The Swarm: Recent Episodes
Marc
The WASZP Class is one of the fastest-growing classes in the world. We speak to sailors who sail in the class and have come through the class and onto bigger things in the professional space. We speak about our partnerships with professional leagues and teams, opportunities for our sailors and major WASZP events worldwide. We keep the stoke high and love connecting the Swarm globally!.
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Get ready for the next chapter of the WeCANFoil program! Launched in 2022 to ignite the growth of foiling in Canada, WeCANFoil is now wrapping up its electrifying third year.
With fresh ownership of the SailGP CAN team, a 2026 event stop on the horizon, and Canada’s debut in the Youth and Women’s America’s Cup, the momentum is unstoppable.
Tune in to discover what’s in store as WeCANFoil gears up for an epic fourth season!
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Alice Senior and Jaz Boote from the Magenta Foiling Team join Martin Evans and Tyler Bjorn.
Alice and Jaz have been WASZP sailors since 2020/21. Joining the class because it was the perfect platform to sail and race while studying at Uni and looking to get back into sailing post Covid. For Jaz the WASZP was her first foray into dinghy sailing after yacht sailing, however, she sailed in a nationals only 3-weeks after buying her WASZP.
Alice has competed in most events globally since getting into her WASZP. She is super committed to the program. She says, "there is nothing else I would rather be doing than sail a WASZP in my spare time". "It's easy, accessible and I just love it!"
Both have since worked their way through the Magenta Program in the mentor program as a mentee originally and now they have come full circle to create the Magenta Foiling Team where they now work. Alice as an Events Lead and Jaz as the head coach. With Women's Foiling Clinics in the UK and beyond becoming super popular with around 40 women put through both clinics so far in the UK during the 2024 season. The Magenta Women's Foiling Clinics are now going global with events in the USA (Los Angeles) and Spain (Barcelona) in the coming weeks
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With the Youth Americas Cup kicking off we speak with young Canadian star Galen Richardson. For anyone wondering what kind of opportunities the WASZP Class presents, this is the discussion you want to listen to.
Galen has come through the 29er, onto the 49er and now campaigns a Nacra 17 on the world circuit with Madeline Gillis. In between all of this Galen has competed in the WASZP Class (SAILOR PROFILE) at a high level across North America. This has helped him gain employment through SailGP Canada and now moving through to the Youth Americas Cup with the Canadian Syndicate Concord Pacific Racing.
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Episode 18 of The Swarm Podcast, we feature two stalwarts of the WASZP UK class, who play equally important but very different roles in the success of the WASZP UK Class. Duncan Hepplewhite has been the UK distributor since 2017 and was instrumental in establishing the class and association in the early days in the UK. While, Sam Whaley has just claimed his third WASZP UK National Championship in 4-years and is the current class president. The success of the WASZP UK Class is there for all to see: 80 boats for the most recent National Championships and an aim of 200+ for the International WASZP Games in Weymouth in 2025!
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Martin Evans and Tyler Bjorn speak to Magnus Overbeck, The International WASZP Champion speaks about his journey to winning in Norway. Magnus is on the cusp of taking his sailing to the professional level and it comes on the back of hard work and dedication. He speaks fondly of how the WASZP allowed him to find his love for the sport again, like many stories, he was on the verge of stopping sailing 12-18 months ago and now he is a WASZP Champion and one of the future stars of the sport!
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Class Manager Martin Evans and WASZP GM Marc Ablett preview the upcoming International WASZP Games in Sandefjord Norway. Hosted on an island in the middle of a spectacular fjord, WASZP Island as it has been named for the next 11 days will create one of the most spectacular scenes in the sport of sailing and foiling.
What content would you like next on the Swarm
Dual Australian WASZP National Champion Jack Ferguson takes us through the exciting new partnership between WASZP, The INSPIRE Sailfoiling Foundation and the Team Australia Challenge for the Youth and Women's Americas Cup in Barcelona.
Jack is one of the brightest young stars in the World of Sailing, he is currently building one of the most impressive resumes in the sport. From winning an Opti Nationals in 2017, to representing Australia at the Youth Worlds, winning multiple WASZP events, including representing Australia at the SailGP INSPIRE Finals and winning the U23 49er World Championships last year. REMEMBER THE NAME!
Jack reflects fondly on his time in the WASZP Class and still reconnects with the class as much as he can. The friendships he has created over 4 years in the class continue to be his strongest. "There is nothing like a WASZP boat park in the world, you leave your ego at the door and just enjoy yourself, it doesn't matter who you are or where you have come from, the ethos of the class is such that there is always someone to talk to and everyone is so approachable" explains Jack.
Jack is currently vying for the starting helm position for the Youth Americas Cup Team, a key instigator in getting the partnership finalised, Jack and his teammates have been ripping up Sydney Harbour on the WASZP keeping sharp and building their skillsets ahead of AC37.
Links:
WASZP - www.waszp.com
Team Australia Challenge - https://www.teamaustraliachallenge.org/
INSPIRE Sailfoiling Foundation - https://www.inspire-sf.com/
One of the best discussions we have had on The Swarm! Foiling Week founder Luca Rizzotti joins us to discuss the unprecedented success of the WASZP Class at foiling week, selling out the entry quota in an hour.
We also look back over the history of Foiling Week, the big moments and how WASZP and Foiling Week have been able to collaborate to create a successful staple on the annual events calendar.
We look at the NEW Foiling Week event scheduled for Pensacola USA in 2025 and discuss with Luca what the new AC40 circuit is going to look like in 2025, listen to this one because it is great news for WASZP Sailors and the pathway!
Jordan is the man behind the lens at all of our major events at WASZP. General Manager Marc Ablett joins Jordan to discuss what we try and achieve through our coverage.
It is all about the sailor and giving them the ultimate experience. When you buy into the WASZP Class, you are buying more than a boat; you are buying into a community, buying into a lifestyle, and we try to capture every moment for the sailor along their journey.
Jordo has become more than just a videographer. He is a friend to many in the fleet, and he will go above and beyond to tell the story. We love the fact that we can build our sailors' profiles and follow their journeys along the way.
He gets it. This PODCAST is well worth a listen.
A fantastic pre-season update from Class Manager Martin Evans and North American Regional Manager Tyler Bjorn.
We re-cap the recent Americas Championships in Hawaii with interviews with:
- Bryce Huntoon
- Pearl Lattanzi
- Magnus Overbeck
Plus we re-cap the 1st leg of the EuroCup in Imperia and preview a massive season in 2024!
We head to Norway, the home of what will be the biggest WASZP event on record with 180 competitors signed up. We speak to Thomas Nilsson who has been part of the WASZP family since 2018. It is amazing how far the class has come and it is due to the work on the ground locally by people like Thomas that have seen the class thrive.
Well what a week it has been for The Swarm, record numbers at events, Youth & Womens @Americas Cup selections, you hear it all here on THE SWARM!
This week Martin & Tyler catch up with Hattie Rogers to discuss her selection, her journey and the future!
Global Class Manager Martin Evans and North American New Business Development Manager Tyler Bjorn discuss all things WASZP as we head into the Christmas break.
The guys take a look at the International WASZP Games in Sorrento, as well as a few new initiatives to round out the year. We look ahead to an exciting 2024, from an event perspective and analyse the hottest young talent to come out of WASZP and head to the Youth/Womens Americas Cup and SailGP.
It is a bumper edition, Merry Christmas everyone in the Swarm!
We speak to the new European Champion Markus Berthet of Norway and re-cap his stunning final day at the WASZP European Games in Quiberon. Markus takes us through his impressive journey to the top of the WASZP Class. He also speaks of the importance of family and the support he has received from Foiling Norway. Lastly, he touches on what makes the WASZP class a very special place to be and he can't wait to come down-under and compete in the 2023 International WASZP Games in Sorrento.
We take a deep breathe and look back on an insane European Games in Quiberon with Class Manager Martin Evans! Plus we look forward to the next events that will be seriously big in 23/24!
If you are a sailor in North America, this episode is a must-listen. So much is happening in North America, and future markets are about to explode onto the scene. We catch up with the new distribution and class development team of Trevor Parekh and Tyler Bjorn to discuss, their backgrounds and their passion for the WASZP and turning North America into a foiling powerhouse.
We explore how the business is being set up to service all corners of North America, with unprecedented access to spare parts and new boats. While we speak to Tyler about class development, new events coming in 2023 and beyond as well as new partnership opportunities to help continue the growth of the sport in North America using the WASZP as the vehicle.
It is an exciting time to be a WASZP sailor, not just in North America but globally. With 145 entries currently for the European Games, strong entries for the Americas Championships and many internationals joining us in Australia at the end of the year for the WASZP Games it is the place to be.
Not to mention the WASZP Alumni that are achieving unbelievable things on the world stage in the professional space of SailGP, Americas Cup and other high-profile classes.
If you are a club, team, organisation or individual in North America, contact us today by hitting the button below.
The swarm is coming and nothing can stand in it's way!
Gavin Ball from Hawaii has one hell of a story of how he got into sailing, from an encounter with a shark at 8yrs old, to winning SailGP Inspire and now onto an F50 and Youth Americas Cup trials with America Magic, it has been an amazing journey.
The dynamic father and son combination taking Australian WASZP Sailing by storm. Jervis is the current President of the Australian WASZP Association and very proud Super-Master. At the same time, Louis is a young up-and-coming star who has come along in leaps and bounds in the last 12 months.
We touch on some important topics:
- The Australian Fleet
- How to get over the hump in a WASZP
- SailGP INSPIRE - Format & experience
- Global Event Circuit - The culture of the class
- The Future
In part 2 of our chat with NZ WASZP Stars Sam and Elise, we look towards the future. This includes, the Youth Americas Cup an Olympic campaign, 18ft skiffs and some more WASZP action for Sam.
While Elise talks about her role with Emirates Team New Zealand and the development of the AC40 as well as what it means for women in the sport moving forward.
In Episode 3 of "The Swarm" we speak with our Male and Female International WASZP Games Champions. Sam Street and Elise Beavis from New Zealand take us through what it means to win the championship. We also touch on their junior sailing and their love of the community within the WASZP Class.
Elise is a Performance engineer with Emirates Team New Zealand and has won 2x America's Cups as well as winning the Female sailor of the year at the Yachting New Zealand Awards.
Sam has been to a youth worlds in 2017 in the 420, has a great record in Match Racing and has a fantastic record in the WASZP Class including a Performance Award at the Yachting New Zealand Awards.
Episode 2 of "The Swarm" podcast is out now. This week's special guest is current world number 1 Ross Banham.
Ross's story is a fantastic one for any young sailor who is wondering "whats next" in their sailing journey. An accomplished youth sailor, Ross's story is similar to many, after exiting youth sailing and taking a year off, he would potentially be lost to the sport. But he jumped on a WASZP and the rest is history.
Ross takes us through his journey to reach world number 1 and how he plans to attack a packed event schedule next season with the Europeans in France and WASZP Games in Australia both on his radar. Ross also speaks about the opportunities that have been presented to him on the back of his WASZP performances and what the future hold in the professional space within the sport.
A must-listen for all sailors who want some inspiration for their next session on the water!
All the news from around the world of WASZP. Event entries are open for the 2023 European Games in Quiberon, the NZ Nationals are go in December and why did it take Martin 26 hours to get home from the WASZP UK end-of-season party?
Keep up to date with our regular news slots on THE SWARM.
Global Class Manager Martin Evans and WASZP General Manager Marc Ablett take you through everything that is happening in the WASZP world right now.
We cover past events and look to the future with the up-coming calendar, as well as contact updates on our major partnerships with SailGP and other teams/programmes around the globe.
We take you on the inside journey of WASZP. How and why the boat/class has been created. Class designer and company director Andrew McDougall walks us through why he chose to create not just a foiling product, but a brand, culture and lifestyle to engage the masses.
Plus what is on the horizon for both Amac and the class.
Hosts:
Marc Ablett
Martin Evans
We welcome the entire sailing community on the WASZP journey. We speak to a wide demographic of sailors who have had contact with the WASZP during their own journey.
Hosts - Marc Ablett and Martin Evans