Jasmine Gosling first came to the the attention of Athena Pathway when she submitted an application focused on the shoreside and technical facets of the Pathway's operations. Fast forward almost a year, and Jasmine has two SailGP events under her belt, joining Emirates GBR Shore Team for both St Tropez and Taranto.
Hear from Jasmine as she reflects on her experience with the team in St Tropez:
Through the Athena Pathway, I was put forward as a candidate to join the Emirates GBR shore team, which resulted in a 10-day internship for the third event of the season in Saint-Tropez.
Before joining the shore team, I definitely didn't appreciate how huge the entire SailGP setup is, and being immersed in it all was very cool to say the least. Everyday was pretty full-on, with the build-up period before the sailors arrived consisting of not only setting up base-camp, but getting the F50 race ready without overlooking a single detail. This was a varied affair, from working with SailGP's Tech Team to put the boat itself together, to finalising repairs from the previous event, all the way down to replacing worn life-lines and fresh grip tape - seemingly little things but vital to keeping the sailors onboard whilst sailing. Understanding how the F50 works altogether was definitely a bit of a mind-boggler! Not having had much exposure to foiling boats beforehand I found the whole system for the foils very interesting; from seeing the cases completely dismantled during servicing, to fitting them all back together and then installing the boards themselves.
Once the sailors arrived it was full-steam ahead, with each taking the lead on final preparations for their section of the boat. Come race day, we'd all push the boat down to the craning area, attach the wing, and be on tag-lines for lifting. Once in the water, I'd hope in the small tender 'flubber' underneath the boat to connect its mooring line, holding it in place whilst final checks were done and the sailors were ready to dock out. During this period, I'd climb onboard and assist with lowering the rudders and locking them into place, fitting the bottom sections of the wing, and general checks alongside the Tech Team who'd be calibrating the wing, boards and comms system. Never before had I been on a boat that has to be powered 'on' before going sailing. It almost felt alive with boards thudding up and down, and a 29 metre wing flexing above.
I'm sure that many of you can agree - the racing that weekend was sensational and the atmosphere was absolutely incredible following the GBR win, with hugs and champagne all-round! I've learned so much through this experience from everyone in the team and although it was tough, I definitely look forward to getting out to more SailGP events in the future!