Liv Mackay at the helm alongside wing trimmer Blair Tuke during a practice session before the SailGP event in Dubai. Photo / SailGP
Liv Mackay at the helm alongside wing trimmer Blair Tuke during a practice session before the SailGP event in Dubai. Photo / SailGP
Liv Mackay hopes the top level of sailing will one day be a fully integrated space.
The New Zealand SailGP Team strategist was one of 12 women involved in the global foiling league who got the opportunity to try their hand at other roles on the F50 during the lead-up to the event in Dubai, which begins tonight.
The Swiss team offered up their boat to be sailed by a solely female crew during the week that also featured Kiwi Jo Aleh, with the sailors getting to try their hand at driving, trimming and/or flight controlling during a training session with Swiss team adviser, two-time SailGP runner-up and Team New Zealand America’s Cup helmsman Nathan Outteridge.
The session was part of the league’s women’s pathway programme (WPP), which was established midway through its second season to provide more opportunities and development for female talent.
“Everyone has a different point of view in terms of the end goal with the women’s pathway and what they would see as success of it,” Mackay told the Herald.
“For me personally, it’s full integration with the top of our sport, not necessarily a full female team as the end success. I think just equal opportunities and equal respect is huge.”
The WPP has brought a greater involvement of women on race day, usually in the strategist role where they help to navigate the team around the course, pick the wind shifts, take the helm as required when coming out of manoeuvres, and sometimes stepping into a grinding role on light days.
Liv Mackay (far left) was one of 12 sailors to take part in an all-female sailing session on board the Swiss SailGP Team's F50. Photo / SailGP
Now in its fourth campaign, the league’s goal is to have a fulltime female driver by season six.
“The league putting goals out there of where they want to get to with the women’s pathway programme is awesome. Having a female driver, or more females in any of the key roles going into season six, would be incredible and much needed to get that drive and push behind it.”
The all-female session in Dubai was the first time such an opportunity had been provided in SailGP.
Mackay didn’t get the chance to try her hand at the flight control or wing trimming roles when they were on the water, but did drive the boat, with helming and communication in that role something Mackay has been putting a lot of work into.
She said the session showed how easily it could be done.
“Dubai is the perfect venue for it being great conditions, but I really hope this carries on. It didn’t feel like a stretch by any means for the league, so really grateful to the Swiss team,” Mackay said.
“It really showed how being thrown in the deep end, people take it on and learn quickly. That’s just what needs to happen. Yes, people have been sailing the boats for quite a while, but until you’re actually in the positions, it’s very different to have full responsibility of it.”
“The more you do other roles, the more you understand the limitations and control they have that influences everyone else on board and how you can work together to get the best out of the boat. With the way the boats are set up, you can customise a little bit of who has what control on the boat. Just understanding what there is in other roles that you could potentially take on as the strategist at the back or how you can make other people’s lives a bit easier.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
