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Sailfaster: The Podcast For Racing Sailors

Sailfaster: The Podcast For Racing Sailors

Pete Boland 76 Episodes Jul 28, 2026

Sailfaster is the go-to podcast for competitive sailors who want to improve their racing performance. Host Pete Boland interviews top sailors about their beginnings, race strategies, tactics, and crew management. Listeners gain insights into pre-race preparation and how to sail faster than the competition. Each episode shares practical tips and stories from experienced racers.

Episodes

How to Sail Faster—Whatever Your Boat's Rating
How to Sail Faster—Whatever Your Boat's Rating Jul 28, 2026 1797 Racing under handicap can feel frustrating—but is your rating really the problem?  After joining the J/105 Javelin for the IRC Europeans, I came away convinced that the best teams don't spend their weekends complaining about the rule. They focus on preparation, communication, boat handling and relentless improvement.  Drawing on conversations with owner Richard Newsom and navigator Tony O
Beneteau First Series and the "Effortless Joy of Planing"
Beneteau First Series and the "Effortless Joy of Planing" Jul 20, 2026 2120 Modern sailboats have evolved dramatically—but has yacht racing kept up?  In this episode of Sailfaster, Pete talks with Andraž Mihelin, co-founder of Seascape and the force behind the Beneteau First range, and offshore racer Charles-Etienne Devanneaux. Together they explore why today's boats are faster, lighter and easier to sail, yet racing often remains rooted in another era. They disc
What It Takes to Race a 50-Foot Performance Catamaran - With Tom Kassberg
What It Takes to Race a 50-Foot Performance Catamaran - With Tom Kassberg Jul 1, 2026 2601 Tom Kassberg's the owner of Malolo, one of the fastest performance cruising catamarans in the world, with victories in the ARC and class honours at the Caribbean 600.  In this episode, Tom joins Pete to unpack how he built a championship offshore racing program from the ground up—from choosing the right platform and assembling an elite crew to developing boat-specific performance data and
Tom Slingsby: Decision-Making At 80 KPH!
Tom Slingsby: Decision-Making At 80 KPH! Jun 23, 2026 1992 Olympic gold medallist, America’s Cup winner and SailGP superstar Tom Slingsby joins Sailfaster from San Francisco airport for a fascinating deep dive into what it takes to perform at the highest level of sailing. From surviving one of the toughest and most dramatic SailGP race days of his career to the mindset shifts that helped him overcome Olympic heartbreak and become a world champion
Spite Sailing: Building an Offshore Racing Pathway for Women
Spite Sailing: Building an Offshore Racing Pathway for Women Jun 4, 2026 1928 Offshore racing has long been seen as one of sailing's toughest frontiers—physically demanding, technically complex, and historically dominated by men. But Emma Rosenbaum and Marianna Fleischman of Spite Sailing are working to change that.In this episode of SailFaster, we dive into the story behind their women-led offshore racing campaign, their journey into short-handed sailing, and thei
How Technology Has Changed Starts Forever — with Todd Wilson
How Technology Has Changed Starts Forever — with Todd Wilson May 20, 2026 1661 GPS-based starting systems are changing sailboat racing — whether sailors like it or not.  In this episode, Pete Boland talks to Todd Wilson, co-founder of Vakaros, about how RaceSense and modern GPS technology are transforming starts, protests, race management, and training.(Note this is NOT a sponsored episode!)Todd explains why even elite sailors struggle to ping a line accurately, how
From On The Rocks To On The Transat Start Line...Ambre Hasson's Journey
From On The Rocks To On The Transat Start Line...Ambre Hasson's Journey Apr 27, 2026 1684 Ambre Hasson went from learning to sail in 2020 to completing the Mini Transat just five years later. In this episode, she shares her rapid rise into offshore racing, including losing her first boat during qualification and rebuilding her campaign from scratch.She discusses resilience, managing fear, and key performance ideas like pacing, pushing to the “friction point,” and preserving th
North U's Performance Race Week: Starts, speed and decision-making from St Thomas in the USVI!
North U's Performance Race Week: Starts, speed and decision-making from St Thomas in the USVI! Apr 10, 2026 2006 Kristen Berry kindly invited me to take part in North U / American Sailing’s Performance Race Week in St Thomas this February; this collaborative episode is a detailed debrief of that programme. We unpack the structure of the week, the coaching approach, the type of sailors who benefit, and the key performance insights—from start sequence execution and acceleration mechanics to decision-m
Lara Dallman Weiss on Starts, Downwind Speed & Staying Calm Under Pressure
Lara Dallman Weiss on Starts, Downwind Speed & Staying Calm Under Pressure Mar 24, 2026 2958 Olympian and performance coach Lara Dallman Weiss joins Sailfaster to unpack what actually makes boats go faster—and it’s not just technique.From her background in Olympic 470 racing to keelboat campaigns and coaching, Lara shares a holistic view of performance that blends decision-making, teamwork, communication and mindset. At the core is a simple idea: sailing is constant problem-solvi
Talk Like Champions: Onboard Communication with Morgan Trubovich (Part 2)
Talk Like Champions: Onboard Communication with Morgan Trubovich (Part 2) Feb 22, 2026 2075 in Part 2 of our discussion, Morgan “Truby” Trubovich returns to finish his deep dive on what actually wins races: process, communication, and smart feedback. He explains when results do matter, why elite teams talk like air-traffic control, and how onboard audio/video accelerates learning—often with audio proving more valuable than the camera.  So much to learn from the Kiwi legend!  
Process Over Results: The Playbook Every Racing Sailor Needs with Morgan Trubovich (Part 1)
Process Over Results: The Playbook Every Racing Sailor Needs with Morgan Trubovich (Part 1) Feb 13, 2026 2210 I was lucky enough to sit down with Morgan Trubovich—better known as “Truby”—one of the most quietly dominant sailors in the sport. Across a career spanning 19 world championships, America’s Cup victories, major offshore wins, and elite one-design racing, Truby has developed a philosophy that consistently produces top-tier results across any class, crew, or campaign.Over two episodes, he
What racers can learn from Junior racing sailors!
What racers can learn from Junior racing sailors! Feb 3, 2026 2545 This week on SailFaster, we break down one of the most misunderstood parts of the sport: junior sailing—not as childcare, not as summer camp, but as a high-performance pipeline that can transform an entire racing community.Host Pete Boland sits down with Madde Vachon and Travis Carlisle of Annapolis’ Severn Sailing Association to reveal what really happens inside a modern junior program.

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