Shirley Robertson
In this edition of Shirley Robertson’s Sailing Podcast, the double Olympic gold medalist sits down with US sailing legend Ed Baird.
A World Sailor of the Year award winner, Baird also holds a coveted spot in the America’s Cup Hall of Fame, he’s a multiple World Champion, and is a regular across multiple Grand Prix Sailing leagues, from the 52 Super Series to the Maxi circuit.
Robertson and Baird regularly sailed against each other back in days of the Extreme Sailing Series, but their chat was a little less competitive as Baird dropped by while in Cowes training for this summer’s Admirals Cup.
The pair begin their two part chat with a discussion on Baird’s early career, and how at just 22, he won the ultra competitive Laser Worlds in Kingston, Ontario, a regatta boasting the largest World Championship fleet the class has ever had:
“When you look back at the scoresheet from that race and you see the world class pros that we know today finishing 73rd or 57th, you just think ‘wow I didn’t even know that guy then and look what he’s done in the sport’ so it really makes me feel lucky to have had the chance to do that.”
From a hard won Laser World Championships, Baird and Robertson discuss his fight to make a name for himself on the star studded Match Racing scene, but also touch on his multiple and ultimately unsuccessful campaigns to sail for Team USA at the Olympic Games. There’s also some real nuggets of information from the 3-time Match Racing World Champion on his approach to the sport before the duo discuss Baird’s entry into the world of the America’s Cup:
“I was walking down (Cowes) high street and walked around the corner and literally bumped into Russell Coutts and he said ‘How’s it going with the Australians’ and I said ‘Oh, well, it’s not’ and he said ‘You should come work for us’….so next thing you know I’m working for Team New Zealand” and within weeks Baird was in San Diego coaching the ultimate winners of the 1995 America’s Cup.
Ed Baird
From there the duo discuss Baird’s involvement in over a decade of Cup sailing, including the famous instance helming “Young America” in Auckland that saw the Challenger’s yacht break in half in heavy seas:
“You could see the waves coming and we hopped up out of the water and smashed down on the next wave and the boat broke in half!”
Baird continued his involvement in the Cup and ultimately ended up in Valencia with Swiss Defender Alinghi for the 2007 edition, initially, again, under helm Russell Coutts, but soon that was all to change:
“The team…was missing Russell and they expected him to come back, and they spent a year this way, expecting that he’ll come back with us…but he didn’t….so I went to talk to Brad and the team and they asked me to come and work with them.”
Baird ended up steering the boat, and went on to helm a Cup victory as Alinghi successfully defended in Valencia.
Throughout this two part podcast, Baird and Robertson touch on a wide range of topics, from Olympic Sailing to nationality rules, and a whole host in between, as they wind their way down the fascinating road that is Ed Baird’s long and distinguished career as a pro sailor.
Part One:
Part Two:
Shirley Robertson OBE made history by becoming the first British woman to win Olympic Gold Medals at two consecutive Olympic Games. Shirley Robertson’s Sailing Podcast, produced and edited by Tim Butt of Vertigo Films, is available to listen on her website or via most popular podcast outlets, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcast, and aCast.
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