SailGP skipper Tom Slingsby’s sailing sixth sense and how it can win Aussie crew $3m in Abu Dhabi
Tom Slingsby didn’t realise for years others saw different things on the water than him. Now this skill has become his weird but extraordinary superpower and could deliver him a $3m payday.
Olympic gold, three world sailor the year crowns and an America’s Cup title confirm Tom Slingsby’s pedigree is impeccable but what makes him extra special is a strange, almost esoteric, skill few know about or grasp.
Slingsby’s ability to read the wind and waves like no one else, to paint a picture in his mind and anticipate what will happen well ahead - almost a form of high speed clairvoyance on the water - is truly unique.
And this multiple world champion and SailGP skipper of the Flying Roos didn’t even realise he had this nautical sixth sense and extraordinary ability to decipher the elements until his teens when it “almost became a joke at the bar” of his local sailing club at Gosford,.
Slingsby, who honed his skills, on the fickle wind and waters of Lake Macquarie, the Central Coast and Sydney Harbour, has a rare ability to juggle, sieve and sort information at high speed and under immense pressure, turn snippets of info into detailed analysis in a matter of seconds and develop an action plan is legendary.
But it’s his ability to see things others don’t which sets him apart.
When this freak of sailing looks at the water it talks to him, draws a road map in his head, a dot-to-dot pathway to get from A to B the quickest, easiest and least risky way.
He sees where the wind bends ever so slightly, where it will die off just a smidgen, build or lift a tad, where a boat will be able to tack or gibe with the least resistance and maximum efficiency and speed.
Combine this with his extraordinary ability to disseminate information in a split second and to hear a clear voice in a world of clutter and chatter and its translates to sailing greatness.
“When my dad (David) taught me to sail he drew on a whiteboard how the wind hits the water and how it sort of moves over the water,” Slingsby said of his introduction to the theory of sailing.
“He told me, okay, this is how if a boat comes into this, every gust has a lift and a knock, and he sort of explained how wind works.
“I remember just studying that and watching him and then a couple year later, I had some really good results and I went sailing with my dad again.
“Then he said, ‘just explain what you’re seeing on the racetrack Tom, with the wind’.
“I explained that in 10 seconds the wind is going to go left. And then in 30 seconds the wind is going to go right and that’s going to be the best place to tack because there’s pressure. Just explaining what I was seeing.
“I remember he was just looking at me, shaking his head, and he said ‘you know no one else can see that?’
“And, everyone on the boat sort of started laughing and I said, but of course you can. He explained that he knows the theory but no one sees it happening the way I do.
“I was 16.”
Slingsby’s physiology, sporting ability and agility and fitness has also played a part of his extraordinary success.
He has a low heart rate - 41 resting - which helps control his nervous system and allows for faster recovery and to make clearer decisions under pressure
Slingsby, who played tennis at a high level when young and also does mixed martial arts, said he was found to have high testosterone markers when he was sailing at the Olympic Laser - now rebranded the ILCA 7 - he won gold in at the London Olympics along with multiple world championships.
He believes he also has a higher pain threshold and that helped him win in a single-handed class that is notoriously physical.
“I do have a quite a low heart rate when I’m racing and I’ve seen that a few times compared to other people.
“Being agile and fast across the boat is important as well but it’s not as important as the other traits but you need to be fit.
“Physiologically I should be able to make better decisions if I am.
“And if my heart rate’s lower, I’m going to make better decisions I have no doubt about that.’’
This weekend Slingsby will need all his superpowers to earn the biggest payday of his career with his crewmates on the Flying Roos foiling catamaran in the SailGP series finale in Abu Dhabi.
The Australians, who have won the finale three times in the past, must confirm their spot in the three-boat final on Sunday, in lead-up racing on Saturday to have a chance at the prize pot.
The Great Britain team is favourite with 11 race wins and 29 podium finishes this season across the past 11 events.
The New Zealand Black Foils are also favoured with their record of 10 wins and 24 podiums.
The Flying Roos are the third best performing team going into the final two-day regatta with nine race wins and 22 podiums.
This season a record $18.5m has been up for grabs with the finale winners pocketing just over $3m. .
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Originally published as SailGP skipper Tom Slingsby’s sailing sixth sense and how it can win Aussie crew $3m in Abu Dhabi
