The Foil Podcast

The Foil
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We are The Foil, a new wave of racing media. Founded and launched in 2026, we are a fresh, all-new, proudly independent digital media brand dedicated to the sport of sail racing. Our focus is centred around the major peaks of the international sport: SailGP, the America’s Cup and the Olympic Games, plus offshore classes and events, and the diverse wider world of sailing competitions that take place around the globe. Our mission is simple: to promote, talk about and report on the detail of an international sport that deserves a much higher profile beyond the dedicated sailing community who follow racing around the globe. We operate independently of series and event promoters and governing bodies as an impartial voice for the sport of sail racing. Subscribe to The Foil YouTube channel and follow @wearethefoil across all platforms – Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and LinkedIn.

  1. SailGP vs America's Cup: Can they coexist? - The Foil Podcast - Ep 26

    6 days ago

    SailGP vs America's Cup: Can they coexist? - The Foil Podcast - Ep 26

    Sailing has never been healthier – and on this week's pod, that's exactly the problem.Episode 26 sees Neil Cole, Andy Rice, Lewis Smith and Freddie Carr wrestle with a question that's been sitting uncomfortably in the background: with SailGP, AmericasCup and the Olympics all booming at once, can they share a calendar – or will they start eating each other alive?The team trace the rivalry back to Bermuda 2017 and the framework agreement Grant Dalton never signed, then lay out just how tight the 2027 calendar really is – nine SailGP weekends, new AC75s splashing and a Cup to be won, plus an Olympic qualification cycle all fighting for the same patch of summer.Freddie, who knows the Cup's demands better than most, weighs life-changing SailGP prize money against the historical pull of helming a Cup boat, while Lewis – a former World Sailing insider – explains why the governing body faces an almost impossible juggling act. There's a hard look at the cautionary tale of golf's PGA–LIV war, a debate over who actually has the clout to knock heads together, and a real worry that the Olympics, and the women and youth coming through, could be the ones squeezed out.There's also offshore news, a look at Foiling Week, and a closing poll that has the panel split. Which one would you go for: SailGP riches, an Olympic gold, or the Auld Mug?Read Freddie’s recent technical breakdown of the SailGP fleet: https://thefoil.com/news/freddie-carr-winging-it-at-half-time-in-sailgp/Subscribe to The Foil on YouTube for a new episode every week, and follow @wearethefoil across all platforms – Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and YouTube.Listen to our podcast on Spotify and other platforms: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/NSR2217026422#TheFoil #WeAreTheFoil #SailGP #AmericasCup #OlympicSailing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    56 min

  2. 26 Jun

    “The move of the season”: Halifax SailGP unpicked – The Foil Podcast – Ep 25

    “The best of times, the worst of times – but fun all the time.” That’s Andy Rice’s summary of the Canada Sail Grand Prix as The Foil’s podcast team delves into round seven of SailGP 2026.Andy acknowledges the great work of SailGP’s tech team in returning to the water the three boats damaged in New York, as Lewis Smith and Freddie Carr join him to talk through a weekend that didn’t start well but finished on a high. After Lewis talks through rule changes that have followed the New York event, the team discuss the unexpected low winds of Saturday. And while the racing wasn’t a great spectacle, the “mad for it” Canadian crowd in the grandstand didn’t seem to care.Sunday was a complete turnaround, with what Andy describes as “one of the best days I’ve seen” in SailGP. The team advocate the decision to split the fleet – despite it triggering a so-called “group of death” – and also the first four-boat final. The winning skipper from Spain’s Los Gallos, Diego Botin, makes an appearance to talk about what Andy describes as “the move of the season” at the start of the final group race, which was “just the right side of clean”. Meanwhile, Bonds Flying Roos’ Tash Bryant sees the funny side (we think) of Andy pointing out that the Australians won zero prize money for finishing fourth. As Tom Slingsby puts it just off camera, “ouch!”.Read more on Andy’s fleet rating from Halifax: https://thefoil.com/news/andy-rice-rates-the-fleet-after-canada-sailgp/Listen to our podcast on Spotify and other platforms: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/NSR2...Follow @wearethefoil across all platforms – Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and YouTube. #TheFoil #WeAreTheFoil 00:00:00 Start00:03:53 SailGP Halifax event recap begins00:13:13 New safety rules and crew changes00:27:08 Sunday's dramatic weather transformation00:35:16 Spain's masterclass and move of the season00:46:29 Artemis technical issues and substitution rules00:53:35 The split fleet and four-boat final debate00:58:57 TP52 World Championships and other sailing news Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1hr 14min

  3. 18 Jun

    Halifax SailGP, the Black Foils return and Luna Rossa launch - The Foil Podcast - Ep 24

    It's a full house for episode 24 of The Foil Podcast, with a Canada SailGP preview plus the latest America's Cup updates. Neil Cole, Andy Rice, Freddie Carr and Lewis Smith open with a tribute to offshore legend Charlie Dalin before turning to the weekend ahead.The Canada Sail Grand Prix in Halifax is the fulcrum of @SailGP Season 6 – event seven of thirteen – and the crew dig into why this race course turned the form book on its head last time, what a cold, shifting forecast could do to the foils, and whether we'll see split fleets for points scoring for the first time ever. There's the return of a freshly rebuilt Black Foils boat, a leaderboard that's wide open in the middle, and a look at who badly needs to kick-start their season.Then it's all about the Cup: Luna Rossa's relaunched AC75, what we spotted (and didn't), the first American training camp in Pensacola, and the design-stable question that could shape the whole AC38 cycle. Plus a pointed debate about whether the @AmericasCup is keeping commercial pace with SailGP. Predictions get made, and some might age better than others…Read more: https://thefoil.com/news/angry-coutts-bites-back-at-sailgp-critics/Listen to our podcast on Spotify and other platforms: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/NSR2217026422Follow @wearethefoil across all platforms – Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and YouTube.#TheFoil #WeAreTheFoil #SailGP #AmericasCup 0:00 Intro & Charlie Dalin tribute5:21 Halifax SailGP preview10:23 Course analysis & split fleets discussion17:02 Can the Black Foils still make the Grand Final?23:43 Teams needing a second-half comeback28:15 Luna Rossa relaunch AC75 "Silver Bullet"32:30 Pete Burling's influence on Luna Rossa33:47 American Magic AC40 training camp36:04 America's Cup marketing & media discussion37:06 America's Cup design partnerships explained39:15 Richard Mille Cup & TP52 Worlds update41:45 Halifax final predictions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    46 min
  4. Podcast Extra: Tom Slingsby breaks down the Aussie Cup challenge: boat, crew and the race against time

    17 Jun ·  Bonus

    Podcast Extra: Tom Slingsby breaks down the Aussie Cup challenge: boat, crew and the race against time

    In this wide-ranging interview Tom Slingsby sits down with The Foil’s Andy Rice to give an inside look at the current state of the Australian America’s Cup campaign.The man widely regarded as the best sailor on the planet right now is busier than ever, and in this conversation he lays out exactly what Team Australia Challenge is up against as it returns to the @AmericasCup for the first time in a generation. Slingsby talks through the childhood memories that planted the dream, the curious overlap of @SailGP and the Cup – one a monthly sprint, the other long stretches of training and almost no racing – and why he refuses to give up the racing edge that he believes cost his old Oracle camp dearly. He walks through the crew taking shape, the engineering trade-offs of reworking Team New Zealand’s 2021 boat, and the clock that's ticking very loudly, with the launch of their AC75 pushed all the way to Naples in spring 2027.Along the way the conversation also touches on the Coutts-Dalton cold war, the Disney+ deal that could transform the sport, Hugh Jackman in the debrief room, and the hard truth about being first-time challengers. Whether all of it adds up to a shot at the Cup is the question Tom keeps coming back to – and the one we’ll all be watching for.Read more: https://thefoil.com/news/australia-returns-to-the-america-s-cup-after-26-years-led-by-tom-slingsby/Follow @wearethefoil across all platforms – Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and YouTube.#TheFoil #WeAreTheFoil #AmericasCup 0:00 Australia's America's Cup dream 5:00 SailGP vs America's Cup 10:10 Disney+, Russell Coots and America's Cup politics 15:20 Building Team Australia 20:30 Australia's boat and technology package 25:40 Can Australia win? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    33 min
  5. Escalation in sailing's most explosive feud, SailGP repairs and the race to Halifax - Podcast Ep 23

    11 Jun

    Escalation in sailing's most explosive feud, SailGP repairs and the race to Halifax - Podcast Ep 23

    The legal battle between Sir Ben Ainslie and Sir Jim Ratcliffe has taken another dramatic turn. In this week's episode of The Foil Podcast, Andy Rice, Freddie Carr and Neil Cole dive into the latest developments in the increasingly bitter dispute over ownership of Britannia, the AC75 that carried INEOS Britannia to the 37th America's Cup Match in Barcelona. The team unpacks a series of extraordinary allegations contained within newly filed legal documents, including claims that have now made headlines far beyond the sailing world. They examine what the dispute could mean for Britain's challenge at the 38th America's Cup in Naples, whether GB1 can remain competitive while the case unfolds, and why ownership of a single yacht could determine whether Britain makes it to the start line at all. Freddie offers a unique perspective having raced aboard Britannia during the last America's Cup campaign, while Andy assesses the wider implications for one of the most significant rivalries sailing has seen in recent years. Away from the courtroom, Freddie returns from the Sardinia Cup with fresh insight into the growing strength of Grand Prix offshore racing and what it could mean for the future of the sport. The team also turns its attention to SailGP's dramatic three-boat collision in New York and the race against time to repair the damaged fleet ahead of Halifax. With exclusive insight from SailGP's technical team, they reveal how close Italy, Brazil and the United States came to missing the next event and what is happening behind the scenes to get the boats back on the water. This video is brought to you by Musto – the brand that's been building performance sailing gear for decades, working directly with sailors pushing boats and themselves to the limit. We wear it ourselves, on and off the water. Chapters 00:00 Intro & Sardinia Cup 05:20 America's Cup Legal Battle 19:00 The Brackley Lockout Claim 29:20 Two British America's Cup Teams? 39:10 The Tax Question 44:00 Can GB1 Still Win? 52:20 SailGP Crash Fallout 56:50 Inside the Halifax Repair Effort 1:02:00 Will All Three Boats Race? Become a member now: https://www.youtube.com/@WeAreTheFoil/join Website: https://thefoil.com/ Instagram: @wearethefoil Facebook: wearethefoil Threads: @wearethefoil LinkedIn: The Foil Podcast: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/NSR2217026422 Thanks for watching - please like, share and comment. Please also hit subscribe to show your support so we'll keep doing what we're doing. MB01ABQNLZGEQAL Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1hr 15min

  6. 4 Jun

    “That is not sport”: Dissecting the chaos of New York SailGP – The Foil Podcast – Episode 22

    A cruise ship blocking Friday practice; just three boats making it to the water to race on Saturday; a complex three-boat crash on Sunday; and a controversial flying finish to the final. That was SailGP New York in a nutshell.   In our latest podcast, The Foil’s Andy Rice, Lewis Smith and Freddie Carr join host Neil Cole to break down the many talking points of a chaotic weekend in the Big Apple.   Andy and Lewis give us some insight into what was happening off the water, including news of a Disney+ documentary on Australia’s Bonds Flying Roos. Then they get into the nitty-gritty of a challenging race weekend for SailGP.   We hear about how the inconvenient docking of Queen Mary 2 on the Friday that thwarted practice wasn’t a surprise – at least to SailGP. Freddie doesn’t hold back on his opinions on the troubles of Saturday, when only four boats could be craned into the Hudson River, with only three taking part in races that ended up amounting to exhibitions that didn’t count for points.   The team dissect the three fleet races on Sunday, including the crash at the start of Race 3 that took out the United States, Italy and Brazil. Then they offer perspectives on the thrilling final as the Flying Roos edged out Emirates Great Britain in the final metres. Interviews with Nathan Outteridge, Nicholai Sehestead, Dylan Fletcher and Hannah Mills add depth to analysis of another evenful and unforgettable weekend for SailGP.   To read how the Flying Roos beat Emirates Great Britain to victory in New York, click here https://thefoil.com/news/flying-roos-pip-great-britain-for-victory-in-the-big-apple/   Chapters 00:00 Intro 04:17 Andy Rice on NYC and Disney+ 14:45 Friday practice cancelled 18:55 Saturday racing limited 28:20 Diego Botin interview 32:45 Sunday racing 35:12 Nathan Outteridge interview 42:00 Race 3 and the crash 52:40 Outteridge on split fleets 59:45 Nicolai Sehested interview 1:05:20 The final 1:13:55 Dylan Fletcher and Hannah Mills interviews   Follow @wearethefoil across all platforms – Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and YouTube.   Sign up to The Foil’s newsletter at thefoil.com/subscribe   #TheFoil #WeAreTheFoil #AmericasCup #SailGP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1hr 28min
  7. America's Cup is back! The full Cagliari debrief - The Foil Podcast - Ep 21

    28 May

    America's Cup is back! The full Cagliari debrief - The Foil Podcast - Ep 21

    The America's Cup is finally back, and after eighteen months of SailGP we'd almost forgotten how different it feels. So Neil Cole sits down with Freddie Carr and Lewis Smith – The Foil's new reporter and multimedia editor, just back from Cagliari – to dive into our very first taste of AC38 fleet racing. Lewis was on the ground for (nearly) the whole weekend, and shares his hot take: he prefers the AC40s to the AC75s, seeing the smaller boats as more playful and fun to chuck about. He and Freddie dig into how all the racing unfolded, from the chop of day one to the great leveller of flat water on day three, and the autopilot "superpower" that had the Luna Rossa Women & Youth crew outclassing everyone – right up until it all unravelled. The guys discuss what it's like to come back to the Cup after living in SailGP – the longer races, the space on the course, the upwind starts, the joy of actually being able to hear the calls on board – and then run a quickfire vibe check on all eight teams. We've also got the news of a second prelim in Naples at the end of September, Freddie on the legal cloud hanging over Athena Racing, then it’s a switch to SailGP and what's brewing in New York this weekend, where the question remains: who, if anyone, can stop the Aussies? Check Lewis' video from Cagliari: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zBK_WJOXyM Read more on SailGP’s 2027 calendar: https://thefoil.com/news/what-2027-calendar-tells-us-about-sailgp-s-future/ This episode is brought to you by Saily, the eSIM built by the team behind NordVPN. Available across more than 200 destinations, with plans flexible enough for a weekend away or a full season chasing the SailGP circuit – no SIM swap, no roaming bill shock, no wandering foreign airports hunting for Wi-Fi. We use Saily ourselves when travelling to events, like we'll be doing in NYC this weekend. Download Saily from the app store and use code FOIL15 at checkout for 15% off your first purchase. Follow @wearethefoil across all platforms – Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and YouTube. 00:00:00 Start 00:02:23 Comparing the America's Cup to SailGP 00:11:01 Luna Rossa Women & Youth dominate 00:17:03 Day two tactics and upwind starts 00:24:20 Day three and the dramatic OCS penalty 00:33:10 Match race final: Burling vs Outteridge 00:45:06 AC38 prelim team-by-team vibe check 00:51:42 SailGP calendar and New York preview #TheFoil #WeAreTheFoil #AmericasCup #SailGP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1hr 7min
  8. Podcast Extra: Mozzy and Freddie preview the AC38 Cagliari prelim

    21 May ·  Bonus

    Podcast Extra: Mozzy and Freddie preview the AC38 Cagliari prelim

    Mozzy and Freddie are back with a bonus podcast, previewing the AC38 Cagliari preliminary regatta, the curtain-raiser on the road to Naples. With only 11 of last Cup's AC75 sailors returning to the racecourse, and a fresh wave of names making their debuts, this opening regatta in Sardinia feels less like a tune-up and more like the moment the next America’s Cup cycle properly begins. Mozzy and Freddie work through every announced crew list – from Emirates Team New Zealand’s Outteridge–Menzies pairing and the lingering Blair Tuke question, to GB1's surprising helm call, Athena Racing's two-female-helm setup, Luna Rossa's almost-too-stacked talent pool, Alinghi's freshly assembled lineup, and the French team's combination that could yet emerge as the dark horse of the weekend. The Cagliari prelim also marks the first time we'll see B-boat sailors racing for seats on the AC75 itself – a significant format change that could reshape squad dynamics across every syndicate as the fleet builds towards Naples 2027. READ MORE: https://thefoil.com/news/mozzy-s-take-on-cagliari-crew-lists-who-s-in-who-s-out-and-why/ https://thefoil.com/news/freddie-carr-why-the-ac38-prelim-regatta-in-cagliari-matters/ Follow @wearethefoil across all platforms – Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and YouTube. 00:00:00 — Intro 00:04:28 — Emirates Team New Zealand (A Boat) 00:10:32 — Emirates Team New Zealand (Youth & Women's Boat) 00:13:49 — GB1 (A Boat) 00:20:36 — Athena (Youth & Women's Boat) 00:29:23 — Luna Rossa 00:36:03 — Tudor Team Alinghi 00:40:45 — La Roche-Posay Racing Team (France) 00:47:43 — Predictions & picks #TheFoil #WeAreTheFoil #AmericasCup Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    55 min
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About

We are The Foil, a new wave of racing media. Founded and launched in 2026, we are a fresh, all-new, proudly independent digital media brand dedicated to the sport of sail racing. Our focus is centred around the major peaks of the international sport: SailGP, the America’s Cup and the Olympic Games, plus offshore classes and events, and the diverse wider world of sailing competitions that take place around the globe. Our mission is simple: to promote, talk about and report on the detail of an international sport that deserves a much higher profile beyond the dedicated sailing community who follow racing around the globe. We operate independently of series and event promoters and governing bodies as an impartial voice for the sport of sail racing. Subscribe to The Foil YouTube channel and follow @wearethefoil across all platforms – Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and LinkedIn.

Information

  • Creator
    The Foil
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    28
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    The Foil Podcast

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