Sarah Douglas Wants Another Shot at Sailing in the Olympics

 

Sarah Douglas knows acceleration. Not long ago, she was laboring in the trenches of an Olympic campaign, training to achieve a precision of motion in a small sailboat to rival a prima ballerina’s moves and stamina, but without the choreographed predictability.

Now, as one of Canada’s most capable sailors, she has been launched into a role as a strategist for the Canada SailGP team. She has moved from sailing at running speeds to sailing at freeway speeds. She has also graduated from sailing solo to being communications central for a team in a high-profile danger zone. SailGP training includes practice at using an emergency oxygen supply in case you are trapped under water after a crash.

“I had two days on a simulator, two days of practice and then went racing,” she said. “I was mind-blown all the way through.”

Flying into a turning mark at speed, Douglas’s challenges are the same as they would be at a slower pace in an Olympic dinghy. She must inhabit the wind, see and feel where it is strongest, or bending, and know how that affects the next move. The difference is, “instead of talking to myself, I have to talk out loud in an efficient way, so the team can take in what I’m seeing,” she said.

“Strategy in SailGP relates to Formula 1 on a track,” Douglas said. “Each track and each turn has its challenges. Put the track on water and you add currents moving underneath you and wind that is constantly changing.”

With further practice, Douglas’s role could expand to briefly driving after a turning maneuver, while the skipper hustles across the deck to the other helm station. read more