The Foil Podcast

The Foil

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.

Episodes

  1. ‘Hot laps’ in Auckland: Get set for SailGP in New Zealand – The Foil podcast – Ep 6

    FEB 13

    ‘Hot laps’ in Auckland: Get set for SailGP in New Zealand – The Foil podcast – Ep 6

    “These will be ‘hot laps’ with 12 other world-class teams,” says Freddie Carr as The Foil sets the scene for round two of the 2026 SailGP championship in Auckland, New Zealand this weekend.   As Andy Rice tells us, there’s a “pretty heinous forecast for the weekend – a south-south westerly” to greet the crews and keep a bumper crowd on the edge of their grandstand seats. “When you ask those who raced in 2025 which is the toughest,” points out Freddie, “to a man, and to a woman, they say Auckland.” Joined by presenter Neil Cole, Andy and Freddie speculate on whether SailGP will be forced to split the 13-boat fleet this weekend at a “tiny” venue. Andy tips the Black Foils on home territory and Spain’s Los Gallos crew to hit back after their troubles at round one in Perth, while Freddie reckons Sweden’s Team Artemis have gained a head-start via some foiling on AC40s in the region. Whoever prevails, The Foil will be there to witness it and report back.   Along with SailGP, Freddie and Andy also wrap up sailing action from all over the world this past week. Freddie reports back from his own racing activities on M32s in Miami; there was some “brilliant racing” from the RC44s in Lanzarote; the Wingfoil World Cup crowned its first champions of the year in Hong Kong; and the team also touches on a new legal spat that’s cast an unwanted new shadow over the America’s Cup.   Subscribe now and follow @wearethefoil across all platforms – Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and YouTube.  #TheFoil Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    45 min
  2. Dee Caffari: 'The doors have been blown open' for women's offshore sailing - The Foil Podcast - Ep 5

    FEB 5

    Dee Caffari: 'The doors have been blown open' for women's offshore sailing - The Foil Podcast - Ep 5

    Last week, The Famous Project crew made history – and Dee Caffari sees it as just the beginning. Freddie Carr sits down with Dee to unpack how eight women became the first all-female crew to complete a non-stop circumnavigation of the globe on a multihull – a 57-day voyage that rewrote the record books despite everything the ocean threw at them. In this exclusive interview, Caffari reveals the stat that stopped her in her tracks: before this voyage, only three women had ever rounded Cape Horn on a multihull. The Famous Project made that number eleven. She explains why the team's legacy matters more than the time on the clock, how co-skipper Alexia Barrier assembled an international crew of seven nationalities, and what it took to keep pushing through catastrophic gear failures that would have broken lesser teams. Also in this episode: Andy Rice reports from New Zealand ahead of Auckland SailGP, with updates on the Black Foils' recovery from Perth, the coaching musical chairs at the Kiwi SailGP team, Iain Jensen joining Emirates Team New Zealand, and the latest on whether Season 6 will feature split fleets or 13 boats on one chaotic start line. Subscribe now and follow @wearethefoil across all platforms – Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and YouTube. #TheFoil #WeAreTheFoil #OffshoreSailing #SailGP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    55 min
  3. On board Argo's transatlantic record with Pete Cumming - The Foil Podcast - Ep 4

    JAN 29

    On board Argo's transatlantic record with Pete Cumming - The Foil Podcast - Ep 4

    Offshore at inshore intensity – that's the new reality of ocean racing, and the crew of Jason Carroll's Mod 70 Argo just proved it by smashing the transatlantic record in a near-constant match race with Zulu across 2,800 miles of Atlantic. In this offshore special, Freddie Carr and Neil Cole sit down with crew Pete Cumming to dissect a record attempt that came down to single-digit minutes. Four days, 23 hours, 51 minutes, 15 seconds – sub-five by a margin so slim the crew didn't know they'd made it until the final approach. Behind them, Zulu finished just two hours back. This was a five-day knife fight at 30-plus knots. But this episode isn't just about the numbers. It's about what happens inside your head when you're driving at 34 knots with no moon, no horizon, and six teammates asleep below who are trusting you with their lives. It's about the boat having 'a voice' – and knowing something's wrong when the hull goes silent because you've left the water entirely. The Mod 70, Pete says, is the most unforgiving boat in sailing: one mistake and you're over. Plus: a first look at Freddie's interview with Benjamin Schwartz, co-skipper and navigator aboard Sodebo, the Ultim 3 that just smashed the Jules Verne around-the-world record in 40 days. Subscribe now and follow @wearethefoil across all platforms – Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and YouTube. #TheFoil #WeAreTheFoil #OffshoreSailing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    45 min
  4. Inside SailGP Season 6

    JAN 15

    Inside SailGP Season 6

    What can we expect in SailGP Season 6? The championship that crowned eight different winners in 12 events last season is already back – and this time, there are 13 teams fighting for the $2 million prize in Abu Dhabi. In the second episode of The Foil Podcast, host Neil Cole is joined by Freddie Carr and Andy Rice to dissect the dynamics shaping Season 6. Sweden's Artemis squad, fronted by Iain Percy and Olympic gold medallist Nathan Outteridge, arrives with billionaire backing and serious America's Cup pedigree. That's bad news for mid-pack teams already fighting for survival – and potentially catastrophic for the US, whose all-American experiment so far has produced more capsizes than podiums. Freddie and Andy break down who's genuinely improved, who's bluffing, and which teams are one equipment failure away from missing the Grand Final. They also tackle the bigger questions: Is SailGP's rapid expansion sustainable? Can Russell Coutts keep 13 egos, 13 budgets, and 13 F50s pointed in the same direction? And what happens when the America's Cup and SailGP schedules collide in 2027, forcing sailors like Pete Burling to choose between a prize pot of $12.8 million and defending the oldest trophy in sport? Subscribe to The Foil channel and follow @wearethefoil across all platforms – YouTube, Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and LinkedIn. For more, read Andy's Perth Preview: https://thefoil.com/news/why-our-sport-can-t-get-enough-of-sailgp/ #TheFoil #WeAreTheFoil #SailGP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    49 min
  5. What happened in SailGP Season 5?

    JAN 14

    What happened in SailGP Season 5?

    Eight different event winners. Twelve teams separated by margins that would have been unthinkable two seasons ago. The SailGP fleet is levelling up, and the stats are there to prove it. In The Foil's first ever podcast, Neil Cole sits down with Freddie Carr and Andy Rice for a deep-dive into a season where the old certainties no longer applied. Australia – dominant force of seasons one through three – managed just a single event win. Spain, the defending champions, faded when it mattered most. And a British team that looked lost during their American swing somehow transformed into worthy champions. Over the course of an hour we break down what set Season 5 apart, from T-foils that levelled the playing field to the incidents that defined weekends. We examine the stats behind Emirates GBR’s title, debate whether the three-boat final format actually delivers the best racing, and ask some pointed questions about venues that worked – and the ones that were, in Freddie's words, 'a bit of a snore-fest'. The Foil is a brand-new, independent sailing media platform built to cover the sport in its full breadth. We’re here to not only bring you in-depth SailGP coverage, but also connect the worlds of America’s Cup, offshore racing, the Olympics, board sports and the vast keelboat scene – the areas where most of the sport actually lives. If it’s powered by the wind, raced hard, and driven by strong personalities, it’s on our radar. Subscribe now and follow @wearethefoil across all platforms – Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and YouTube. The conversation’s just getting started. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    57 min

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.

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