SailGP: Taylor Canfield (USA) "We need to get the countries behind the teams - like the Kiwis"

Taylor Canfield, United States SailGP Team - Media Conference - ITM NZ SailGP - Auckland - January 13, 2026 © Simon Bruty/SailGP

Currently, after just one event, the US SailGP team lies 5th out of 13 teams in the overall Season 6 points table - a big step up from their bottom of the table finish in Season 5.

The team has showed flashes of form, becoming more consistent in the latter part of the season, but crashed after a great start with a third overall after the first event in Dubai, beginning to come right in the last two events, finishing 8th and 5th in the final two events.

They did make some crew changes mid-season, bringing on Mike Menninger from the American Magic America's Cup team in June.

Another to come on board, was top talent Harry Melges IV, helm of the American Magic Youth America's Cup team, and helm of American Magic Quantum Racing's world and season champion Super52.

To the suprise of many H4 has not been a feature of the racing team and for Auckland and the three previous events has been listed as a "Reserve Athlete".

"With this new license system, they make it really difficult," says skipper and co-founder Taylor Canfield. "He's actually not fully licensed to race on the boat yet, but it's only a matter of time. He's a great sailor."

"I think that in this level of level of sport, none of our jobs are secure. We always have to just continue to push to be better. And I think it's great.

"He puts puts the pressure on me and puts the pressure on all of our teammates, to really step up our games."

Canfield says it's a very complex system to get the F50 license with a requirement to complete a specified number of simulator hours and testing. The licence requirement is waived, if there is a medical reason to bring in an urgent replacement, as happened in Fremantle with super-sub Glenn Ashby coming into the Bonds Flying Roos, at very short notice, to replace an injured Iain Jensen.

"I think he's been granted a provisional license, which actually can allow him to race if there's two other fully licensed people on the boat," he adds. "But overall, there's no doubt that he'll be in the mix and probably on the starting roster, one day."

Canfield is a double world match racing champion and five time winner of the coveted Congressional Cup. He's seen plenty of collisions when racing monhulls, and was involved in one serious incident in the much faster F50s. With the fresh winds forecast, confined race area, and largest yet fleet of F50s, he felt the course would be very congested, and raised the possibility that the 13-boat fleet might be split.

"Obviously, it's a very tight racetrack here, so it's going to be full on. We haven't seen all 13 boats on the start line yet. And I think they did say they have the option to split the fleets if, if necessary, if the breeze is really top end. We're definitely reaching the limit of how many boats we can,jam into a tight racetrack."

Looking back at the collision incidents in Fremantle, last month and earlier in Season 5, Canfield says that more separation is required.

"I think we're reaching a spot here where we're going to need to definitely start to consider keeping the boats a little bit further apart, or receive penalties.

"As we crowd these race courses, it gets just more and more dangerous. And coming from someone that's been in a pretty serious crash - it's a heart stopping moment.

"I think anyone in any high speed, full on adrenaline racing, F1 whatever, will tell you that being in one of those crashes, is a moment you'll never forget. We've got to make sure that we're keeping the boats apart and keeping the athletes safe. But at the same time, it's that fine line of pushing the boats as hard as we can to go out there, and doing what we've all been trained to do and to win.

"I definitely think that personal safety is becoming more of a topic after the more serious collisions that we've had in the last few months.

"The League are always looking to take a step to make sure the boats are getting safer for us. But in the end, a big crash is always a dangerous moment and a scary moment.

"And as we saw in in in Perth, that incident was only half half meter to a meter away from, from being even more catastrophic and potentially involving, people in the crash.

"I think it's a risk that definitely doesn't go unseen. People are talking about it and how we can better avoid collisions, and it will be something that will continue to be a topic for discussion for months to come."