(BIRDS SQUAWK)
ANGELA COX: Whether I want to or not,
I'm about to go where no woman has gone before.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
Whoa!
On the fastest racing yacht ever built.
They're called F50s.
MAN: How about that?!
(OVERLAPPING VOICES)
Forget everything you've thought about sailing.
These boats fly,
and we're about to hit the equivalent of light speed.
Right now, we are flying over the water,
clocking almost 100km/h, and it's epic!
TOM SLINGSBY: This racing is... It's extreme.
If we push too hard, we break the boat.
If we don't push hard enough, we're not gonna win.
(MEN SHOUT INDISTINCTLY)
There's a lot of G-Forces.
When you hit the water at those speeds, it's like cement.
NATHAN OUTTERIDGE: Every time you plunge the hull into the water,
it's like getting a fire hose in your face
while you're trying to ride a motorbike.
So, is it crazy fun, or crazy scary?
I think it's crazy fun.
How I came to be in this crazy place,
and about to accidentally make history,
is thanks to some very good luck,
mixed with some very bad.
Holy... Holy...
Holy hell!
But let's begin in far calmer waters,...
..back in Sydney, with a story of two mates.
The first - Australia's skipper, Tom Slingsby.
Tom is a familiar face.
PA: Gold medallist, representing Australia,
Tom Slingsby! (CHEERING)
He won Australia's first gold medal at the London Olympics.
I think I broke the drought for Australia,
and the floodgates opened,
and we started getting more medals.
But that much attention on myself, and on sailing,
was a bit of a shock to the system.
Days after Tom's win,
Nathan Outteridge also collected Olympic gold.
Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen!
(CHEERING)
The pair met as six-year-olds
at junior sailing meets
and have been locked in a game of one-upmanship ever since.
It is really cool. You know,
everyone talks about the rivalry
between myself and Tom Slingsby, and...
We've known each other for about 25 years,
and we've done a lot of sailing against each other,
and every now and then we get on the same boat and sail together,
which is really cool, but...
..most of our sailing, at least for the last ten years,
has been in direct competition.
So, do you prefer sailing with him or against him?
I enjoy sailing against him,
'cause I think, if you wanna be the best in the world,
you've gotta sail against the best in the world.
And, you know, I rate Tom as one of the best in the world.
I'd call it a very fun, healthy rivalry between the two of us.
COMMENTATOR: They are going for it.
At war on the water,
but, on dry land, they became best of mates.
Found a supporter of yours.
Oh! Hey, buddy!
Tom even acting as a groomsman at Nathan's wedding.
Nathan, I know that we've had a lot of good times over the years,
but today you've set a new peak that you'll never beat.
To Nath and Emma.
But don't get too warm and fuzzy.
When it comes to racing, the gloves come off.
When you're working out, and you're sparring,
and you're hitting those bags,
is Nathan's face there? (CHUCKLES)
We do have a serious rivalry on the water.
It's healthy, and it's the way it should be.
And that healthy rivalry has now gone to a whole new level
on these magnificent flying machines.
These mates are in a cage fight
on water to be number-one
in a new international racing circuit
that's faster and more extreme than you've ever seen.
It's not like your keelboat, where you can sit there
and have a gin and tonic. You've got body armour,
you've got life jackets, you've got oxygen tanks,
you have knives on you,
you have safety harnesses so you're clipped on.
Twin-hulled yachts like this were originally developed
for the America's Cup.
They're powered by giant, wing-like sails.
Underneath are foils that lift everything out of the water
and into thin air.
It's essentially like an aeroplane wing.
Once we build enough speed,
the boat comes out of the water,
like an aeroplane takes off.
What's the fastest you've clocked on one of these boats?
The goal for us has always been 50 knots,
and we've done 49.8 and anything under that -
every speed under 49.8.
And unfortunately we haven't cracked that 50 knots in this boat yet.
That's the golden target, is it?
Yeah. (CHUCKLES)
But speed also equals danger.
In 2013, British crewman Andrew "Bart" Simpson drowned
when an early version of the yacht capsized
during an America's Cup training session.
Nathan was driving the boat.
The boat went through this manoeuvre,
and it started to break.
And unfortunately for Bart,
like, he just ended up getting thrown in the wrong position
and got squashed in there and ended up drowning.
So it was...
I don't like thinking about it,
you know, going back, but, when I do, I...
I remember, you know, having multiple chats with Tom
about, you know, "Is it really worth it?" Like,...
.."Do we really wanna sail this much, you know, to risk that?"
And he said, "We should leave this sport. It's too dangerous.
And, "Let's just get out now, while we're still alive and safe."
And then time went on, and we, sort of, spoke about it more,
and we realised that the reason we love this sport
is 'cause it's like this.
And if something does go wrong,
it goes wrong, and we... That's the job we sign up for.
(CHUCKLES) He's, like, "What the hell is going on?"
But for Nathan Outteridge,
there's now something else to consider.
He's just become a new dad.
You like cameras, don't you?
He's obsessed with cameras.
Has it changed how you feel
about taking those steps out in that boat?
When you have a little one that's depending on you
and wants to have a dad for a long time, you...
..you attack situations differently.
The latest stop for the fleet of F50 yachts
is the UK port of Cowes, on the Isle of Wight.
It's the second-last race of the series,
and on centre stage, again,
is the rivalry between the two Aussie skippers.
The Australians, led by Tom, are in second place,
behind Team Japan, skippered by Nathan.
I know that Tom wants to turn it around,
but I feel like they're sailing very close to their potential,
whereas I still think we have room for improvement.
Fighting words for Tom.
They are fighting words.
(CHUCKLES)
I'm gonna try to prove that I'm better than he is,
and he'll try to prove he's better than I am.
That's what makes it exciting.
(BIRDS SQUAWK)
On the Isle of Wight,
off the coast of England,...
..a meeting of the very old and the new.
The historic seaside town of Cowes
is host to the world's most futuristic of fast boats.
They're here for the second-last race
of the SailGP World Series.
On top of the ladder are two Aussie arch-rivals -
Nathan Outteridge, who races for Japan,
and Tom Slingsby, leading the Australian team.
But it's clear, as training begins,
the Aussies are setting the pace.
They break the elusive 50-knot speed barrier.
Remember, that's 100km/h.
But...
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
(BEEPING) ..they also break their boat,
ripping the all-important wing
at the worst possible time.
How hard is it gonna be to fix it in time?
Are you guys gonna be working through the night to get it done?
Yeah, our shore team will be working through the night, for sure.
I was going sailing with Tom,
but now it's not even certain
he'll have the boat ready to race.
So Tom's nemesis, Nathan,
has jumped into the void
and offered me a ride on the Japanese boat.
But safety first -
I need a wardrobe change.
I should show you this.
I've got my air;
thing to cut through the netting;
big knife...
CAMERAMAN: Whoa.
I'm like Bear Grylls of the water, man.
(ROCK MUSIC)
With Nathan at the helm
and a strong breeze behind us,
we're underway.
Right now, we're going about 25 knots -
feeling pretty smooth.
But the boys are about to do another manoeuvre,
and then it gets a little crazy.
Whoa!
(FOILS WHISTLE)
You can hear that whistling.
That whistling is being up on the foils.
It's quite a cool experience. Holy...
Holy...
Holy hell!
That was pretty close.
Scary for me, but for these pros,
it's all in a day's practice.
NATHAN OUTTERIDGE: I get a lot of enjoyment out of it,
but I'm never at the moment where I feel like,
"This is terrifying."
'Cause if you think it's terrifying,
that's when you are gonna crash.
That's when you are in the most danger?
It's when you make the mistakes, too, yeah.
After working around the clock,
the Australian team has fixed its broken wing.
And with no time to spare, it's ready to race.
But the moment Tom learns I've been for a sail with his arch-rival,
his competitive spirit kicks in.
He invites me on to the Australian yacht for a quick spin
on the way out to the start line.
So, your speed is the top right -
39, 38...
That's 39 knots?
Yeah.
And when I say "quick",
it's blinding.
(BOAT CREAKS)
Tom wants to break the 50-knot barrier again,
with me on board,
and has one eye on the ocean
and the other on his speedo.
50! Oh, he did it!
OK, rolling up again here slowly.
We just clocked 50 knots.
That's about 100km/h.
Oh!
There you go. That was fun! (LAUGHS)
We've got one more ride to go. We did 50, though, right?
Did 50, yeah. Ah!
One milestone conquered.
MALE COMMENTATOR: Racing. I can't believe they are.
Australia nail the start in the middle.
Next, it's the serious business of racing,...
Have a go at the speed - 43 knots, these guys are doing.
..and the Australians are in front early.
FEMALE COMMENTATOR: The Aussies just extending here.
These howling winds are like a wrecking ball
on the highly tuned yachts.
The sea state here, it is so big.
Oh, the USA are in!
It's the most extreme conditions they've ever raced in.
Man and machine are being pushed to the limit
and beyond.
Looks like they're gone. No, the tip of the wing is in the water.
Japan's hopes of holding off Australia are dashed
when a grinder is literally ripped out of the deck of the boat.
Oh, we've got a broken pedestal here on Japan.
No crossing.
NATHAN: What issues haven't we been having?
The Americans capsized, and the Chinese almost went as well,
and we watched the Aussies just sail off into the distance.
Then we gybed, and then we broke the boat,
and so then it was just a battle for the whole day for us.
With his arch-rival crippled,
Tom and the Aussies soar to victory and into the competition lead.
Team Australia, there it is -
three from three.
Awesome job.
TOM: We knew there was big crashes going on, capsizes,
but we just had to concentrate on ourselves
and make sure we did the job.
We hit 50 knots. I'm telling everyone
I'm probably the only woman in the world who's ever done that.
Do you reckon that's right? I'd say that's probably right, yeah.
PA: Tom Slingsby!
With just one more stop on the world tour left to go,
Team Australia's hard-earned win
puts them firmly in the lead.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Cowes SailGP winners!
For Tom, the victory tastes sweet.
For Nathan, the result is a little harder to swallow.
Hey, well done, mate.
Cheers, mate. Thank you.
Good job. Cheers. Cheers.
But with a beer and a laugh,
these rivals prove once again
their friendship means more than any win.
Which is the better sailor?
The event's not over yet.
(CHUCKLES)
No, the World Series is still going.
Look, luck goes either way.
Sometimes it's against us,
sometimes it's against him.
But, obviously, today, Tom is the better sailor.
Oh, look, it wasn't a fair fight today, but we'll take it anyway.
(CHUCKLES)
Well, cheers to that. If I had a beer, I'd toast you two.
But good on you, boys. Cheers. Thank you.
Cheers, Tom.