Vinegar, Vaseline: Household items helping Aussie sailors foil rivals at 2024 Paris Olympic Games

They are things you could find in any kitchen, bathroom cupboard or home tool kit and they are part of Australia’s mission to rule the waves in Marseille.

In a high tech world it’s a few decidedly low tech items found on a supermarket shelf or in a kitchen cupboard that could prove the difference to winning and losing for our Australian sailors.

Spray and wipe, sandpaper, Vaseline, vinegar and a bit of a window cleaner will all play a part in the campaigns of sailors.

So too will sandpaper with the grade used often a closely guarded secret.

While sailing like the America’s Cup is a technological race, in many Olympic classes sailors rely on the most basic items to ensure they are up to speed at regattas.

Former Sydney 2000 Olympian Michael Blackburn, now the technical director of the Australian sailing team, famously wore plastic washing up gloves from a local supermarket when he was racing international regattas.

Zoe Thomson during a training session in Marseille. Picture: Getty Images

But at the Paris Olympics it is the foilers who are going low tech in their search for speed.

“The foilers are a bit anal in the way they prepare and look after their foils. They don’t want you to just walk by and touch them” he said.

A rogue greasy fingerprint from sunscreen or lunch can disrupt the flow of water which affects speed.

“The oil on the skin breaks the flow. If you have sunscreen on your fingers it’s greasy and water won’t stick to grease,” said former Olympic sailing medallist Darren Bundock and coach of the Nacra 17 class being raced by Brin Liddell from Lake Macquarie and Rhiannan Brown from NSW Central Coast.

“You want water to stick to foils so as not to get ventilated, which is when air comes down the front of the foil. That’s what happens when you sometimes see a fish tail.

Matt Wearn gets onto the water in Marseille. Picture: Getty Images

“You do everything to keep the foil in the water.”

Bundock said simple items found at a supermarket or hardware store are used to ensure there is no interruption to the flow.

“Some people use watered down vinegar or windex window cleaner,” he said.

“It takes off all the grease and dirt and evaporates.”

Bundock said the Nacra class rules allow for wet sanding of foil which makes them more hydrodynamic but are not allowed to modify the shape or surface.

And this is why Liddell and Brown alway have some sandpaper handy.

“A rougher surface lets the water stick to it but a finer surface is faster,” Bundock said.

“It’s a compromise to get the water to stick but also to have less drag.”

“There are lots of theories about it all. Some teams change their grade (of sandpaper) depending on the temperature of the water or whether it’s fresh or salt.

“And there’s debate over whether to sand or polish.”

Vaseline is used in the ILCA 6 and 7 classes being contested by Debutant Zoe Thomson and defending Olympic champion Matt Wearn to help the rudder slide in the tiller box while household items like Jif are used to clean hulls.

Originally published as Vinegar, Vaseline: Household items helping Aussie sailors foil rivals at 2024 Paris Olympic Games