SAN DIEGO — The fledgling SailGP global league makes its U.S. debut this weekend on San Francisco Bay, where the young American team, which includes two aspiring Olympians from Southern California, hopes to move up in the standings while the veteran Australian crew looks to stay atop the leaderboard. A few days after the Australians almost became the first of the six SailGP crews to hit 50 knots (57.5 mph), they almost capsized. “I love being in San Francisco,” said Riley Gibbs, who controls the wingsail for the U.S. team. While competing in SailGP, Gibbs is also campaigning with Anna Weis of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a spot on the 2020 U.S. Olympic team in the Nacra 17, a foiling catamaran. “Being a foiling cat as well, there are a lot of similarities.”Henken, who is familiar with San Francisco Bay from his days at Stanford, said things he’s learned while sailing the 49er translate to sailing the F50.

Source: National Post May 03, 2019 19:07 UTC