• Full roster of work experience placements set for Inspire Careers during the global league’s sixth event of Season 2
  • Spanish youth show keen interest for Inspire Racing program taking place during the Spain Sail Grand Prix on October 9-10

Cádiz-Andalusía, SPAIN - October 1, 2021 - True to its rich maritime culture, sailing clubs and young people across southern Spain have shown a deep interest in what SailGP’s Inspire programs have to offer. Applications for both the Inspire Careers and Racing programs hit an all time high as the global league enters into Season 2’s sixth event in Cádiz-Andalusía on October 9-10.

Already making significant progress, SailGP’s Inspire program aims to impact 10,000 youth by 2025 – opening career and racing pathways for both young males and females. Its community outreach initiatives have been instrumental with increasing accessibility to the sport, as the global league races for a better future.

The overwhelming interest by young people and sailing clubs across Spain does not come as a surprise. Familiar to youth sailing programs, the Spain SailGP Team – one of the youngest in the SailGP fleet – was formed from a similar story of development and opportunity.

Inspire Careers candidates
For many young people, gaining valuable work experience through the Inspire Careers program will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The hands-on nature of the roles supporting SailGP teams and events cover a variety of areas from those of a technical nature, to content creation, and sustainable event management.

The following 11 individuals will be joining the Inspire Careers pathway in Cádiz: Teresa Chillarón Carmona - Systems, Benito García Toscano - Race Management, Israel Martínez - On-water Operations, Antonio Ros Pujante - Hospitality, Benjamin Furquan - Sustainability, Maria José Cardoso and José Manuel Ruiz Ibáñez - Wing Department, Victoria Bautista Pérez - Photography, Octavio Beltrán Vázquez - On-board Communications, Andrea Onorato - Videography, and Luis Aroca - Boatbuilding.

The individuals aged 18 - 23 years will join SailGP from October 5-10, working with some of the most experienced professionals in the heart of the action and gaining real world experience with the aim of inspiring them into careers in the marine and engineering industries.

Inspire Racing candidates
Venturing out onto the Bay of Cádiz from October 9-10 will be 32 young sailors – male and female ages 12-21 years – displaying their skills on the F50 racecourse lined with adrenaline-seeking crowds.

Thrilled to be a part of Inspire’s Racing program, eight participating sailing clubs from Cádiz each nominated two young individuals to race in the RS Feva class. The combination of having a passion for the sport along with sailing abilities has propelled the successful candidates into the spotlight for the Spain Sail Grand Prix.

RS Sailing CEO Jon Partridge said: "Cádiz is one of the top sailing destinations in the world. RS Sailing is really looking forward to supporting the Inspire Racing program and involving the young sailors nominated by eight of the local clubs. Clubs are the backbone of any sailing community and it's important that we are able to help support their integration into world class events such as the Spain Sail Grand Prix. These young sailors will create lifelong memories next week, meeting sailing champions, current Olympic medalists, and sharing their home waters with the F50s!”

Sailing in the RS Feva class will be: Arturo Arauz García and Marta Álvarez-Dardet García de Veas for Club Náutico Puerto Sherry; Baltasar Díaz Díaz and Elsa Gómez Kennedy for Club Náutico Trocadero; Guillermo Téllez Valero and Adriana Carolina Lara Léon for Real Club Náutico de Cádiz; Jaime Aguirregomezcorta Clavain and Marta Sanchez Franco for Centro Náutico Elcano; Jose Antonio Ruiz Soto and Paloma Flethes Anaya for Real Club Náutico de El Puerto de Santa María; Gonzalo Luis Cano Lopez and Jimena Fatima Monzón Dominguez for Club Náutico Sancti Petri; Alejandro Vidal Rodríguez and Lidia Hernández Romero for CAND Chipiona; and for Escuela de vela Theresa Zabell is Máximo Vilas Quinero and Angela Adorna Maese.

After receiving the largest number of Inspire Racing applicantions to-date, 16 WASZP sailors hailing from Spain were chosen to take part during the Spain Sail Grand Prix. The Inspire Racing candidates include: Pablo Ruiz, Quique Urios Salinas, Paula van Wieringen Massanet, Javier Segui, Ricard Castellví Melià, Andrea Perello Mora, Pedro Ameneiro Amezaga, Marina Garau Bosch, Jaime Framis Harguindey, Dani Cabré Burniol, Martin Wizner, Núria Costa Estiarte, Neus Ballester, Emma Cabre, María Perelló Mora, and Elena Barrio García.

WASZP head of product and global sales and marketing Marc Ablett said: “The Inspire Racing program is such an exciting development for sailing. For many of the best young sailors under the age of 21, racing on a one design foiling platform truly starts the journey into professional life. With Inspire removing barriers for more youth to access sailing, and having both males and females competing with each other on a level playing field, it is truly the future of the sport. We are extremely excited to be surrounded by so much talent and we hope this can help drive the sport forward in Spain!”

Cádiz-Andalusia will host the Spain Sail Grand Prix for the first time on October 9-10. Details of the action-packed event, including ticket sales can be found at SailGP.com/Spain.