SailGP: Brazil make "trial" changes. Injured French sailor returns
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World NZ 18 Jun 06:27 PDT
Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team Race Day 2 of the ENEL Rio Sail Grand Prix in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - April 12, 2025 © Jason Ludlow/SailGP
Two significant team changes have been announced in the crew lists ahead of this weekend's Canada SailGP to be held in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Mubadala Brazil skipper will switch places with strategist Paul Goodison, in what the League are billing as a "trial". However, there has been no comment from the team on the change.
Currently, the Brazilian team sits at the bottom edge of the Season 6 points table, with only the Black Foils (NZ) below them in 13th place, after the Kiwi team was involved in serious collisions in the opening events at Fremantle and Auckland.
Given the team's performance to date, it would be surprising if changes were not made in the lineup. Goodison was skipper of the 2024 America's Cup Challenger, American Magic, before being injured in a fall down a hatch just before the start of the Challenger Semi-Finals in Barcelona. Both Goodison and Grael are Olympic Gold medallists.
Another change in the Brazilian team is that Jeremy Wilmot replaces Paul Brotherton in the coaches' booth.
In a second change, Manon Audinet returns to the strategist role on DS Automobiles Team France after being one of three sailors injured in the Sprint leg collision between the French F50 and the Black Foils. Audinet spent two weeks in an Auckland hospital under "observation" for unspecified injuries. With the return of the Black Foils, in a new F50 this weekend. Audinet was replaced by Liv Mackay, on loan from the Kiwi team for the past two SailGP events.
The two other sailors injured in the collision remain out of the competition. Stuart Dodson (NZL) remains as a replacement for injured grinder Louis Sinclair (NZL).
A second DS Automobiles sailor Leigh McMillan (GBR) a wingsail trimmer at the time of the Auckland collision, is still recovering from shoulder surgery, and his place has been taken by World Moth Champion, Enzo Balanger (FRA).
No announcement has been made as to which of the three teams damaged in a three-boat pile-up in a startline incident in Mubadala New York sailGP three weeks ago, involving Mubadala Brazil, Team USA and Red Bull Italy. Surprisingly, no sailors were injured in the incident. Earlier in the week, the League said in a media statement that the three teams were "targetted" to be on the startline in Halifax.
All three boats are being repaired at East River Shipyard, Nova Scotia, by a team from SailGP Technologies and East River Shipyard.