Three-time America’s Cup champion leaves Kiwi SailGP team amid transfer battle
by Richard Gladwell – Sail-World.com/nz 26 Oct 06:54 PDT
Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup – Andy Maloney, starboard trimmer on ‘Taihoro’ – October 12, 2024 © Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup
The Brazil SailGP team has announced the signing of New Zealand’s SailGP and three-time America’s Cup champion, Andy Maloney, as flight controller for the upcoming season.
Maloney, a former Finn Gold Cup winner who narrowly failed to secure a spot on the NZ team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, will join INEOS Britannia pilot/trimmer Leigh McMillan and former SailGP Denmark grinder Richard Mason, who will serve as strategist. The new roster features Brazilian nationals Martine Grael as driver and Mateus Isaac and Marco Grael as grinders. Martine Grael is a two-time Olympic Gold medalist in the Women’s Skiff event.
Maloney’s exit from the Blackfoils SailGP team led by Peter Burling and Blair Tuke will trigger a chain reaction within the New Zealand team, according to a report on the SailGP website.
The website states that his departure “represents one of the most notable athlete transfers of the off-season so far and will have a ripple effect on New Zealand, which has yet to announce a replacement flight controller.”
Maloney has been part of the New Zealand team since its formation three years ago in Season 2.
The expansion of the SailGP League from nine to 12 teams in Season 5 has already prompted several “transfers,” as investors acquire franchises for both existing and new teams for over USD$40 million, in addition to sailing operation costs.
Only two of the current teams are not externally financed.
New teams from Brazil and Italy, led by two-time America’s Cup Champion Jimmy Spithill, will join the League for Season 5. SailGP has purchased Emirates Team NZ’s America’s Cup-winning AC50 from Bermuda, which is being adapted to the one-design F50 used in SailGP. A fast-tracked construction of a 12th F50 is currently in progress for the French team.
Heightening the pressure on existing SailGP and America’s Cup teams is the announced plan of the SailGP League to increase the number of events. Without specifying a date, SailGP recently revealed intentions to raise the number of events to between 18 and 20 per season, aiming to “compete alongside the top 20 sports properties.” The 2025 F1 season will feature 24 events. Similar to F1, SailGP plans to hold some regattas just a week apart, with the first two being the Los Angeles SailGP on March 15-16 and San Francisco on March 22-23 in Season 5.
With this volume of events, it’s difficult to envision how sailors involved in America’s Cup programs can manage their commitments to SailGP while also meeting the growing expectations for top performance.
According to SailGP.com, Brazil CEO Alan Adler traveled to Barcelona during the 2024 America’s Cup on a talent scouting mission to contract “experienced” athletes.
Maloney stated to SailGP.com that there was “interest” from his end “right away,” but the early discussions “weren’t very serious.” However, Adler continued, providing Maloney with “more details about the team and the group of athletes” he aimed to assemble.
There was some “back and forth” as the team “did what they could” to persuade Maloney to remain, but his decision was firm.
Maloney is the second prominent sailor to be recruited from an America’s Cup team. Just before the 37th AC Match commenced, it was announced that INEOS Britannia’s Head of Sailing, Giles Scott, a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and the skipper/helmsman of the Emirates GB SailGP team, would be joining the Canada SailGP team, replacing the current skipper Phil Robertson.
Arnaud Psarofaghis and Bryan Mettraux from Alinghi Red Bull Racing have also signed with the Swiss SailGP team, which now has new ownership.
America’s Cup teams are a primary source for elite professional sailors with foiling experience on wingsailed yachts capable of exceeding 50 knots. Currently, the Cup is in hiatus after the conclusion of the 37th America’s Cup, with no announcements made on the Protocol, dates, and Preliminary Events ahead of the 38th Match.
While Cup leadership has expressed a desire to launch an AC40 program in 2025, the 37th America’s Cup just wrapped up a week ago.
At present, several sailors have managed to compete in both the AC and SailGP circuits, but as both grow, that situation may become increasingly challenging.
With recent hires into SailGP, nationality rules appear to be becoming more lenient. This trend will likely lead to an increase in contracts for professional sailors—during the America’s Cup from 2000 to 2017, top grinders earned over USD$30,000 monthly plus accommodation.
Some regulation was implemented when Emirates Team New Zealand introduced a strict Nationality Rule, which restricted sailors from leveraging one AC team against another, reduced crew sizes on AC75s, and maintained a ban on two-boat training, necessitating two sailing crews.
The headhunting among a relatively small pool of professional sailors may evolve to target youth and women sailors, both groups having participated in simulator and AC40 training as preparation for their respective Youth and Women’s America’s Cups, supplementing existing development and feeder programs in SailGP.
