SailGP has decided to end the mystery of how its perfect racecourse lines are created by revealing the identity of the league’s official racecourse painter, Otto Maddison.
A SailGP icon and an artist at heart, Otto travels around the world with SailGP and paints each individual racecourse onto the water using his custom-made water soluble paint.
Reflecting on his role, Otto said: “My lines guide the sailors, but truth be told it’s the sea that guides us all. I’m just here to help them find their way.”
Otto paints the racecourse from a league RIB, contending with the unstable conditions of the sea.
He admits the role is ‘hard work’, but emphasized his love of the job. “It’s very satisfying getting to paint out the course and watch those F50s fly around it. It really makes me proud. What I do isn’t permanent, that’s the beauty of it. I get to come back and do it all again next time.”
