Mac: The UK Is A Unique Venue!
U.S. SailGP Team grinder Mac Agnese looks ahead to this weekend's Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix…
Published 07/18/2025
The upcoming Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix won’t be Mac Agnese’s first taste of British waters with the U.S. SailGP Team – and his last visit is one he won't soon forget.
Mac was part of the fledgling U.S. SailGP Team that competed in Cowes, off the Isle of Wight, during the inaugural season of SailGP back in 2019. The weekend was cut short after just three races owing to extreme wind conditions, with Tom Slingsby and Australia coming out on top in the truncated event.
Almost six years on, it’s an event Mac remembers clearly.
He said: “It was really windy. There’s always a lot of current there, and it was still early days for all of us on the F50s. I remember it got so windy that no one wanted to bear away and head back down toward the starting line.
“Eventually, the Japanese team did – they had a very experienced crew with Nathan Outteridge, Iain Jensen, and Luke Parkinson. They stuffed it in pretty hard – not a capsize, but close – and it was tough to get downwind. That definitely made everyone nervous.
“We managed to race, though – we capsized during one of them but got the boat upright and finished the other two races that day.”
Mac added: “I think we can expect similar conditions for at least one of the days this year. It’s a tough racecourse – breezy, strong tides, and the way everything stacks up, it can get pretty gnarly. I’d say it’s a pretty unique venue.”
Something else that made that trip to the UK unique for Mac and the U.S. SailGP Team was the chance to appear in the Christopher Nolan blockbuster Tenet, starring Robert Pattinson and Michael Caine, among others.
Mac picks up the story: “It’s a cool film – very Christopher Nolan. A bit different, but definitely entertaining. I don’t know how SailGP and Nolan got in touch, but he wanted to use the F50 in the film.
“So we did two or three weeks of filming on the boat. It was us – Team USA – and I think Tom Slingsby was there on another boat, along with a few other guys.
“We met a couple of people in passing. I mostly remember meeting John David Washington – Denzel Washington’s son. But we mainly spent time with the stunt doubles. They were awesome!”
Mac and the U.S. SailGP Team will be hoping for a Hollywood blockbuster of their own on the Solent as the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix takes place from July 19-20.
READ MORE: PK Excited For First Taste Of British Racing
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