Andrew: Disappointment At P7 Is Testament To Team Growth
Strategist Andrew Campbell writes to U.S. SailGP Team fans after the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix
Published 05/20/2026
Reflecting on the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix, the overriding emotion at the end of the weekend was the sting of Sunday. Nobody in our camp was satisfied with how Sunday went and very quickly, even while we were racing, we could see some of the mistakes we were making and knew we’d made them.
None of them were glaring from the outset; the starts weren’t great, we came off the foils in some funny spots, and it was not the kind of stuff we’d been doing well over the last few months.
Considered Reflections
I think Mac said it in our catch-up afterward, but if we’d flipped the days and had a bad Saturday, then come out firing on Sunday, everybody in the camp would have been fired up. We would have felt like we were on the right track, making good progress and big gains, and still really in the fight.
It’s a testament to how this team dynamic and culture has shifted over the last year that we’re disappointed with a seventh-place finish. The gap to fourth was really small. We were still in contention for the medal race going into the last race, which is all we ever look for - to still have a shot at the final in the last race of the day.
But as soon as we took a step back and talked about it during our weekly call, everybody was able to review it and say, “All right, we’re still not far away here.”
We know where the gaps are, we’re continuing to chip away at them, and the progress is what we’re after all the time. We’re sticking to the process, and I think we’re all still very confident that we’re on the right track. That’s probably why it hurts the way it does. It’s a testament to how our culture has shifted, and now we’re really on the up.
Saturday vs. Sunday
Honestly, the fully foiling, powered-up conditions - even overpowered at times - that we had on Saturday were conditions we’ve been working really, really hard to improve in.
If the press ranked all the teams before the weekend, they would probably have said we still had a long way to go in those conditions because we’re better known as a light-air team. I think we probably surprised some people.
Our process around how we’ve been working on starts is something we’ve put a lot of time into, and hopefully that’s starting to bear some fruit.
The Sunday conditions were the same wing and the same foils, but with about half as much breeze, at least in the starting-box. So we were sailing a boat configuration that wasn’t optimized for those conditions. That’s where other teams rely heavily on experience and having been through those situations hundreds of times.
Read More: Everyone's Proud Of How Far We've Come – Anna
That’s where our team still has the most room to grow. We’re gaining experience in the normal setups and normal conditions, and we’re getting better when the configuration isn’t quite right, but I think we got caught on the back foot a little bit with the small foils - especially the small rudders - and how the boat takes off in underpowered conditions.
So now it’s about recognizing when the conditions are going to be difficult and reprioritizing how we attack the racecourse in those moments. Everybody has to be on the same page about how we’re going to handle it.
Honing Harry
Harry Melges IV got some important reps on the F50 at the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix
One good thing to come out of Bermuda that our fans may not have seen is that Harry got some reps during practice. I have a ton of respect for what Harry is bringing to the table here. He helps me a lot strategically because he’s out on the water with us, and I can bounce ideas off him and get real-time feedback about how the racecourse looks.
I really appreciate the patience he’s shown despite having limited reps, and he continues to be an absolute sponge for what we’re doing here.
The comparison we’ve made internally is to Tom Brady early in his Patriots career. He was the third-string guy getting maybe two reps in practice, but he talked about wanting to make those two reps absolutely perfect. He focused on making every limited opportunity count, and the quality of that practice was so high that he kept gaining from it no matter how little time he had.
I think Harry has that mentality and that capability. We saw it on Friday, and we saw it on Saturday when he had a short spell onboard. He jumps at every opportunity, takes it seriously, and is ready every single time. He continues to be a really significant member of our team and someone who’s helping all of us get better.
We’re glad we get the New York Sail Grand Prix so soon. It’s a great opportunity to get back on the water and put our lessons into practice while also putting on a display for a lot of passionate American fans at our home event.
See you very soon,
Andrew
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