Episode #189: Rolex Los Angeles SailGP — Behind the Scenes, Part 1

This week’s host Ryan Foland joins us from the Rolex Los Angeles SailGP on March 15-16, to go behind-the-scenes at the world’s most exciting race on water. Tune in as Ryan dives into interesting chats with people on the ground including SailGP’s Head of Event, a traditional maritime sailor, a former professional runner, and a fan at their first ever sailing race.

Hear how the Sail Grand Prix works, the unmatched energy leading up to the race, how fast the boats really go, what brings the fans out to watch SailGP, and all the sounds from an unforgettable day of racing, fun, and rowdiness. 

Learn more at SailGP.com and connect with Ryan at Ryan.Online

Check out the episode and show notes below for much more detail.

Show Notes

• Part 1: Rolex Los Angeles SailGP with Host Ryan Foland & Friends
  • [0:21] Welcome to Good Jibes with Latitude 38
  • [0:34] Setting the scene at the Rolex Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix
  • [4:32] Interview with Rob Hagedorn, the Head of Event for Los Angeles SailGP
  • [5:29] Heading over to the Adrenaline Lounge
  • [8:11] Good news and bad news
  • [9:24] Speaking to a Sailor representing Brazil
  • [12:52] The sailors should be taking to the water very soon!
  • [14:52] Have you ever seen a boat go 50 MPH under its own power?
  • [15:36] Who’s here for the crashes?
  • [19:51] Are you looking to sail more? Add your name to our Crew List at latitude38.com
  • The Boats
  • [21:39] The boats are out!
  • [28:01] Always get a second opinion on repairs
  • [31:48] Who’s rooting for the Americans?
  • [32:54] Pick up your own copy of Latitude 38, find one on Latitude38.com
  • Interviews with SailGP Fans
  • [33:40] Interview with a sailor entering the Clipper Round The World Race
  • [37:18] Seconds to go until the first start!
  • [40:06] Interview with Jared, who is at his first sailboat race
  • [43:14] Interview with Jo Ankier, a professional runner for Great Britain
  • [46:30] Getting into the physics of the wing foils
  • [49:50] Last race of the day
  • Make sure to follow Good Jibes with Latitude 38 on your favorite podcast spot and leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts
  • Check out the April 2025 issue of Latitude 38 Sailing Magazine
  • Theme Song: “Pineapple Dream” by Solxis

Transcript:

Note: this transcript is not 100% accurate

00:03

Have you ever seen a boat go 50 miles an hour on the water under its own power?

00:24

Ahoy and welcome to a very special episode of Good Jibes, podcast brought to you by Latitude 38, a West Coast sailing magazine since 1977. I’m standing in front of the Rolex official time clock here at SailGP in Los Angeles.  The time is exactly five minutes past 12 and I’ve just rolled through the door. There’s early media access, people are taking videos of me, things around.

00:51

They’re getting prepared. All the security is ready to go. And there’s a bunch of sailors waiting outside to get in to see these beasts  of 50 foot boats  launching out of the water,  riding on their hydrofoils for national pride as they cut to try to get to the finish line first.  I have a lot to learn about this series and hopefully I will learn and you will also meet people who know more than I might talk with some sailors.  Definitely going to talk with some fans  and.

01:19

We’re here in beautiful sunny  San Pedro. You know, it was raining the last two days  and so it was windy and rainy and now it’s sunny with light wind. But we have confidence that the wind will show up and it should be a good show. The layout here is interesting. You’ve got all the boats that are lined up. You’ve got parking very,  very far away. But I got a little tram and got here and everything’s getting set up  from the food to the bandstands are empty.

01:49

And definitely the bar. No one is in line at the bar. You know this thing hasn’t started yet.  All right. I’m going to cruise around, get a scoop,  maybe talk with some folks behind the scene. And  essentially, I want you to come aboard and ride along with me.  I was in the water last year watching this go down. And it’s going to be a whole different perspective here  up close  in the stands.  All right.  So many things to look at here.  Oh, these are the base stations.

02:19

These are crazy trailers,  not trailers, but sort of popped up, engineered. You see lots of exposed aluminum as it’s an  impromptu structure.  And this is the official spots where the teams bring their boats, I imagine. We got sail  USA team right here. Lots of clamor and commotion.  But the boat’s in the water already.  All right, I’m going to continue to explore.

02:48

Alright, I’ve made it to the VIP section  and it is completely empty. That means I’m here all by myself. And it’s a beautiful setup. You’ve got these white bar top tables with three  wrought iron white looking chairs.  And all I see right now are these beautiful sailboats. We’ve got USA right in front of me and then Britain and then gosh, they’re all lined up. A couple cranes, I imagine that’s how they drop them in the water.

03:14

a couple ribs that seem to be tending, a few people hanging out on the boats. And man, we’re just on the corner.  over here I see the robotic  markers as they’re going. See a lot of boats out there on the horizon. That’s where I was last year. I see two, four, six, eight, 10, 12, 20. I’d guess there’s about 45 boats, maybe 50. And there’s not much wind.  But they’re still about to let people in.

03:43

In this section here, there’s another section that looks like some grandstand  stadium seating with a big old LED monitor that looks like it’s gonna be the Megatron. And the vibe is  sunny  with no wind.  Oh, it’s cool to see these little robotic buoys marks as they head out there.  And I see the finish line. Wow. Yes, the finish line is right here. I’d imagine, I don’t know, I could probably hit it with a rock.

04:12

if it was a skinny rock and I had a good throw and the wind was in my favor. Nice, so everybody’s finishing right here. Looks like there’s a whole nother section over here to my left. I’m gonna go sneak over and check that out. I saw something about the adrenaline, adrenaline lounge?  All right, let’s see what that’s all about.

04:32

All right, here we are with the Good Jives podcast and this man, he was walking around making sure everything’s ship shape. Who are you and how close are we to the top of the show? Yeah, sure. My name is Rob Hagedorn. I’m the head of the event for Los Angeles Sail GP. Oh, well, I found the right man as I was cruising around. I just checked out the VIP section. You’ve got the adrenaline lounge over there. I was on the water last year when this was here. So for people who want to understand what’s going on, what’s the basis? You just got these crazy fast sailboats. Most of our listeners are sailors, but a lot of people have not maybe.

05:00

seeing this in person, but what are we expecting here today? So we’re at the Port of Los Angeles for probably hopefully one of most epic sailboat races  that we have really around the globe so  fans can come down go on different sets of bleachers food drinks all from local vendors  and  Enjoy incredible racing for three hours on a Saturday and Sunday here in the Port of Los Angeles So  the boats are gonna be 30 to 40 feet offshore Rip in hopefully 30 to 40 knots to right past your face going left to right and right out you I saw the finish line, and I think I could hit it with a rock. It is that close well

05:29

I’m excited. You can feel the electric vibe with everybody, the potential energy here. Maybe I’ll check in with you later on in day and see how goes, but good luck with everything. Thanks. Have a great day. All right. Sail fast. And there’s my friend who before I just met. Do you want to say hi to the Latitude 38 Nation? It’s a sailing podcast.  Hi.  Now, this is my first friend here, actually. And I asked and we knew about as much as each other. I visited the VIP lounge. I’m headed over to the Adrenal Lounge.

05:56

As somebody who’s helping to make this event happen, what are you looking forward to today?  Well, this is my first time even hearing about the event, so I’m just  interested to see how everything is.  I know it’s been around for maybe a couple years now, so it’s just interesting to see everything.  And you are in a great spot right here, because you can see everybody probably coming by. Well, I’m sure I’ll see you, because I’m going to be walking back and forth here for the next couple days. So I’m Ryan.  Feel free to say hi, and thanks for helping everybody out today. Thank you. And I’m Tiffany, by the way. All right, Tiffany. All right, we’ll see you.

06:26

And here’s the man who made it all happen, guy we just talked to, walking by. All right, there he is. They’ll be applauding once they all come in. Great job, I know this is a lot of work to put on. Yes, well the bar lines are still empty so it means nobody’s here. I’m gonna cruise to the adrenaline lounge. We’ll see you, it Tiffany, right? Okay, we’ll see you soon.

06:47

Alright, I’ve made my way to the grandstands here in the general seating, which looks very similar to the VIP section.  And in fact, they have a little bit of a wider area  with the viewing point of the finish lines. And  the only thing that’s stopping your view is this single palm tree right in front of me.  It is wide open  ocean front here. The music’s vibing over here to my right. I see a bunch of savvets. It looks like…

07:14

They are practicing, but definitely not lining up for today’s competition. Those are the future sailors out there. Got a fishing boat going by. The  waves crashing over the breaker. If you’re not familiar with this harbor in San Pedro, we have a large enclosed area that is oftentimes referred to as Hurricane Gulch. It gets windy in here. However,  live update on the wind, it’s still not really here,  but it’s going to come out, I’m sure. All right.

07:44

Food vendors I heard are getting organized.  I look, wow, this is, I’m seeing full like Houston over here with  monitors and TVs and headsets. That must be the actual media center where all of it goes down. I’m gonna continue to cruise,  little tunes.  Here we go.

08:11

Alright, well I’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is that the wind is up, so this type of outside recording  might not sound so good.  The good news is the wind is up. It is definitely picking up  and it’s approaching that Hurricane Gulch  famous  gusty, blowing, satisfactory nature-powered wind.  Alright, I’m here at the entrance. The gates have opened up. Got hundreds of people pouring in. All the different sailor styles.

08:39

and a lot of people sporting their Sail GP caps, myself included. I got one in the media, a little gift bag they gave me, so I’m part of the crew now. You got this big Sail GP entrance, everybody’s getting their photos, hashtag whatever it is you’re doing, hashtag Sail GP T. Gosh, am I the only person that has the Sail GP T slip?  Sail GP, not Sail GP T. All right, let’s see if I can maybe…

09:07

Find somebody who is coming in and ask them what’s going on.

09:18

Alright, I’m heading over to…

09:24

So what’s going on here? We got a bunch of flags going on. We bunch of flags and we had flags that represented every team that’s in the race. However, as you can see, everyone has taken them. They’re all gone.

09:43

Represent Brazil. What brings you here today, sir? I’m pre-recording for a podcast. If you want to say hi to the good jibes nation, a whole bunch of sailors out there. Well, I’m a sailor and it’s SailGP. It’s exciting stuff to see. was here last year and it’s going to exciting, I hope. Nice. Have you ever heard of Latitude 38, the magazine? are the, we are. Yes. She’s excited too. So this is good jibes. It’s a podcast spun off of Latitude 38. So you’ll see us in there and.

10:09

Yeah, we’re excited. Now, you do have the Brazilian flag, but are you rooting for someone else? Yes, I’d be rooting for Australia. All right. Well, good luck to you today out there, sir. We’ll see you. All right. I’m here with Greg White. He was nice enough to come up and say hi. And I’m sitting in front of a stack of Latitude 38. We’re talking shop. How are you doing today, sir? I’m doing great, because I’m here. And what brings you here? Oh, I’ll sail GP. And I assume you’re a sailor yourself? Yes, sir. What kind of vessel you got? Only multi-hulls.

10:39

Oh. oceans on the multi-holes in the 70s. You know what? We should interview you for a full podcast because I’d like to know. So I’ve got a 1977 Cal 34. She’s a mono-hole. Yeah, she sure is. What kind of mono-hole you rocking these days? I don’t rock mono-holes. You don’t? Only multi-holes. Give me a breakdown. Multi-holes versus mono-holes. Oh, wait. Did I say the wrong thing?

11:05

I think I did, yeah. Good thing that we’re recording live here so everybody can see my mess up. Yeah, well that’s alright. You got a white hat on so you’re okay. Yeah, I got this in the press kit media thing so I’m part of it. You got that too, right? No, this came from San Francisco three seasons ago.  Oh, are you a traveling man with this show then? Are you gonna see him in San Francisco? Next weekend.  So you’re making it, are you from here? Are you following him? Yeah. That’s awesome. Are you following him all the way around the world?  On your dime, not on mine, young man.

11:31

Hey, if we can get a sponsorship for my buddy and I here, we can be a traveling podcast show. How’s that sound? Sure, we can do Mutt and Jeff and make a lot of money. I think you’ve got a  podcast host in you somewhere. Have you ever been in radio or anything? Well, I used to work in the outdoor entertainment business, so I’m really familiar with the microphone. OK, sounds good. Well, what would you like to say to Latitude Nation here? You know us, you know the magazine, you know,  to come to an event like this. It’s special. It’s kind of cool, but…

11:58

You know for some of the more traditional folks maybe this is too racy for them? I don’t know what do you think? Well you know it’s a crossover thing but with these foils and when you can fly the boat I mean those Monoho guys have learned with the what happened with Vendee Globe and what’s happened in Europe that this is the future whether you like it or not so you can either

12:22

you know, lead or get out of the way, right? I was pulling my words right there. It’s okay, we’re explicit. Now I’ve got a 1980 something laser and  I think it’d be fun to slap a foil on that thing. I why not? Have you seen the little foiling boats that they have here that are attached to this fleet? No.  Oh my God, I think they’re called…  Are they ribs? The actual sailboat? They actually foil and they’re little 10 foot foiling  monohulls that these young…

12:52

Sailors from all over the world, they should be out here on the water really soon. Oh, so is that kind of like a pre-show entertainment sort of stuff? That’s exactly right. I mean, what they do is just amazing. Now, are they moths? Because that’s the only like foil that I know of that’s in a small size. Wait a minute, wait a minute, we got someone else over here. Introduce yourself here as part of the trio. Hi, Eric Johnson from Rancho Palos Verdes. And you’re also repping a yacht club, right? Yes, Los Angeles Yacht Club.

13:20

All right, now that you’re introduced, what were you gonna say? The foils you’re talking about are electric driven out here,  or kites.  And they actually have a little  tiny monohull dinghy that actually they’re hiking on them. So there’s several different boats out here. Have either of you been on a foil boat? Negative. What about a multi-hole foil? Well… Do you guys even need it?

13:48

Well, back in the day, flying a hull on a multi-hull was what it was all about. When you could go 15 knots and pass all the fellows Wednesday afternoon, you ruled. Yeah, that’s why I don’t enter bingo into those types of races, because she is slow and putsy and, yeah, she needs a new bottom paint, too. But that’s another story. So from LA Yacht Club, do you guys have a bunch of people coming out? Is this something that the crew is all, are you joining a few members here? Yes, yes.  We have a lot of members here today.

14:17

and one of our former Commodores works for sale, GP. Oh, nice connection keeping in the family. Now, were you  from around here and  you’re traveling  with the band, but where do you locate normally? Ventura, California. OK, so this is a fun excuse trip for you then. Well, my wife and I are here and we’ll be in San Francisco next weekend. What is the most the thing that people wouldn’t expect coming to something like this? What is something that is either unexpected or yet people might have a perception of?

14:46

what this is and they come here, it’s something maybe different. Well, it’s,  have you ever seen a boat go 50 miles an hour on the water under its own power? Well, I was out here on the water last time and the wind wasn’t that high and I kind of felt like I didn’t really get a close seat. this time I feel like I’m gonna see it, but it’s basically like, I remember the first time I went to an,

15:08

It was an Indy 500 or something like that. My buddy was into it, so I showed up. Unbeknownst to me, I walked up to the little gate and I was like, oh, where are they? They’re coming around.  Almost knocked me onto my ass and I was, same kind of thing here, right? Well, yeah, except they’re sailing with the wind  and  it’s an experience like nothing else. And are you, let’s be real, are you here for the crashes?  Not necessarily, but…

15:36

No, I want to see somebody beat the Aussies, because the flying roux is just they rule.  Now I heard that the American boat was recently injured, and so now we’re back up to full speed. Is that correct? Do you follow this close enough to know? Yes, the American boat’s out there today. when, I mean, they only have one boat, right? And they just got to keep it ship shape? Yes, as far as I know, only one boat. And that’s part of the battle, is going around the world, keeping your boat intact. And so there’s…

16:01

Yeah, I mean they capsized their boat being towed to the line last month. So quite an embarrassment. Yeah, well,  good thing there’s no more flags right now, but you’ve got yours. We’re coming back. Well, let’s hope so. I mean,  when  they changed the crew a few years ago,  the American team hasn’t been the same. I think you’d agree to that.

16:27

and we can only hope that, well, you know, they’ve got good credentials, is all they have to do is perform and not push the wrong button.  That is the key. Well, let’s wrap this up here and I want to know from fellow Latitude Nation here, like, what is your favorite part of the magazine? Because I love to hear, some people love the sighting, some people love the this, the that. All right. Yes, here we go. I love the ads.

16:51

Way to tee that up. And if you’d like to sponsor the Good Jives podcast, you get not only the same advertisement reach as the 40,000 distribution in every marine store and places where you can find sailing goods up and down the coast, but you get to connect with sailors like this. All right. So other than that, oh, he’s got another one. The reason I like the ads is I’m always looking for a boat.  Oh, yes. The classy classifieds. Those are the best. I agree.  I agree because it’s

17:20

You know, it’s not just your harbor. It’s the West Coast and the East Coast. And hey, golly, last month they were giving two boats away for free. I talked to a guy who bought a catamaran for $2 on the show and he found like $1,500 worth of silver coins in the boat hidden and he was on the podcast wearing it around his neck. There’s like, but you gotta be careful about a free boat. It’s not really free, is it? Usually not.

17:50

One of our episodes recently, it was a gentleman who got the boat for free because the keel had just fallen off. And the owner of the boat built it in Japan,  sailed it over here to San Francisco,  and he got it ship-shaped, moved ships. And then I just interviewed the new person who bought his boat,  keel attached, and it’s amazing to see how these boats change hands. That’s why they call them women.

18:15

Well, I did say this was explicit. Anything goes that is true. Well, gentlemen, this has been a pleasure. Thank you. To all those who want to contribute to the best part of Latitude 38, the ads, well, as a sponsor, yes, but also classy classifieds, because I’m looking at two gentlemen who are ready to buy your boat. Or take your boat if it’s free, at least one of you.  Or let’s crew it to Hawaii. OK, wait.

18:42

Yes, I’m still yet to go on that. Bingo wants to go. I hope this year wasn’t the last one though. No, they definitely in here last month. It said that there’s going to be another one. Then it’s true. The Grand Pupa will be back with it again. Have you done the Baja yet? No, no, I haven’t.  Would you ever want to?  Not necessarily, no.  I just I like the idea of… It’s interesting thing if you want to sail with 400 drunks, go have a good time. But I prefer the water for myself.  Ah, spoken like a true…

19:12

true Mariner. Well, the ocean is my potion as it seems like it is your guys’s too. I’ll let you get back to the books and I’m going to give you these if you if you don’t have one already. It’s some good stuff in there. The bar right now. Yes, I need to go get some alcohol. I noticed the bars were empty. So, you know, I might join you over there. Do you mind if I join you? What are you going to do with your toy? Put it in your pocket. I’m going to put my toy in my pocket. We’ll walk over there and have a beer. I think it’s about that time. OK, good.

19:39

All let’s go. I’m going to shut this thing down. Here we go, everybody.

20:09

or race winning crews, or long term relationships, or just happy days of sailing. If you have a boat or want a crew, add your name to the Latitude 38 crew list at latitude38.com. You don’t know where such a simple act will take you.

20:25

So how is the experience in San Francisco? You don’t have to compare, but how is it up there? I really, it’s an amazing experience and we’re going back again on Wednesday for it. Between the two yacht clubs and right on the water with the Golden Gate Bridge, mean, come on. You know, I’m have to find some sponsorship money to get my ass up in there and see you. You guys say hi to your wife, it was good seeing you. We’ll see you on the actual episode sometime soon. All right, thank you buddy.

20:51

And there we have it, classic sailor. He literally has been traveling  to follow this sail GPT.  Ah, not  sail GPT. You know what? I say chat GPT so much. It’s just so hard for my brain to not say sail GPT. Anyways, oh, I see some boats out there that are starting to fly around. Let’s go check it out. All right, I’m not sure if you can hear me, but I am here and the boats are out.  They’re out doing some speed runs.

21:21

And the wind is up.

21:24

You know, these wings aren’t really much wings as they are actual, like airplane wings. Oh, here we come, cruising around. Blue tips,  about four feet off the water, fully foiled. Black foils, that looks like Australia, team favorite here. Talked a lot of people today, looking at them.  Oh, all right, we got.

21:52

Need to put my Latitude 38 magazines down. All right, Hurricane Gulch.

22:01

Sale GP 2025. Excuse me while I take a sip of my Laganitas IPA, the legendary Indian Pale Ale. And if somebody knows somebody at  Laganitas and they want to reach out and be a sponsor, good job, just let me know. Cheers to them.

22:19

Nothing like a  salty IPA on a salty day with some 50 foot high performance catamaran foiling coming, screaming by. The bleachers that before  were empty are now full. I see a lot of American flags.  There’s Brazil, we got some waving, we got people dancing. All right, looks like Switzerland coming across.  Oh, and then there is the UK.

22:48

England is cruising by. Ooh, this one is nice and turquoise. They are coming in hot. Who is that? Oh my gosh, that’s the United States. They’re flying. Damn, they’re looking good. Oh, nice.

23:12

Alright, we got Canada coming by. Canada,  we’re here to support you buddies. We’re here to support you Canada. We love you.

23:35

Let’s see, test, test, all right. Going down to five. Going down to four.  Oh, and there’s France. Hey, oui, oui. Tout a bon dans les cachons.  I was in  France  two summers ago.  Tout a bon dans les cachons. That means  the pig and everything in it. And that’s exactly what this is here, as the French go by.  Everything’s going good right here.  And I see.

24:14

We got a fan cam.

24:19

Alright, that’s it. People are dancing. Oh, and I see a friend of mine. I see Mr. Steel.  I see my buddy. Let me grab my ladder 238s. Alright, I’m cruising by here.  Alright. Yay! What’s up?  Cheers!  Oh, you got him. Got him. Nice. Can I squeeze by just right here? Sorry.

24:49

What’s up? How are you sir?  I saw I saw you in the crowd.  I’m doing a little on-site podcasting. How are you today? Really good.  Good. I have no idea people can hear because they’re screaming right now.  Well, I’m part Aussie part Kiwi and a Yank so and I sail.  All right. Well,  I don’t think they can hear us. We’ll have to wait.

25:21

I always say sail GPT because I’m so used to saying Chad GPT.

25:44

You stand if you are able to recognize them. Again, your brave sacrifice in service means so much. are truly honored to have you here.

26:00

Yeah they are. They’re insane.  As well as we have a special message from the US Sale GP team.

26:11

out here watching today. We’re going to give it everything we got.  Also wanted to give a special shout out to the first responders  who battled the wildfires for weeks. You guys are real stars. Thank you guys for coming out. We’re going to give it everything we got.

26:51

They brought the VIP section over there, doesn’t look as good.

27:00

Yeah, here, me grab it. Would you guys like a Latitude 38 magazine for the trouble? Have you heard of Latitude 38? Yeah. If you haven’t grabbed your copy, there you go. I run the podcast, Good Jives. Yeah. So have you guys heard of it? Yeah. We interview all kinds of fun people. I’m here today just talking shop and getting little snippets and stuff.

27:26

Would you like one too?  I came prepared the whole bunch,

27:31

I found a friend here. Why you say hi to the Latitude 38 Nation and share with them who you are and why you love sailing so much.

28:01

And your son, a good friend of mine, Michael, when I had an issue with my Evan Root engine, I called him and he called in the big dog you and you guys helped me to get a second opinion. And the first guy said it was going to be a 50, $60,000 fix and the second opinion it became $650. So I want to thank you for that. I thank my pocketbook thanks you for that.

28:23

You’re welcome. The other project Mike and I did was the big board, the big surfboard, Huntington Beach  with 66 people.  You guys have been doing that for years, right? It’s like,  how big is the surfboard?  40 feet.  66 people.  And how many people do you fit on that board? 66.  Wow.  You got to let me know the next time. I want to hop on.  All right. Good to see you. Yeah, we will. All right. Sounds good.

28:53

makes

28:55

So stay tuned for the flybys coming up soon.  All right, I’ve got my seat in the stands. I’m waiting for the drive by.  The energy is pretty good here. People are feeling rowdy. I’m working through my IPA and feeling very nautical. I see a lot of Canada flags today. I see people pointing fingers at me because I’m sitting here recording. They’re like, what’s going on? It’s a podcast.

29:23

Good Jibes podcast, check it out. Yeah. All right, we got thumbs up. You know, I love how many people here know about Latitude 38. And if you listen to Good Jibes, but you don’t know about Latitude 38, my goodness. Go to your local marine hardware store, and you can find them up and down the West Coast. Get your grubby hands on them. All right. I’m just going to hang out and watch these boats fly by, the winds picking up, helicopters in the air. Yeah.

29:55

get extra sporty and the breeze right now it is perfect conditions for some  sporty sailing out there. love it I can’t wait I want to see these things fly by and I know you all do too so let’s find your seat get your food and drink and get ready to make some noise.  There it is we got 20 minutes 20 minutes until the flyby’s  it is officially  150 although I’m looking at an Apple watch not a Rolex

30:22

Maybe I’ll ask and see if they can hook me up with that.  Yeah.  All right, I’m  back here in the VIP section.  And we got the drive-bys coming through.  Wow.  Beautiful. Look at this thing.  Yes.  Wow.  Wow. That’s one sexy machine.

31:10

You know…

31:15

All right, we found some rowdy ones. We found some rowdy ones. Have you guys heard of Latitude 38, the magazine?

31:24

It’s usually in all your marine hardware stores and stuff.  Sailing magazine since like 1977.  But I’m here, I run  their podcast Good Jibes. And you guys seem like you’re rowdy.  So we’re doing the flybys. We got the French coming by here. That is absolute. Now,  it is a little goose bumpy. do you want to say hi to the Latitude Nation and tell them who you are and why you’re here?

31:48

Latitude Nation, we’re so excited to be part of this sail GP. This is unbelievable, perfect day in Southern California, watching these amazing boats with incredible fans. The energy down here is unbelievable. And who are you rooting for today? I’ve got to go with the Americans. Going to stay straight up with the Americans. Good team, great effort. I heard that they flipped their boat while they were towing it last month, but they’re back ship shape, right? They’re ready to go? Now and now, let’s focus on the positive. We’re leaning forward.

32:15

We got a race to start here in a couple minutes and they’re gonna crush it. I believe so. All right, and we have another  American flag there and I guess we’re all here for America.  Now, who would believe that yesterday it was stormy and rainy? It is sunny and not shitty right now. We’re here. That’s why we live here. That’s why we pay the taxes.  Yes.  Yes. All right, well, leave me alone,

32:40

Feel free to grab Loud 238 when you see it and if you ever want to hear yourself, can look up Good Jibes and then look up the Grand Prix sailing video and they’ll be like that one snippet. But you’ve got a future in broadcasting. Great stuff.

32:54

You may be asking, how can I find my own copy of Latitude 38 magazine? Well, it can be as simple as walking into your Marina, a Marine store, club, or any California waterfront business. You’ll likely connect with sailors when you walk in the door and you’ll also find many more sailors as you read through the pages of Latitude 38. Bringing home a copy of Latitude 38 is also a great way to redecorate your coffee table and reading one will help you unwind from the distractions of the day.

33:22

It’s almost as good as a day of sailing itself. To find a copy of Latitude 38 near you, go to latitude38.com and click on Find the Magazine at the top of the page. Then go out and meet some sailors. I just met somebody here who, he’s a sailor, he’s not sailing these GPs, but he’s going to sail around the world. Is that what I heard?

33:44

in one of the teams that go around the world in the Clipper Round the World Race.  You know I’ve looked into that and that looks sweet. How many legs are you doing? I’m doing leg number seven from Seattle all the way through New York through the Panama Canal. Wow. And so what’s training process like that? Because I looked into it and it’s like  it’s kind of a commitment, right? It is. So it’s four weeks of level.

34:06

Level one through four. So two  weeks every year before the race.  And the last level is in your actual  boat with your actual crew. And how big is a boat and how big is a crew? It’s a 70 footer  boat. There are 11 of them. They’re matched. So you’re actually racing. It’s more about the teamwork than the boats. Wow. And what made you decide to do this? I mean…

34:31

because sailing is a passion I’ve been doing for 35 years and I read it in the magazine and  I signed up.  I love it. That is like on my bucket list but it’s like still in the hose. It’s not necessarily there yet.  Do you own a sailboat or do you? I do. I have a 23 footer hunter. Love it. Oh wait, we’re singing the national anthem now. Let’s  pay respect here.

34:57

You are so proudly re-held as the twilight’s last gleaming.  Whose broad stripes and bright stars  through the perilous

35:15

For the right

35:20

was so gallantly streaming. And the rocket’s

35:40

that our flag was still there.  Oh, say does that star-spangled  banner

36:20

Play ball, says, play ball.  Did you know this guy’s sailing around the world in the Clipper race?

36:28

Yeah. Oh, he’s even got the hat. I just got my sail GP hat today.  My biggest problem is I always say sail GPT because I’m just so stuck on, I use chat GPT all the time. It’s like my brain just kind of goes for it. Yes.  Oh yes. Yeah.

36:49

Well, it’s interesting how they kind of did the Grand Prix, right?  I was surprised they were able to latch onto that from a brand halo. If they had to pay for that or if they just like…  It’s open.  The terms Grand Prix is no trademark. And  it makes sense. They go around the world. They do these sort of races.  Yes.  All right.  I’m going to continue to cruise around. Gentlemen, enjoy it.  We’ll see that. And we’ll see you soon.  Have a great race.

37:18

seconds to go until the first start and I’m gonna find a position here on the rail next to all these nice media folk ahoy am I I’m not gonna be in your frame am I okay it’s one of the longer lenses I’ve seen sir hello everyone this is good Jibes  a little podcast just here hanging out watching here’s the start don’t worry I won’t talk too much

37:52

Five, four, three,  two,  one.  And they’re off. They are all foiling.  They are rocking and rolling. And we have wind.  We have foil. We have flashing red lights on the start line. And they’re off.

38:22

Uh oh, England looks like it’s stuck.

38:37

I think they come right around here.

38:42

You know, I heard this is the good spot. Over here on the other side, it’s a little bit harder to see, but I think, yeah, I think they come around these markers right down here. Look at that, the boobies are, the marks are moving.

39:00

And who are you here with? RTS? Or is that just your jacket?

39:22

Alright, looks like the United States got sixth and seventh in those first two races.

39:36

this last race. We saw two races here. It looks like unfortunately the US did not win. They got sixth and then seventh in those first two, but that’s okay. Good valiant effort by all.  I’m here watching it in the media lounge. It’s pretty exciting meeting all kinds of folks and talking shop and just watching these things fly by.  New Zealand second place.

40:05

Bye!

40:06

Ahoy everybody, I’m here with somebody who you want to talk to because he doesn’t know anything about sailing. Who are you, how are you, and how did you find yourself here? My name is Jared, I live here in LA.  I actually found myself here.  I  work for an agency and one of our clients is Rotting Gun  and they’re a big sponsor of the New Zealand sailing team.  And so I was just like,  I knew the event was in town and it like,  sounds kind of cool. Is this your first sailboat race? Yes.  And what do you think about it?

40:36

I mean, this is kind of like a grand prix of sailing.  Did it live up to its reputation or is it as exciting as the excitement here in the crowd? What are your thoughts?  No, I think it’s really exciting. I’m still having kind of a hard time  figuring out like which way is what directionally. So I keep having to look at the TV to kind of see what’s going on. But yeah, no, it’s really cool.

40:57

You can’t tell how fast they’re really going until you see them zoom by you, which is like hard to imagine that it’s all the wind and there’s no motor behind it. Absolutely. And I find myself looking at the TV too because they have the little markers that shows how fast they’re going and things like that. And it is a little confusing because they have options of going around different marks. And sometimes they’re just all out there. like, who is it? And then all of sudden it seems like people start perking up and looking and then there’s a few and then it’s kind of tight finishes.

41:26

What were the first few races here like? Aside from the confusion of  who’s going to win until the very end?  Well, I think I got here in the middle of the first race.  And it was very exciting to see New Zealand was out to a commanding lead.  then  race two, they also won. So  even though I’m from the US, a part of me has to pull for Team New Zealand.

41:47

So I didn’t catch the rest of  question. It’s OK.  Just like the wind, we just go where the wind blows. And the fact is somebody here who you want to see getting some traction is out there doing it. But  the wind, unfortunately, isn’t hooting. Otherwise, I think they’d be going a lot faster.  you’re right. It’s hard. They look like little toys out there. Then they blast by with like eight people on it, just hauling ass out of the water. Have you  ever been on a sailboat before?

42:13

not a sailboat like this. Yeah, me neither. No, my boat’s 34 feet and then a little 14 footer, I don’t know. The ocean is my potion, so we don’t judge. It’s not about sailing or not. It’s just about, I mean, a beautiful day, the sun’s out, people are happy, getting their faces painted and stuff like that. Did you just come solo? I’m actually here with the group, but they were all…

42:31

getting food and drinks and whatnot. And I was like, well, I actually want to go watch the races. they’re around here somewhere. All right. Well, we’ll leave you alone. But I think what’s cool is that you don’t have to be in the salient or a sailor to come check this kind of stuff out because it’s just I don’t know. I think it’s nice to get people out in the open, this kind of stuff, right?

42:50

I mean, especially in LA, there’s always all kinds of things to do, but this is really kind of out there. it was like, oh yeah, something different for a Saturday. Why not come down and check it out? And it’s great. Awesome. Well, we’re glad you’re here. They continue on to San Francisco and then around the world. They’re going to pack it up. Well, enjoy the rest of race. Hopefully get some beer and food as well and connect with the group. Thanks, buddy.

43:13

All right. So I’ve got a new friend here. saw her in the media room doing some sort of social content. Maybe tell us and the Latitude and Good Jibes Nation who you are and what brought you here today. Hi. Thanks for having me. Yeah. My name is Jo Ankias. So I used to be a track runner, professional runner on the Great Britain team.  I’m now… What did you run? Because I was a pole vaulter. I wasn’t that fast. I just had seven steps and I jumped real hard. Yeah, pole vaulters very hard. I also had a hard event. I was in the 3000 meter steeplechase, qualified for the Olympics, ran in the World Champs.

43:43

Commonwealth Games. So hurdles and distance, as hard as the pole vault.  Yes, and you know, at least they give me a big stick to jump over the hurdles and  you just had to jump over them. I’m not that flexible. So what brings a runner here? You’re supporting  the mother country? Of course I’m supporting the mother country. But since my competing days, I moved into the world of sports presenting, sports anchoring,  and I’ve been covering a lot of different sports over the years. But recently I’ve been really getting involved in the sustainable sports. So I’m very involved with

44:13

Formula E, Xtreme E, E1 series. I present on  Xtreme E, I present on E1, which for those that don’t know is also a boating championship.  It’s electric boat racing and it’s also sustainable.  I’ve covered a lot of sailing over the years. I covered America’s Cup for ESPN. I covered the Olympic sailing for ESPN.  I love SailGP.  So  I have been  trying to get in on a more  prominent.

44:38

a for SailGP but there’s a lot of ex-sailors, ex-professional  Olympians but I have been doing a bit of work with the Great Britain team. I joined them in Halifax last year in Nova Scotia. It was wonderful to do bit of the digital content for them.  I’m a physicist so we got into the science of it. We got into the speed of the F50s, how they’re trying to break that  100km  per hour mark. It’s kind of like the four minute mile but it’s the 100km barrier.  They’re very close to it so we got into the science of it.

45:08

came back to Los Angeles and decided to come down to SailGP and do a bit of content and media for them this weekend. Wow, there’s a lot to dive into. Can I learn a little bit more about this E1? I’ve never heard of that. Is this like, are they going like, just what size of boats? Because I’m honestly interested in what that is. And then I want to talk about the physics of sailing. OK, of course. So E1 is an electric boat racing series. It is a smaller kind of a boat. It almost looks like a space capsule that whizzes across the water.

45:38

It’s like a power boat. doesn’t have a sail, but it does use foils. there are foils on Is that the one of the famous people? Yeah. Oh, I saw that. was like, what is Will Smith? Or what are these people doing? That’s what it is. OK. So there’s a Will Smith team, a Tom Brady team. There’s a Raphael Nadal team. I mean, we’ve got all sorts of people coming in. It’s a very, very fun championship. It’s also game changing because the whole point, gosh, this race is going off behind us. Look how beautiful this is. Wow, look at that. is even, Steven. Looks like, well,

46:08

They’re all about the exact same. That’s beautiful.  This  sailing race is such a spectacle because the wing foils are so tall that the whole thing is such a spectacle. They’re not even really sails because like I’ve got a 1977 Count 34 and I got a Dakron. I got new sails the other year but it’s a sheet. These things are actually like airplane wings. They are airplane wings and I will tell you if we want to go into the physics. Yes, let’s go. That the G-Force is the same as  launching a…

46:36

Boeing 747,  and it’s the same that the astronaut feels when they go into space.  That G-Force is the same when they go around a big turn. Wow. Okay, so we’ve got a wing, the physics of the G-Force,  and the hydrofoil is  amazingly  efficient.  I want to get onto a kite foil board. I sail a laser as well. The thing got a slap and something on that.  But…

47:02

it just makes everything such less drag and lets the physics take care so much more. Yeah, no. One of the things I love about sports like this is having had a physics degree, which I never used because I became a pro athlete,  coming into a sport like this, it’s all about the physics. It’s all about the aerodynamics. And I love kind of bringing that in, which is why SailGP appeals to me so much. Yes. And I was just talking to somebody who had never  been to a sailing race before. And  he said it’s hard to recognize how

47:32

faster going until they just zip right by you, which is also physics. And  historically, sailing, you’re going five, six knots. It’s sort of an individual sport. But turning this into something that has more high stakes, possible crashes,  and the sustainability thing, I didn’t really think about. But I’ve talked to somebody today, and they’re like, it’s crazy. This is just supported by just wind. tell us about,  is this a movement in sports and trending that way?

47:56

Well it’s not just the fact that the actual vessels are supported by wind, which of course sailing is that such  a reason why it’s a beautiful sport. You go around the world on nothing but wind, but it’s also the whole championship.  When you are putting up a championship, you are bringing in broadcasters, you are transporting your vessels from  location to location, you are bringing in media setups, tents,  everything. And these championships, so Formula E, Extreme E, is off-road rally racing, electric, E1, is the electric power racing,  Sail GP,  these

48:26

are setting the trend for making the whole  setup, the whole damn thing carbon neutral.  So when we go and present on an Xtreme, we have to bring our own bowls, plates, forks,  knives, we have to our own washing up.  So they  also ship everything around on a shipping container instead of putting them on an airplane. It’s all about saving that carbon footprint and it is the new wave in sport  and it’s something that is important to translate.

48:56

over into other sports, because even NFL, NBA,  whatever it is, they’re moving around, they’re taking teams around,  and that kind of sustainable imprint of  taking these teams and these media components all around and making it more sustainable, not just  putting everything on an airplane,  becoming more prominent, but it’s  events like this, SailGP, as I said, Formula E, that’s setting the trend.

49:26

because it was interesting.  Does that make this race more special that it’s like  sustainable all around? No, I love that. Yeah, I think that’s super important. And it’s it’s just great to know that like that is something that has been  top of mind and that they’re considering. So yeah, it does make it more special. Awesome. Let’s get back to the race.  And thank you so much. I know we’re getting back to the race, but awesome to meet you. And yep,  she’s getting some more social.

49:50

Yeah, thank you so much. It’s the last race of the day. So excited to see how Great Britain’s leading the championship. I believe in them. They can do it. All right.  While you’re out there, make sure that  in the big worldwide web that is the Internet, make sure you connect with Latitude 38. Latitude 38 is always looking for stories. And if you want to ask us to be collaborators on your Instagram posts or feature you, just tag us.  Great community out there.

50:16

so that sailing is 24 hours a day, 12 months a year as a West Coast sailor.  And if you want to connect with me,  you can find me super easy online. It’s just Ryan.online. That’s my website. So RyanOonline.  Find all my information, my 4 TEDxx talks, my podcasts, all this kind of stuff. And I would love to connect with you!