Good Jibes #86: Cooper Dressler on the SailGP Grand Final
This week’s host, John Arndt, is joined by Cooper Dressler to chat about gearing up for the SailGP Season 3 Grand Final in San Francisco on May 6–7, 2023. Cooper is in his second season on the US SailGP team. He’s been sailing since he was a child and competed as a grinder with the 2021 America’s Cup challenger, American Magic.
Hear how to become a professional sailor, the aspects of sailing that got Cooper hooked from an early age, about learning to sail on boats that go 50 knots, how much practice and preparation goes into training for SailGP, and how to succeed when you’re racing against the clock.
This episode covers everything from SailGP to Cooper’s favorite boats. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear:
- What was youth sailing like for Cooper?
- How do the SailGP boats work?
- What’s the difference between foiling monohulls and foiling catamarans?
- How do you learn to race on super-fast boats?
- Is there much difference between tacking and jibing?
- How do you practice for SailGP?
- What’s key for sailing in the Bay?
- Short Tacks: How does Cooper enjoy seasonal sailing?
This episode is brought to you by SailGP. Learn more about the US SailGP team on social media @SailGPUSA and get tickets to the San Francisco event on May 6–7, 2023, at https://sailgp.com/races/season-3/united-states-sail-grand-prix-san-francisco/overview/.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast spots — follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re feeling the Good Jibes!
Don’t forget that Cooper Dressler was one of the sailors on the American Youth Sailing Force in the Youth America’s Cup here on SF Bay 13 years ago. David Liebenberg was the tactician on the AYSF team and he’s now competing for an Olympic Berth next year on the wire of a Nacra 17.
Oh yeah Coop! So happy to see that he is on here! Vince and I both worked with Cooper on the Youth AC team “American Youth Sailing Force”. Was it really 13 years ago, Vince??? Not even possible… but anyway, so wonderful to see how these guys have grown professionally. Cooper is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. You go Coop!