January 18, 2025 • 8 mins
Former two-time world champion in the Women's 470 sailing class, Hannah Mills, has been quick to offer positive feedback regarding yesterday's SailGP regatta in Auckland.
The current Emirates Great Britain strategist said yesterday's race had some tough moments - but noted yesterday was an 'amazing' day for the team overall.
Mills joined Piney to explain further.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
All right, let's bring in the single most successful female
sailor in Olympic history Silver London twenty twelve, Gold and
Rio twenty sixteen, Gold again, Tokyo twenty twenty one. Three
time world champion, two time World Female Sailor of the Year,
mb ob E Sailing trail Blazer On and off the Water,
Emirates Great Britain strategist Hannah Mills.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Nice to see you.
Speaker 4 (00:33):
Nice to see you too.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Yesterday. How do you assess it? First, second, ninth, fourth
second overall? Ye's a pretty good day.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
Yeah, it was a good day.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Obviously that third race with the ninth didn't quite pan out.
We had a tough start and then yeah, got back
in the pack and then got sucked to the back again,
which is so easy to do in this racing. But
overall really buzzy. It was just the most amazing day sailing,
massive grandstand, so many people. Yeah, it was super cool.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Yeah, I can see it from your face.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
You're beaming so hard to wear about the Yeah, the
changeable conditions, they were changeable, weren't they.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
But shifty out. How much did that affect the sailing
use today? Yeah, it was massive.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
You know, we were having kind of forty to fifty
degree shifts throughout the racing and then massive pressure differences
as well. So big day for the strategists trying to
pick that and manage all the boats. You know, really
tight course with eleven boats blasting round, so lots going on,
but just honestly just epic racing.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
You said during the week, I'm just going to quote
it here. For the strategists, it's going to be eyes
out more than normal.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Can you just explain that for us?
Speaker 4 (01:37):
Yeah, So a big part of the strategist role is
around identifying issue boats, which means boats that you might
be coming together with. So trying to identify those early,
bring the driver's sort of attention to them so we
can make a plan early until you're not doing any
really rush last minute maneuvers or having a crash. So
that's a huge part of the role really, And with
such a tight race course, and particularly with kind of
(01:58):
the big shifts and gusts, you know, you think you
might be fine on a boat and then they get
a big lift or whatever, and suddenly they are an issue.
So yeah, it's it's a constant monitoring.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
It sounds like a.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Job where you need eyes everywhere. You heard, you know,
to use a cliche, Is it fair?
Speaker 4 (02:13):
Yeah, I would say so. Yeah, So how do you
manage it? It's you know, you do have we have
the coaches booth actually now, which is kind of a
semi new feature for so GP. So we've got the
coach on shore with a couple of people. Actually they're
supporting as well, and so they've got big eyes out
on issue boats. So if we're not talking about it
on the boat, then they'll bring our attention to it
(02:35):
as well. So that's kind of like another another solution
in place. But ultimately it's just being really aware of
the moment where boats are going to come together, and
that's generally at the marks when you're bearing away and
there's people coming out wind, or at the bottom mark
when you're rounding up and there's people coming down wind,
so that they're the big ones.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Communication just seems so important on these boats. Is there
a danger of too many voices sometimes once you go
to the coach, isn't.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
Yeah, yeah, one hundred percent. And sometimes you know, we
have a thing on our boat of reset or you know,
back on the job or whatever it is, just to
align everyone because it's getting too noisy. And if it's
too noisy, the driver can't concentrate and they can't kind
of think and make the right decisions. So a big
part of my job as well is actually knowing when
the right time to chip in is. And sometimes you've
(03:20):
got something to say, but actually in the moment that's
not the most important thing, and it's just getting through
a maneuver or getting around the mark or whatever it is,
and waiting for the opportunity to say what you need
to say.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
What is the most available information that coaches can give
to you on the boat.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
I think a lot of it is between races, actually
ideaing what's been going on in that race and where
the big gains were or the losses, or how the
setups changing from boat to boat, you know, boats that
are going well, trying to identify what they're doing. So
that's probably the biggie for the coaches with all the
data that they've got coming off all of the team's boats,
is trying to be really quick in ideing that.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
You also use the word carnage, which I absolutely loved.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
I love it. Do you think we're some interesting racing
out here today?
Speaker 4 (04:01):
I think so. Yeah, looking behind me out the window
looks pretty fresh. But yeah, I mean with eleven boats,
as I said, on this race course and twenty knots,
it's going to be loose. Yeah, it's going to be big,
big eyes out. You know, there's going to be boats
having some big stuffs and just trying to avoid each
Other's the big one.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
A change, obviously to the Great Britain team in the
off season, Joel Scott going to the Canadian team. Dylan Fletcher,
who we spoke to on the show yesterday, the driver
seems like a seamless transition.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Here's it been, Yeah, pretty much.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
You know, Dyl's been involved with most of the sailors
on this team for a long time now, and so
everyone knows each other really well. And Dyl and I've
grown up sailing together and yeah, racing and been to
a couple of Olympics together. So yeah, Dyl slotted in
really really well, really quickly, and you know he's super intense,
super focused, really pushing to want to make his mark,
and so it's a really cool, cool person to sell
(04:52):
with and be around.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Is the plan for you to drive at some stage.
Who knows.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
My ambition with Sergeyp has always been to try and
drive a boat. And you know, like I said in
the press conference, it's you know, the moment will a
won't come, but if it does come, I just need
to be as ready as I possibly can be to
be able to step in and do that job. So
the team's been incredibly supportive and giving me time on
the helm when we get training time, and you know,
helping upskill me and teach me what it is I
(05:19):
need to do. So yeah, it's been really good so far.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
I should ask about the t foils as well. Have
asked everybody else about those yesterday. In the different dynamic
they added, did you notice a difference.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
Yeah, it's a really big difference the tefoils, maybe more
so at the moment just because everyone's learning, but you know,
we're kind of learning the limits of them, what they
can and can't do. They behave quite differently to the alfoil,
So yeah, I think we'll probably see more crashes today
than we maybe would have done with the ALFOYL just
because they are behaving quite differently.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
I can ask you as well about the Athena Pathway program.
You launched it in twenty two alongside some being Ainsley
the aim of fast treaking, women's development and high performance sailing.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
How's the progress been in your mind?
Speaker 4 (05:57):
Yeah, it's been really good. We had a really successful
Women's in Youth America's Cup back in Barcelona last summerh
so cool, which is super cool?
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Well it was. It was heartbreaking, I know for you,
but it was. It was so called to say it was.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
It was an amazing about the particular women's event for
me to be a part of was just yeah, moment
in history. And I think a big step forward for
women's sailing in this type of boat, you know. And
there's a lot of similarities between the AC forty and
the F fifteen now, especially with the t foils coming
on the F fifty, So big step forward for a
lot of the female athletes there, and I think that's
really helping the progression with CELGP. I think they both
(06:32):
have worked really well together actually, and with the Athena Pathway.
We're lucky we've got good funding for the next Cup
cycle and so looking forward to driving that forward, trying
to create more opportunity and trying to keep moving women's sailing.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Forward absolutely, and I know the vision for sal GP
is to have two female athletes per race crew.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
How far away from it do you think we are?
Speaker 4 (06:52):
Oh, it's hard to say, you know, I think we
still we are still a way off, I would say,
but there's a lot of push there and we're getting
some commercial backing now for the Women's Pathway program with
our first ever all female training camp in Dubai after
the event there, which which was huge, and the challenge.
You know, it's easy for people to say, well, why
don't you just put more women on the boats, but
(07:12):
the experience gap is real in terms of you know,
the men have been racing and sailing these boats now,
this type of sailing for kind of fifteen years, and
it's a lot of learning to catch up on and
getting time on the water in these types of boats
is really difficult, just the nature, the cost, everything that
goes with it. So you know, there's a big, big
push which is great, and I think all the female
(07:34):
athletes feel the sameia. We want to be there when
it's the right time and when we deserve our place.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
I use the word trial blizer. At the start and
you're operating at an elite level. Do you feel any
sense of responsibility in that regard or do you feel
a sense of frustration in that regard? I'm not sure
what are your emotions around it?
Speaker 4 (07:51):
No, I don't feel I mean, sometimes you feel frustrated
because you know, you're competitive, you're driven, and you want
to get to where you want to get to. But
it's a process, and I guess I feel privileged in
a way that I'm in a point in time where
there is progress being made and I can help drive
that forward. So hopefully for the next generation it's a
bit easier. But yeah, you know, I look at who's
(08:12):
come before me and some of the things they've had
to deal with and go through to get us to
this point, and so yeah, I mostly feel privileged to
be a part.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Of the story, all right.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
In inspect to today, I'm so looking forward to today.
After talking to you, you got the Aussies just to
hit to you. We've got two more fleet racers in
the inn, the final carnage out there to day.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
You must be how do you feel a few hours
before you go out.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Yeah, it's all the emotions, you know, a bit of nerves,
a bit of excitement, a bit of trepidation because it
is breezy, and yeah, just everything. I think a lot
of adrenaline, that'll be for sure on the boat. But
you know, once you get racing, once you start the race,
you're kind of just into it and you're doing your job.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Really great to chat Henna. All the best out of
there this afternoon and for the rest of the season.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Thank you for more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine.
Listen live to news talks it'd be weekends from midday,
or follow the podcast on I Hard Radio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
All right, let's bring in the single most successful female
sailor in Olympic history Silver London twenty twelve, Gold and
Rio twenty sixteen, Gold again, Tokyo twenty twenty one. Three
time world champion, two time World Female Sailor of the Year,
mb ob E Sailing trail Blazer On and off the Water,
Emirates Great Britain strategist Hannah Mills.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Nice to see you.
Speaker 4 (00:33):
Nice to see you too.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Yesterday. How do you assess it? First, second, ninth, fourth
second overall? Ye's a pretty good day.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
Yeah, it was a good day.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Obviously that third race with the ninth didn't quite pan out.
We had a tough start and then yeah, got back
in the pack and then got sucked to the back again,
which is so easy to do in this racing. But
overall really buzzy. It was just the most amazing day sailing,
massive grandstand, so many people. Yeah, it was super cool.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Yeah, I can see it from your face.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
You're beaming so hard to wear about the Yeah, the
changeable conditions, they were changeable, weren't they.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
But shifty out. How much did that affect the sailing
use today? Yeah, it was massive.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
You know, we were having kind of forty to fifty
degree shifts throughout the racing and then massive pressure differences
as well. So big day for the strategists trying to
pick that and manage all the boats. You know, really
tight course with eleven boats blasting round, so lots going on,
but just honestly just epic racing.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
You said during the week, I'm just going to quote
it here. For the strategists, it's going to be eyes
out more than normal.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Can you just explain that for us?
Speaker 4 (01:37):
Yeah, So a big part of the strategist role is
around identifying issue boats, which means boats that you might
be coming together with. So trying to identify those early,
bring the driver's sort of attention to them so we
can make a plan early until you're not doing any
really rush last minute maneuvers or having a crash. So
that's a huge part of the role really, And with
such a tight race course, and particularly with kind of
(01:58):
the big shifts and gusts, you know, you think you
might be fine on a boat and then they get
a big lift or whatever, and suddenly they are an issue.
So yeah, it's it's a constant monitoring.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
It sounds like a.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Job where you need eyes everywhere. You heard, you know,
to use a cliche, Is it fair?
Speaker 4 (02:13):
Yeah, I would say so. Yeah, So how do you
manage it? It's you know, you do have we have
the coaches booth actually now, which is kind of a
semi new feature for so GP. So we've got the
coach on shore with a couple of people. Actually they're
supporting as well, and so they've got big eyes out
on issue boats. So if we're not talking about it
on the boat, then they'll bring our attention to it
(02:35):
as well. So that's kind of like another another solution
in place. But ultimately it's just being really aware of
the moment where boats are going to come together, and
that's generally at the marks when you're bearing away and
there's people coming out wind, or at the bottom mark
when you're rounding up and there's people coming down wind,
so that they're the big ones.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Communication just seems so important on these boats. Is there
a danger of too many voices sometimes once you go
to the coach, isn't.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
Yeah, yeah, one hundred percent. And sometimes you know, we
have a thing on our boat of reset or you know,
back on the job or whatever it is, just to
align everyone because it's getting too noisy. And if it's
too noisy, the driver can't concentrate and they can't kind
of think and make the right decisions. So a big
part of my job as well is actually knowing when
the right time to chip in is. And sometimes you've
(03:20):
got something to say, but actually in the moment that's
not the most important thing, and it's just getting through
a maneuver or getting around the mark or whatever it is,
and waiting for the opportunity to say what you need
to say.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
What is the most available information that coaches can give
to you on the boat.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
I think a lot of it is between races, actually
ideaing what's been going on in that race and where
the big gains were or the losses, or how the
setups changing from boat to boat, you know, boats that
are going well, trying to identify what they're doing. So
that's probably the biggie for the coaches with all the
data that they've got coming off all of the team's boats,
is trying to be really quick in ideing that.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
You also use the word carnage, which I absolutely loved.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
I love it. Do you think we're some interesting racing
out here today?
Speaker 4 (04:01):
I think so. Yeah, looking behind me out the window
looks pretty fresh. But yeah, I mean with eleven boats,
as I said, on this race course and twenty knots,
it's going to be loose. Yeah, it's going to be big,
big eyes out. You know, there's going to be boats
having some big stuffs and just trying to avoid each
Other's the big one.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
A change, obviously to the Great Britain team in the
off season, Joel Scott going to the Canadian team. Dylan Fletcher,
who we spoke to on the show yesterday, the driver
seems like a seamless transition.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Here's it been, Yeah, pretty much.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
You know, Dyl's been involved with most of the sailors
on this team for a long time now, and so
everyone knows each other really well. And Dyl and I've
grown up sailing together and yeah, racing and been to
a couple of Olympics together. So yeah, Dyl slotted in
really really well, really quickly, and you know he's super intense,
super focused, really pushing to want to make his mark,
and so it's a really cool, cool person to sell
(04:52):
with and be around.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Is the plan for you to drive at some stage.
Who knows.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
My ambition with Sergeyp has always been to try and
drive a boat. And you know, like I said in
the press conference, it's you know, the moment will a
won't come, but if it does come, I just need
to be as ready as I possibly can be to
be able to step in and do that job. So
the team's been incredibly supportive and giving me time on
the helm when we get training time, and you know,
helping upskill me and teach me what it is I
(05:19):
need to do. So yeah, it's been really good so far.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
I should ask about the t foils as well. Have
asked everybody else about those yesterday. In the different dynamic
they added, did you notice a difference.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
Yeah, it's a really big difference the tefoils, maybe more
so at the moment just because everyone's learning, but you know,
we're kind of learning the limits of them, what they
can and can't do. They behave quite differently to the alfoil,
So yeah, I think we'll probably see more crashes today
than we maybe would have done with the ALFOYL just
because they are behaving quite differently.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
I can ask you as well about the Athena Pathway program.
You launched it in twenty two alongside some being Ainsley
the aim of fast treaking, women's development and high performance sailing.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
How's the progress been in your mind?
Speaker 4 (05:57):
Yeah, it's been really good. We had a really successful
Women's in Youth America's Cup back in Barcelona last summerh
so cool, which is super cool?
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Well it was. It was heartbreaking, I know for you,
but it was. It was so called to say it was.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
It was an amazing about the particular women's event for
me to be a part of was just yeah, moment
in history. And I think a big step forward for
women's sailing in this type of boat, you know. And
there's a lot of similarities between the AC forty and
the F fifteen now, especially with the t foils coming
on the F fifty, So big step forward for a
lot of the female athletes there, and I think that's
really helping the progression with CELGP. I think they both
(06:32):
have worked really well together actually, and with the Athena Pathway.
We're lucky we've got good funding for the next Cup
cycle and so looking forward to driving that forward, trying
to create more opportunity and trying to keep moving women's sailing.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Forward absolutely, and I know the vision for sal GP
is to have two female athletes per race crew.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
How far away from it do you think we are?
Speaker 4 (06:52):
Oh, it's hard to say, you know, I think we
still we are still a way off, I would say,
but there's a lot of push there and we're getting
some commercial backing now for the Women's Pathway program with
our first ever all female training camp in Dubai after
the event there, which which was huge, and the challenge.
You know, it's easy for people to say, well, why
don't you just put more women on the boats, but
(07:12):
the experience gap is real in terms of you know,
the men have been racing and sailing these boats now,
this type of sailing for kind of fifteen years, and
it's a lot of learning to catch up on and
getting time on the water in these types of boats
is really difficult, just the nature, the cost, everything that
goes with it. So you know, there's a big, big
push which is great, and I think all the female
(07:34):
athletes feel the sameia. We want to be there when
it's the right time and when we deserve our place.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
I use the word trial blizer. At the start and
you're operating at an elite level. Do you feel any
sense of responsibility in that regard or do you feel
a sense of frustration in that regard? I'm not sure
what are your emotions around it?
Speaker 4 (07:51):
No, I don't feel I mean, sometimes you feel frustrated
because you know, you're competitive, you're driven, and you want
to get to where you want to get to. But
it's a process, and I guess I feel privileged in
a way that I'm in a point in time where
there is progress being made and I can help drive
that forward. So hopefully for the next generation it's a
bit easier. But yeah, you know, I look at who's
(08:12):
come before me and some of the things they've had
to deal with and go through to get us to
this point, and so yeah, I mostly feel privileged to
be a part.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Of the story, all right.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
In inspect to today, I'm so looking forward to today.
After talking to you, you got the Aussies just to
hit to you. We've got two more fleet racers in
the inn, the final carnage out there to day.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
You must be how do you feel a few hours
before you go out.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Yeah, it's all the emotions, you know, a bit of nerves,
a bit of excitement, a bit of trepidation because it
is breezy, and yeah, just everything. I think a lot
of adrenaline, that'll be for sure on the boat. But
you know, once you get racing, once you start the race,
you're kind of just into it and you're doing your job.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Really great to chat Henna. All the best out of
there this afternoon and for the rest of the season.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Thank you for more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine.
Listen live to news talks it'd be weekends from midday,
or follow the podcast on I Hard Radio.
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