Australia driver Tom Slingsby revealed he’s fighting off job offers to multiple members of his team ‘every day’.
Speaking on SailGP’s Deep Dive podcast, Slingsby said he’s striving to ‘keep the team together’ ahead of Season 4 kicking off in Chicago.
The increased interest in Slingsby’s tried and tested crew members, including flight controller Jason Waterhouse, wing trimmer Kyle Langford and grinder Kinley Fowler, comes after the Aussies’ Season 3 triumph in San Francisco - their third consecutive championship win.
As a result, Slingsby said he was set on ‘putting exactly the same team on the water next season’. But offers from rival teams have been pouring in. Slingsby admitted if he ‘was in the same position’, he’d ‘be doing the same thing’.
“I get it,” he admitted, “some of these teams have had a tough season and they need to mix things up and what can they do? They want to sign a big name from another team and poach our team.”
“I would be going after Kyle, Jason and Kinley,” he said, “and with the nationality rule, they can use up their one international sailor by doing that.”
Slingsby revealed he’s been ‘battling’ to keep his team ‘every day’ since Season 3 ended in San Francisco.
“I want to keep the good vibes and atmosphere and the talent of people that I know,” he said.
Season 4 kicks off with the Rolex United States Sail Grand Prix | Chicago at Navy Pier on June 16.
