Buckley’s Preview: Mike On ‘Honor’ Of Racing In New York
U.S. SailGP Team CEO and Co-owner Mike Buckley looks ahead to a race in his home city…
Published 06/5/2025
No substitute
From a sailing perspective, the team’s been hard at work analyzing data and video from the season so far. We've especially focused on the T-foils, though we’re not sure yet if we’ll use them in New York – it depends on the wind. If it’s light, they may go back to the older foils.
We've been meeting a few times a week for the past month and a half, which has been great. Nothing beats being together in person, but that hasn’t been possible. A lot of us have been sailing Moths to keep our reflexes sharp and training in the gym, but there’s no substitute for actually being on the water all together.
Everyone’s excited to get to New York and start training on Wednesday.
Empire State of Mind
This is the third New York event and the second under our ownership of the U.S. Sail GP Team. SailGP has changed massively since the first event in 2019. Back then, there were six boats, no grandstands, minimal hospitality – just six boats making little noise.
Now, it’s a full-scale event on Governors Island with grandstands, a race village, the Adrenaline Lounge and 12 teams. It’s grown exponentially.
Last year we had 10 teams; now there are 12. Hospitality has expanded to a second floor, too. I’ve said it before but there truly is no city like New York – competing here is a huge honor.
The U.S. SailGP Team race in front of Downtown Manhattan in Season Five of SailGP
Changeable conditions
In pure sailing terms, one of the things that makes New York unique as a race venue is the conditions. If the sea breeze fills in, there’s no better venue in the world – it’s a spectacular racecourse.
But it can also be tricky with light wind and strong currents. It can go either way: incredible or incredibly challenging. Regardless, it’ll be exciting.
Read More: Williams Racing A Great Comparison To U.S. SailGP Team
Reunited as a team
More than anything else, I am looking forward to reuniting with the team. We haven’t all been together in a while, and it’s special when our 21-person team comes together – from athletes to ops to marketing.
I’m also excited to see family, friends, and welcome new partners. But above all, I’m looking forward to racing hard with my teammates.
See you on the water,
Mike
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