Kiwi grinder Stewart Dodson sails with the Swiss SailGP team. He and Olympic sprinter Zoe Hobbs were engaged last year in Switzerland. Photos / SUI SailGP, Instagram
Kiwi grinder Stewart Dodson sails with the Swiss SailGP team. He and Olympic sprinter Zoe Hobbs were engaged last year in Switzerland. Photos / SUI SailGP, Instagram
When Stewart Dodson returned to Auckland as part of the SailGP fleet in Auckland last year, he did so at the start of a new journey.
After winning the SailGP season four championship with Spain – still the only Kiwi to claim the title – Dodson joined Switzerland asa grinder in their power unit.
At the time, it was a case of trading the penthouse for a couch in the lobby as Switzerland finished season four at the foot of the leaderboard.
Now, Dodson returns to Auckland as part of a resurgent Swiss outfit who made a case for being the most improved team in the SailGP fleet in season five, as they finally broke their event podium drought – earning two top-three finishes after having none in their first two seasons since joining the league.
“We were building on everything all season and we felt like we kept improving throughout the year. Everything’s not linear when you’re improving, there’s ups and downs for sure, but we definitely felt like we’re on the right trajectory,” Dodson told the Herald.
“It’s really positive this year that we’ve kept the same group together and so we can keep building on that. A lot of the other teams have had crew changes and stuff; I think we’re one of the two or three other teams that have got the same team, so it’s really positive in that sense.”
Stewart Dodson (right) joined the Switzerland SailGP team as a grinder for season five and is continuing in the role this year. Photo / SUI SailGP
For Dodson, who also races in the Switzerland-based TF35 series and the US-based M32 series, it was a busy year of plying his trade. But he also had significant moments off the water as he and partner, Olympic sprinter Zoe Hobbs, got engaged.
Dodson proposed after the SailGP event on Lake Geneva in Switzerland in late September, where the team finished third.
“I sort of knew roughly the time of year it was going to happen. It all fit in timing-wise. Zoe had finished her season and everything.”
While the pair both compete at the top level in their respective sports, Dodson said they still got plenty of time to spend together as their campaigns overlap in Europe.
“It works quite well. Obviously, over summer I get a bit more time back in New Zealand and Zoe’s building up her training and everything, so we’re both at home together which is nice. Then I start travelling to Europe for events and she goes over as well,” he said.
“So in March we’re going to spend some time together in Europe when she’s training for her world indoors and I’ve got some downtime between events. So it does work well that we get to see each other a lot overseas as well.”
But while preparations for his impending nuptials will undoubtedly go on throughout the year, Dodson was currently focused on helping the Swiss continue their momentum up the SailGP ladder.
Stewart Dodson is the only Kiwi sailor to win the SailGP season title, as part of the champion Spain team in season four. Photo / SUI SailGP
They didn’t make the best start to the season, finishing outside the season points in the first event of the campaign in Perth. That came after a crash with New Zealand’s Black Foils ruled them out early on day one of racing. While they were able to return for day two, they couldn’t make up enough points to finish inside the top 10 and get their season tally off the mark.
In Auckland, however, they get another chance and more time on the water, which Dodson said would be key to their continued development.
“This year it’s quite good in Switzerland, we’ve got quite a few of the SailGP team and we’re all sailing together on the same [TF35] boat in Switzerland this year. Me, Arnaud [Psarofaghis] and Bryan [Mettraux] are all going to be on the same boat and hopefully that can work to our cohesion as a team and sail better together, learn each other more and spend more time together,” Dodson said.
“It’s just time together and really building on the teamwork and trusting each other and everything. Technically, we’re pretty much there, so we just need to keep working on everything else; the communication and teamwork really.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
