Sailfaster: The Podcast For Racing Sailors

Pete Boland
  • 4.9 (49)
  • Sports
  • Updated Biweekly

Sailfaster is the podcast for competitive sailors who want to sail faster and win more races. Each episode, host Pete Boland sits down with Olympic medallists, America's Cup and SailGP sailors, offshore racers and coaches to unpack starting technique, boat speed, race tactics, crew management, regatta preparation and race-day mindset — the details that separate the front of the fleet from the rest. Whether you race dinghies, one-designs, keelboats or offshore, you'll walk away with something to use on the water this weekend.

  1. Jul 28

    How to Sail Faster—Whatever Your Boat's Rating

    Racing under handicap can feel frustrating—but is your rating really the problem?  After joining the J/105 Javelin for the IRC Europeans, I came away convinced that the best teams don't spend their weekends complaining about the rule. They focus on preparation, communication, boat handling and relentless improvement.  Drawing on conversations with owner Richard Newsom and navigator Tony Owen, this episode explores how top crews play to their strengths, trust their race plan, build repeatable systems, and keep searching for the next tenth of a knot.  Whether you race IRC, ORC or one-design, these lessons will make your team faster.

    How to Sail Faster—Whatever Your Boat's Rating

  2. Jul 20

    Beneteau First Series and the "Effortless Joy of Planing"

    Modern sailboats have evolved dramatically—but has yacht racing kept up?  In this episode of Sailfaster, Pete talks with Andraž Mihelin, co-founder of Seascape and the force behind the Beneteau First range, and offshore racer Charles-Etienne Devanneaux. Together they explore why today's boats are faster, lighter and easier to sail, yet racing often remains rooted in another era. They discuss the rise of double-handed sailing, the philosophy of "effortless joy of planing," why fun should come before handicap rules, and what the future of sailing could look like. Whether you're a racer or cruiser, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on where our sport is heading.

    Beneteau First Series and the "Effortless Joy of Planing"

  3. Jul 1

    What It Takes to Race a 50-Foot Performance Catamaran - With Tom Kassberg

    Tom Kassberg's the owner of Malolo, one of the fastest performance cruising catamarans in the world, with victories in the ARC and class honours at the Caribbean 600.  In this episode, Tom joins Pete to unpack how he built a championship offshore racing program from the ground up—from choosing the right platform and assembling an elite crew to developing boat-specific performance data and making high-pressure decisions at sea. They also discuss the unique demands of racing high-performance multihulls, managing risk at speed, weather routing with Vendée Globe sailor Will Harris, and why preparation, teamwork and continuous learning are the real competitive advantages.  Please forgive the dodgy sound quality!

    What It Takes to Race a 50-Foot Performance Catamaran - With Tom Kassberg

  4. Jun 23

    Tom Slingsby: Decision-Making At 80 KPH!

    Olympic gold medallist, America’s Cup winner and SailGP superstar Tom Slingsby joins Sailfaster from San Francisco airport for a fascinating deep dive into what it takes to perform at the highest level of sailing. From surviving one of the toughest and most dramatic SailGP race days of his career to the mindset shifts that helped him overcome Olympic heartbreak and become a world champion, Tom shares the lessons, habits and psychological edge behind his success. He reveals why sailing is really a game of marginal gains, how he makes split-second decisions at 100 km/h, the single performance metric he obsesses over, and the leadership lessons learned during Oracle Team USA’s legendary 2013 America’s Cup comeback. Packed with insights on pressure, preparation, competition and continuous improvement, this is a masterclass from one of the greatest sailors of his generation.

    Tom Slingsby: Decision-Making At 80 KPH!

  5. Jun 4

    Spite Sailing: Building an Offshore Racing Pathway for Women

    Offshore racing has long been seen as one of sailing's toughest frontiers—physically demanding, technically complex, and historically dominated by men. But Emma Rosenbaum and Marianna Fleischman of Spite Sailing are working to change that. In this episode of SailFaster, we dive into the story behind their women-led offshore racing campaign, their journey into short-handed sailing, and their ambitious goal of competing in the Bermuda One-Two aboard a Mini 650. Emma and Marianna discuss the barriers that still exist for women in sailing, why access and representation matter, and how they're creating a performance pathway to help more sailors progress from local club racing to offshore competition.

    Spite Sailing: Building an Offshore Racing Pathway for Women

  6. May 20

    How Technology Has Changed Starts Forever — with Todd Wilson

    GPS-based starting systems are changing sailboat racing — whether sailors like it or not.  In this episode, Pete Boland talks to Todd Wilson, co-founder of Vakaros, about how RaceSense and modern GPS technology are transforming starts, protests, race management, and training.(Note this is NOT a sponsored episode!) Todd explains why even elite sailors struggle to ping a line accurately, how RaceSense works, why starts are becoming tighter and more aggressive, how Olympic, J/70, and TP52 fleets are adapting.. and why he was “happy to lose a protest” using his own system’s data It’s a fascinating look at the technology reshaping competitive sailing — from club racing to the Olympic level.

    How Technology Has Changed Starts Forever — with Todd Wilson

  7. Apr 27

    From On The Rocks To On The Transat Start Line...Ambre Hasson's Journey

    Ambre Hasson went from learning to sail in 2020 to completing the Mini Transat just five years later. In this episode, she shares her rapid rise into offshore racing, including losing her first boat during qualification and rebuilding her campaign from scratch. She discusses resilience, managing fear, and key performance ideas like pacing, pushing to the “friction point,” and preserving the boat as a critical part of racing fast. Drawing on endurance sports, Ambre explains how handling discomfort and risk is central to success offshore. Now moving into the Class40 circuit, she outlines her next goals and what it takes to keep progressing at the highest level.

    From On The Rocks To On The Transat Start Line...Ambre Hasson's Journey

  8. Apr 10

    North U's Performance Race Week: Starts, speed and decision-making from St Thomas in the USVI!

    Kristen Berry kindly invited me to take part in North U / American Sailing’s Performance Race Week in St Thomas this February; this collaborative episode is a detailed debrief of that programme.   We unpack the structure of the week, the coaching approach, the type of sailors who benefit, and the key performance insights—from start sequence execution and acceleration mechanics to decision-making and the mental game under pressure. All of it played out in IC24s in consistently challenging – and beautiful - Caribbean conditions.   If you’re looking to refine your racing process and extract marginal gains, there’s a lot in here to take away.  Hope you find something you can use on the water this Spring!

    North U's Performance Race Week: Starts, speed and decision-making from St Thomas in the USVI!
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4.9
out of 5
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About

Sailfaster is the podcast for competitive sailors who want to sail faster and win more races. Each episode, host Pete Boland sits down with Olympic medallists, America's Cup and SailGP sailors, offshore racers and coaches to unpack starting technique, boat speed, race tactics, crew management, regatta preparation and race-day mindset — the details that separate the front of the fleet from the rest. Whether you race dinghies, one-designs, keelboats or offshore, you'll walk away with something to use on the water this weekend.

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