidence is much higher. We know we can compete at the top and, importantly, pass boats to get there. That’s huge in SailGP - being able to turn a tough race into a better result by making key overtakes.

When you’re on the boat, the math is so complex with the scoring. Going into the final fleet race, I knew it would be tight, with three or four teams fighting for those last spots in the final. Spain had a decent position, and Italy, Australia, and GBR were all right there.

We just needed a good race - get off the line well and let things unfold. At one point, we got feedback from the coach’s booth about what we needed to do to qualify. That’s both stressful and reassuring! It tells you you’re in a strong position, and from there it’s about protecting it and sailing cleanly to secure a spot in the Final.

Patience is key

We took the same mindset we’d had all day into the Final. There was actually a longer break than expected, and we didn’t have full racecourse information until very late. The start marks were still moving with just minutes to go, so we had to adapt quickly - figure out timing, entry, and how we wanted to approach the line.

It was tricky not having the full picture early, but we handled it well. Once everything was set and the data came through, we felt comfortable. The preparation we’d done earlier in the day definitely helped.

Getting up and foiling on the approach to Mark One was huge – full credit has to go to the entire team. We weren’t sure whether foiling would even be possible throughout Sunday. With only three boats, there was less traffic, but the key moment was being patient.

If you try to get up on the foils too early at too low a speed, you risk a full reset - you lose momentum and have to rebuild. We might have been able to pop up at the same time as GBR, but that patience gave us a clean lift and strong acceleration.

Once we were up, the boat speed came quickly. It was a clutch moment, and it required all four of us to execute small jobs perfectly and in sync.

Looking forward, our mentality won’t change. Good or bad, we’ve always tried to shut out the external noise and focus on what we can control as a team. We have to keep building and improving. This team is willing to put in the work, and there’s still a lot more to come.

Winning an event doesn’t guarantee anything going forward. We know how hard it is, and we know every other team is improving too. We just have to keep doing our part and continue growing.

We’ll see you in Rio next month for a first event in South America – we can’t wait!

Speak soon,

Taylor

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