Third Woman Joins US SailGP Team
Anna Weis Will Sail in Sydney
The United States SailGP Team announced on Monday that 23-year-old Anna Weis will trial with the team at this week’s Australia Sail Grand Prix in Sydney. Weis could potentially join Daniela Moroz and CJ Perez on the 2022 roster.
The American team is currently just one point away from first place in the SailGP Season 2 overall leaderboard. Sydney will provide a crucial test as the top three overall teams look to qualify for the $1 million Grand Final in San Francisco March 26-27, 2022.
Weis and former US SailGP Team wing trimmer Riley Gibbs raced on the US Olympic Sailing Team in the two-person mixed-gender Nacra 17 class. Weis’s role on the foiling catamaran requires tremendous athleticism, agility and strength, plus keen tactical abilities, in addition to operating the front of the boat. Her top-10 performance in Tokyo caught the attention of US SailGP Team CEO and helmsman Jimmy Spithill.
“Our goal is for the United States to be a powerhouse in professional sailing. Anna’s expertise at the international level stands out,” said Spithill. “We’re looking forward to trialing her in Sydney. Between her, Daniela and CJ, we believe we’re building a strong foundation of talent that will benefit us now and into the future.”
Weis, originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a student at Boston University. She’s deferring her education while pursuing her professional sailing dreams full-time. She overcame injuries and operations on both arms in early 2019. Gibbs and Weis won the gold medal at the Pan American Games later that year, becoming the first US team to qualify for Tokyo in the mixed multihull class. “I love foiling and learning about high-performance boats,” said Weis. “I’m really excited for this opportunity to learn from some of the best sailors in the world.”
This Week in Australia
The Sydney event is this week — Friday, December 17, and Saturday the 18th. This will be the penultimate event before the SailGP Finals come to San Francisco on the weekend of March 26-27. Since Sydney is a day ahead, you can watch the racing live in the US on Thursday and Friday. Check event details here: https://sailgp.com/races/australia-sail-grand-prix-event-page.
Racing both days will start at 4 p.m. local time (9 p.m. PST the previous evening) and will air live in the USA on CBS Sports Network, SailGP’s YouTube channel, and the SailGP app.
Following a big win in Cádiz in October, the Australia team currently tops the leaderboard. With 45 points, the team is one point clear of Nathan Outteridge’s Japan SailGP Team and the American team, both with 44 points. The Aussies will try to claim victory on home waters and retain the lead. Brit Sir Ben Ainslie is in fourth place.
Looking Ahead to Season 3
The Bermuda Sail Grand Prix will kick off Season 3 on May 14.
Earlier this week, SailGP unveiled the first 8 of 10 events in its Season 3 calendar. They announced two North American stops so far: Bermuda on May 14-15 and Chicago on June 18-19, 2022. From there, the traveling league will move to Europe for the summer, then Dubai in November. It remains to be seen whether one of the remaining two stops will be in San Francisco. The season will wrap up in April 2023.