Martine Grael’s “amazing” breakthrough moment with team Brazil
Grael’s team, Brazil, is one of the 12 nations that contest each race, which takes place over a weekend, with up to seven fleet races lasting 15 minutes each, generally four on Saturday and three on Sunday, weather and conditions dependent.
Each race-position clocks up points, and the top three-ranked teams after all the fleet races head to a winner-takes-all final.
With races close to shore, in iconic locations such as San Francisco and Lake Geneva, spectators view the action up close, the boats appearing to float above the water due to the foil technology seen for the first time at an Olympic Games, in kiteboarding and windsurfing, at Paris 2024.
Teams weave around course markers, close shaves aplenty, while jostling with other boats for position.
The Kiwis currently lead the season table on 54 points, with Australia second (52), Switzerland third (51) and GB fourth (50), so the racing is close with five regattas to go until the grand finale in Abu Dhabi, 29-30 November.
Brazil currently sits 10th in the table, on 11 points, with a win in the fourth fleet race in New York another breakthrough moment for the competition’s only female-led boat, described to SailGP by Grael as an “amazing” moment for the team.
Yet, Grael is keen for the day when being a female sailor in the event isn’t such a talking point.
“I do wish in the future that that isn’t the issue anymore,” she told us. “Especially in events like the SailGP where you have so much technology involved you can overcome some physicality… (and) the difficulty of having men and women together.”
Nevertheless, Grael’s achievements are a breakthrough for women in sailing, acknowledged Mills, a two-time Olympic champion.
“Just to see the level Martine’s getting to and pushing for, it’s super exciting because ultimately all of our goal is to create opportunities and pathways for the next generation,” the Briton told Olympics.com, also admitting she is on a pathway, aided by Ainslie, to run her own team.
“We need more female drivers, we need more female flight controllers and doing all of the other roles on the boat to show that it’s possible, and I think Martine doing well is an important part of that.”
Martine’s brother Marco Grael, a three-time Olympian and a grinder on the crew, also espoused his sibling’s progress.
“In the past, the experience we had was that I was probably most of the time helming the boat, and she was crewing,” Marco told us. “This is the first time it’s the other way around, and it’s been a good process to see her developing the skills needed. It’s also really good to see her as a crew and how her skills are developing in racing.
“It’s been a learning process for both of us, and the trust we have in each other is fundamental, so it’s really good.”