SailGP: Limited options for replacement of double Olympic Gold medallist

by SailGP & Sail-World.com/nz 13 Sep 06:59 BST

Double Olympic Gold medalist Martine Grael's parting of ways with Mubadala Brazil has left the team with few options, other than to draw on their reserve bench, until the end of November.

Grael's self-described "unemployment" comes after a "trial separation" at SailGP Halifax, where she switched places with then-strategist Paul Goodison (GBR), who won an Olympic Gold medal in the Laser class at the 2008 Olympic regatta in Qingdao.

The switch came after a three-way collision in the New York SailGP event involving Brazil, Italy and USA.

The switch did not improve performance and was reversed for the next and subsequent events, again with no significant improvement.

On Friday, Martine Grael, a member of Brazil's "Royal family" of sailing, announced via social media that she had split with the Mubadala Brazil SailGP team and had become, as she put it: "Officially Unemployed".

The implication from the Mubdala Brazil media statement is that she resigned.

Grael signed off her social media post with the intriguing phrase: "Leaving this one to represent!"

The team has limited options for a replacement/team restructure until the Transfer Window opens after the Grand Final, at the end of November in Abu Dhabi, and closes a week before the first event of the 2027 Season in Hong Kong on January 23-24.

Ostensibly, they can replace them with a sailor from outside the League, but they would require an F50 licence with a minimum number of sailing hours. Or they can replace them without a licence on medical grounds.

That second option kicked in several times earlier in Season 6, when super-sub Glenn Ashby stepped in to replace Iain Jensen after he sustained a knee injury ahead of the first event in Fremantle. It came into play again after the collision in Auckland, where three members of the French team had to be substituted after being injured.

The situation is more vexed in 2027, given that the 38th America's Cup will be sailed in mid-July, and any replacement(s) will likely already have contracts in place that require their availability and participation for AC75 testing and work-up.

A yet-to-be-announced 14th team will also be recruiting for the new season, putting new pressure on a tight market and inevitably increasing professional sailors' salaries and inducements to switch teams in the Transfer Window.

On Friday, SailGP.com's Will Carson reported:

Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team has confirmed that driver Martine Grael has left following a planned roster shake-up.

Grael, SailGP's first female driver, posted on social media on Friday that she was "officially unemployed".

Mubadala Brazil issued a statement shortly after confirming Grael had departed the team, and that strategist Paul Goodison would move into the driver role.

Marina Arndt, the team's reserve strategist until now, will move into the strategist role.

The statement said: "The Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team will have a new line-up for the final three events of the season.

"The change in the team had already been professionally and strategically planned for this stage of the season, as part of the natural process of evaluation and evolution of a high-performance team. As always, we have a plan in place and a team prepared to manage these adjustments in the best possible way.

"Paul Goodison will take the helm of the F50, while [2024 Nacra 17 Olympic rep] Marina Arndt will move into the strategist position. Both are experienced and highly qualified professionals who are already part of our structure and give us confidence to remain competitive through the final two events of the season.

"As Martine Grael shared on her social media channels, the sailor has decided not to complete the 2026 season with the team.

"Martine has been with us since the creation of the project and played an important role in this journey, contributing to the team’s development and growth over the past two years. We thank her for the partnership and for all the work we have carried out together.

"At this time, our focus is on preparing for the final stages of the season. Further information regarding our next steps and plans for 2027 will be shared in due course."

Mubadala Brazil joined SailGP at the start of the 2025 Season as the first South American team in the league.

Grael won her first race in New York last season, but the team have struggled to rediscover that form since, and currently sits 13th on the 2026 Season leaderboard.