Deep Dive: The Strategist
In the next part of our series, we examine the role of the Strategist on board the teams’ F50s
Published 03/28/2025
Introduced midway through Season Two of SailGP, the role of the Strategist has developed rapidly in the years since, becoming increasingly all encompassing.
Positioned at the back of the F50 behind the Driver, the Strategist’s role in sailing was traditionally fairly limited – but that is changing thanks to rapid technological developments in recent years. For Mike Buckley and the U.S. SailGP Team, that means a huge input into how the race unfolds strategically, working in tandem with Driver Taylor Canfield to guide the boat around the course with the most efficient route.
Read more: Deep Dive: The Driver
The Strategist’s responsibility is for the bigger picture. This involves strategic decision making, monitoring the wind conditions, being aware of what is going on around the F50 across the rest of the fleet and assisting with maneuvers. Let’s get into it!
As the name suggests, the key responsibility for the person sitting behind the Driver is team strategy. The Strategist is responsible for picking the right moments, painting a picture of what’s going on on the water and, in reality, working several moves ahead of everyone else. To do this, they must analyze the plethora of data delivered to the boat to help focus on course routing, minimizing maneuvers and staying with the boundaries.
To assist with this, the Strategist has two key pieces of equipment. Firstly, a monitor on the wing of the boat that provides data on the wind angle, boat angle, speed and more. This can be customized by each team to ensure the pertinent information is on hand. The Strategist also has a much smaller tablet mounted on their wrist - not unlike a quarterback’s wristband playbook - that is a replica of the wing display. This enables them to toggle through lots of different datasets with ease. There are also graphical representations of the fleet available from various views
This assists in their next big job: Wind condition. As we know, the wind condition has a huge part to play in SailGP and, therefore, being on top of what is happening at all times is vital. As well as utilizing the data at hand, the Strategist will also take advantage of what they can see. For example, darker water means more wind. Lighter patches mean less wind. At all times, the Strategist must be aware of the rest of the fleet; their position, maneuvers and anticipating what each team is going to do.
To do this, they will leap out of their position and scamper across the boat to get a better view. Much like the Driver, their view is compromised by the wing, creating blind spots. Much like driving a car, these are dangerous and mean the Strategist must try to mitigate risk for the Driver by seeing where they can’t. Leaving the hull is, naturally, laced with risk and picking the opportune time is all part of the job.
With all this information at hand, the Strategist must relay what they deem necessary to the Driver and the rest of the team. Timing here is of paramount importance. It is not uncommon for a Strategist to have previously served as a Driver, and this is advantageous in deciding what the Driver needs to know and when.
When it comes to making a maneuver, the Strategist will assist, using a control panel that replicates the functions available to the Driver on the wheel. For example, being able to help with jib or rudder control, or protest penalties. Prior to making a maneuver, the Strategist will cross the boat with the Wing Trimmer to get into position. In previous iterations of SailGP, the Wing Trimmer would be responsible for driving behind their back while trimming the wing. Now, the Strategist will take the wheel until the Driver arrives.
It is worth pointing out that every team utilizes their Strategist differently. The Women’s Pathway Programme - launched in 2021 - has helped teams meet the SailGP requirement to have at least one female crew member. The programme has directly influenced the Strategist role with all women on the pathway assuming that role as part of their training. Only the US and Brazilian teams have women in other roles (Anna Weis as G2 and Martine Grael as Driver).
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