The Athletes Challenging the Status Quo: Racing on the Edge Highlights Unconventional Journeys in SailGP
The latest episode of SailGP's behind-the-scenes docuseries, Racing on the Edge, produced in partnership with Rolex, offers an unflinching look at two athletes redefining who gets to belong in the sport of sailing.
Episode 4 ‘The Power of Opportunity’ is available to watch now on SailGP’s YouTube here and via broadcasters around the world. Visit SailGP.com/Watch to learn more.
Through exclusive behind-the-scenes access, the episode traces Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team's Kai Hockley and his unlikely journey into sailing. Raised in an inner-city North London suburb, Kai attended Greig City Academy, miles from open water in a city where sailing is rarely offered as an after-school activity.
Hockley’s path begins with a teacher and mentor, Mr. Holt, who buys the school's first sailboat off eBay to teach interested students on a local reservoir. On an occasional school trip to Cowes, Kai and his teammates stun Cowes Week by taking home the Youth Trophy.
It was there that fellow Emirates GBR teammate Stuart Bithell first spotted Hockley as a standout on the water. Not long after, comes the call from Emirates GBR CEO and Team Principal Sir Ben Ainslie, offering an onshore internship with the team. Hockley has since joined full-time as the team's Youth Development Sailor.
‘The Power of Opportunity’ captures Hockley overcoming the odds stacked against him. "Because of where I grew up and where I'm from, a lot of people don't expect me to be doing this," Hockley says. "So I say: don't listen to what other people say, just keep going at it."
Elsewhere, we see U.S. SailGP star Anna Weis, the championship's first woman competing full time as a grinder / jib trimmer – having spent her career challenging assumptions no woman in the sport had been asked to challenge before. Stepping into the most physically demanding role on an F50, Weis finds that the mental battle is as significant as the physical one.
"When you have all these people saying, 'this isn't going to work, this isn't possible, she's not strong enough, what are the Americans doing,'” says Weis. “I felt like that period was never going to end. And the longer it goes on, the more you doubt yourself. Your mind plays such a big role in your physical ability, and ever since I learned that, I feel like I'm so much more in tune with how I talk to myself."
Outside the championship, Weis shares her gratitude for the multitude of support she has received from friends, family, teammates and beyond. “I just feel so lucky to have so many people in my life who support me and love me for who I am, I am grateful they want to be part of this journey with me, I’m just grateful.”
The Rolex SailGP Championship returns to German shores next month for the ROCKWOOL Germany Sail Grand Prix | Sassnitz, August 22-23. Limited tickets remain – find out more at SailGP.com/Sassnitz.
