laser class

This is the second part of a two part interview with one of the most decorated sailors of the modern era, as multiple Olympic Gold Medallist Shirley Robertson finally sits down with one of sailing's contemporary greats,, multiple World Sailor of the Year, Tom Slingsby.

In the wonderfully diverse sport of competitive sailing there can be few athletes whose accolades are as wide ranging as Sydney born Australian Tom Slingsby.  At just thirty eight years of age, he boasts an unprecedented roll call of success that includes an Olympic Gold medal, an America's Cup win, two Moth World Titles, two SailGP titles, multiple Laser world championship wins, he's even won line honours in both the Sydney to Hobart and Middle Sea Races.In Part One of this podcast Robertson and Slingsby discuss the Aussie's early career, so Part 2 here picks up as Slingsby is about to play a pivotal role in one of modern sailing's most fabled of regattas - the 2013 America's Cup.

Regular podcast listeners will have heard the 2013 story from many of the key players from that San Francisco Cup, but this telling is perhaps the most revealing.  Slingsby's memories of the comeback are recalled from the perspective of the then rookie young America's Cup sailor somewhat overawedby his surroundings and the characters around him. His memories of the initial losses and the awkward meetings that followed are insightful and revealing, a must-listen to all fans of the modern Cup era...

"I was getting yelled at by Russell Coutts, and I still remember sitting there thinking 'I can't believe I'm sitting there with these legends, Grant Simmer, Jimmy (Spithill), Ben Ainslie,  Russell Coutts', I remember I was really in awe!"

What follows is a fascinating discussion on the dramatic turnaround of 2013, who made what decisions, and how the match was finally won.

From the America's Cup to Sail GP, the displacement Laser dinghy to the foiling Moth, Slingsby's talent has seen him become one of the most applauded sailors of his generation.  Getting a glimpse inside the mind of the man that's created such success makes for a truly fascinating two part podcast and is a must listen for any modern day sailing fan.

This edition of the podcast is in two parts and is available to listen to via the podcast page of Shirley’s own website - www.shirleyrobertson.com/podcast or via most popular podcast outlets, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcast and aCast. The podcast is produced and written by Tim Butt - for further enquires, please contact podcast@shirleyrobertson.com. 

Series Four of Shirley Robertson's Sailing Podcast continues in fascinating fashion as the multiple Olympic Gold Medallist finally sits down with one of modern sailing's most decorated athletes, multiple World Sailor of the Year, Tom Slingsby.

In the wonderfully diverse sport of competitive sailing there can be few athletes whose accolades are as wide ranging as Sydney born Australian Tom Slingsby.  At just thirty eight years of age, he boasts an unprecedented roll call of success that includes an Olympic Gold medal, an America's Cup win, two Moth World Titles, two SailGP titles, multiple Laser world championship wins, he's even won line honours in both the Sydney to Hobart and Middle Sea Races. It's an incredibly diverse list of titles, all stemming from one resolution made as a fifteen year old boy watching the 2000 Sydney Olympics...:

"I was down there (at Bradleys Head) everyday, and just seeing the Olympic arena, I just, in that moment, watching that final where Michael Blackburn took bronze and Ben Ainslie match raced Robert Scheidt to gold, I said right then and there that I want to be a part of this arena."

That moment was the catalyst to a remarkable, and still ongoing career.  But it wasn't always easy.  Slingsby's honest and candid account involves deep disappointment and harsh lessons at the 2008 Olympics, before moving on to detail the extraordinary lengths he went to, along with coach Micheal Blackburn to make sure he would prevail at the London Games of 2012.

This is the first part of a  fascinating two part interview, in which Slingsby gives the listener a sometimes intimate account of life as a successful twenty first century professional sailor.

From the decision not to defend his Olympic title, Robertson and Slingsby move on to his America's Cup career, and the much discussed 2013 San Francisco Cup which saw Slingsby help Team Oracle USA to the remarkable, and much documented comeback against Emirates Team New Zealand.

Regular podcast listeners will have heard the story from many of the key players from that 2013 Cup, but this telling is perhaps the most revealing.  Slingsby's memories of the comeback are recalled from the perspective of the then rookie young America's Cup sailor somewhat overawed by his surroundings and the characters around him. His memories of the initial losses and the awkward meetings that followed are insightful and revealing, a must-listen to all fans of the modern Cup era - Part One ends as Slngsby begins in his role onboard Oracle Team USA, looking forward to the famous 2013 comeback in the Bay of San Francisco.

From the America's Cup to Sail GP, the displacement Laser dinghy to the foiling Moth, Slingsby's talent has seen him become one of the most applauded sailors of his generation.  Getting a glimpse inside the mind of the man that's created such success makes for a truly fascinating two part podcast and is a must listen for any modern day sailing fan.

This edition of the podcast is in two parts and is available to listen to via the podcast page of Shirley’s own website - www.shirleyrobertson.com/podcast or via most popular podcast outlets, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcast and aCast. The podcast is produced and written by Tim Butt - for further enquires, please contact podcast@shirleyrobertson.com. 

This month Shirley Robertson talks to a man with one of the most varied careers in the sport of professional sailing, as she sits down for an extensive chat with one time Team GB team mate Paul Goodison.

Having discussed Goodison's Olympic career, which peaked with a gold medal in Beijing 2008, this second part of their chat concentrates on Paul's America's Cup campaigning.

Most recently Goodison has been an integral part of the New York Yacht Club's 36th America's Cup campaign as main sail trimmer on board American Magic's Patriot.  Goodison and Robertson reflect on many of the key points of the Auckland Cup, as Paul eloquently discusses the process of developing and building a seventy five foot foiling monohull the like of which has never been built before.Ultimately of course, talk turns to the catastrophic capsize midway through the Challenger Series Round Robin that severely effected the campaign...:

"I remember clearly with about thirty seconds coming into the mark how dark and black the sky was and how the water was getting rougher and looking at the speedo, we were doing 42knots upwind, it was 'woah, this is pretty full on, this is going to be exciting!'"

Goodison's recollections on American Magic's campaign in Auckland are fascinating, as the team desperately tried to overturn the disadvantages dealt by the nature of the capsize.Looking forward though, perhaps the most exciting of Goodison's insights concerns the next America's Cup.  He reveals to Robertson he has recently re-signed with the American outfit, and will be continuing in a key role as American Magic continue to represent the New York Yacht Club.

This edition of the podcast is in two parts and is available to listen to via the podcast page of Shirley’s own website, at www.shirleyrobertson.com/podcast or via most popular podcast outlets, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcast and aCast. The podcast is produced and written by Tim Butt - for further enquires, please contact podcast@shirleyrobertson.com. 

This month double Olympic gold medalist Shirley Robertson goes back to her sailing roots as she talks about success and failure with six very different multiple Olympic medallists. The interviews span fifty two years of Olympic competition, feature a total of twelve medals, seven gold, and include some of the biggest names in Olympic Sailing.

The two part podcast kicks off with London 2012 Laser gold medallist Tom Slingsby, and his emotional account of how the surprise of failure in Beijing 2008 drove him to the top of the podium four years later in London.  Slingsby's is a fascinating account, starting with his memories of how, while watching Sydney 2000, he resolved to one day stand atop the Olympic podium.

"I'm not the most athletically gifted person, when I started training and sailing I was not a good junior sailor, before the Sydney Olympics, before I dedicated myself to it I finished 61st at the Radial Nationals in 1999, I was mediocre, but I said 'I love this sport, I wanna do it and I'm gonna train and put in the work' and I just felt like a regular kid, I just loved it and dedicated myself to it."

British 470 Women's Olympic Champion Hannah Mills tells how disruptive a postponed Olympics has been, having decided to return to defend her crown after her win in Rio 2016.

Mills goes on to reveal to Robertson how the relative disappointment of a silver medal at her home Games in London 2012 really fuelled the determination for herself and crew Saskia Clarke, as they resolved to go the distance one last time together, in a bid to go one better and win in Rio.  Mills discusses the Rio regatta, and what finally winning Olympic gold with her best friend meant to the pair as they began to realise their achievement.

From the amateur Olympic era of the 1960s and 70s Robertson then interviews British Olympic sailing legend Rodney Pattisson, a double Olympic gold medallist from Mexico City 1968 and Munich 1972 and a silver medallist from Montreal 1976.  Pattisson sailed the Flying Dutchman Class, was a submarine officer in the Royal Navy, and is widely known as being one of the forefathers of the 'no stone unturned' approach to modern Olympic sailing.  His tales of fine tuning and optimisation while simultaneously duping his opposition are not just amusing, but also show a ruthless and dogged approach to competition, here explaining a dominant display at the Munich Games of 1972...

"People didn't know I'd built another boat, they still thought it was the old one and I kept that a secret right up until after the Games.  It had the same name on the side of the boat, it had the same colours.  One of the things I did was that the old, slower boat had had a prang, and so there was a repair inside the boat that you could see on the varnish work, so I copied that repair and anybody that had a suspicion at all looked underneath the stern deck, knew about the collision and thought it had to be the same boat."

New recording as at 21 July 2019.

Interview with new Etchells World Champion Richie Allanson. We talk the Worlds and the development of the new Allanson Murray boat.

We hear about the USS Constitution - a warship from the late 1700 and her crews singleminded focus on rum.

We talk about some of the cool new boats being launched

We try and explain the Laser vote

And talk Transpac, TP's, Youth Worlds, J80's and Opti Worlds and 

we answer our quiz question.