PK: Having A Whole Week Together Will Be Huge
Grinder Peter Kinney looks ahead to the German Grand Prix and discusses the impact of Andrew Campbell
Published 08/8/2025
Grinder Peter Kinney says the U.S. SailGP Team is looking forward to some valuable time together ahead of next week's Germany Sail Grand Prix in Sassnitz.
The team will be on site all week, taking advantage of four days of training and Friday’s official practice racing before the event kicks off.
That is a far cry from the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth, where practice racing was cut short due to a lack of wind on the Solent.
And Peter is excited to get some extended time on the water together.
“It’s a more relaxed environment where you have extra time to run drills and work through certain things,” he said.
“For us, it’s going to be starting into a Mark 1, then to a bottom gate - that’s the most important part of the race. You can’t do it enough. You watch the other teams and they drill that constantly.
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“In Portsmouth, we had very little time to get to the racecourse, maybe an hour of sailing, then straight into racing. Now we have four days where we can spend two to four hours on the water, take care of things, sit down, talk about them afterward, then move on and hopefully execute.
“With two new people, getting them integrated and used to the boat again is going to be huge.
“We’re super fortunate to have this time, and I know Mike (Buckley) works very hard to make it happen. It’s not cheap to have everyone out there for a week, so we’re super grateful to everyone behind the scenes. It couldn’t come at a better time, so hopefully we can put it all together and make good things happen.”
That lack of preparation time, coupled with wind conditions in the UK, meant new additions Andrew Campbell and Michael Menninger were restricted in their involvement last time out.
READ MORE: U.S. SAILGP TEAM CAN GET ON THE PODIUM - ANDREW CAMPBELL
Despite that, Peter has already recognized the benefit of an experienced campaigner joining the crew in Andrew.
“Andrew brings a very experienced, super methodical, and professional approach from those America’s Cup teams,” Peter explained. “In those environments, you operate within your team, developing the boat, operating procedures and control systems. He provides structure, good interpersonal skills for all the personalities we have, and on-board experience.
“He was a grinder for at least a full season with Jimmy (Spithill) and Paul Campbell-James, and a really good team of guys. He also flew the boat, trimmed the mainsail, and trimmed the foils in the last two America’s Cups. He brings a ton of knowledge from that area as well.
“It’s great to have him around - debriefing, on the water - he’s used to going very fast and making quick decisions, which is a huge added value for our group. He’s also not afraid to send it on one of these boats, which we need. Just from having him for a few days in Portsmouth, it was awesome, and we’ll keep that good vibe going.”
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