Discover the journey of transitioning from a young, seasoned Optimist sailor to a champion 49er racer and onto becoming a member of the prestigious America’s Cup Youth Team. Read Zig Sailing Insider’s captivating story of Ian MacDiarmid’s rise from a Opti sailor to America’s Cup Youth Team trimmer.
Article by Ty Christopher Olsen, September 15, 2024
Photo Credit: American Magic
Ian MacDiarmid - Youth America's Cup
TCO: Ian, let’s start off with having you give us a brief background of your sailing career.
IM: Sure, I consider myself born and raised in South Florida, but I was actually born in La, Jolla, CA, and moved to South Florida when I was 3 years old. I did most of my youth sailing and training in West Palm Beach or Miami, depending on what the training group was doing.
As far as my sailing beginnings, I had the best Christmas ever when I got my first Opti in 2001, when I was the ripe old age of 3. I have vivid memories of the first few sailing sessions, my dad was sitting in the front of the boat, and me driving in the back with a big smile. Apparently, so I have been told, after the third or fourth session with my dad, I went up and said, “Hey, I really appreciate you trying to help me, but you are kind of big and slow, so if you don’t mind, I want to go about this alone.” It is a little weird looking back at it, being at such a young age. I had no fear and I wanted to do it alone. I have obviously sometimes been worried or stressed on the water over the years since, but I have always had this underlying need to do something on my own, to figure it out by just doing it.
We would head up Maine during the summers, where my dad ran a sailing program. It’s not that I didn’t want to get in the boat and sail – I did – but initially I rode around with the coaches and watched. I studied what each boat was doing, paying attention to how the sailors used different techniques, and absorbing everything the coaches said. Part of this was driven by my curiosity, but mostly, it was because I was too young to join the Junior Sailing Program! My dad skirted the line a little bit and at least got me out on the water to see what was happening. I would jump at any excuse to be out there—sailing was always on my mind. I probably asked more questions than anyone had patience for! And I was obsessed with watching America’s Cup stuff, even if I didn’t completely understand what was going on. Sailing has definitely been the main focus in my life from the get-go.
I started racing competitively when I was seven. My first 2 regattas were up in Maine, then I moved quickly into the Florida circuit. I won my first regatta at the Orange Bowl in Green Fleet. That was super fun. It was my first true taste of competition and from there, things took off. I sailed Optimists until I was 13. During that time, I competed in two Optimist European Championships and was consistently in the top 5 or 10 sailors in US events. I never quite made it to Worlds, but I was always just right there!
After sizing out of the Opti, I transitioned to the 29er class. It took me about 1 ½ years to get fully dialed in to that boat. There was a big push by the US Olympic Development Program (ODP) to get our squad competitive at the Worlds level. The Worlds were held in Wales that year. Nic Muller and I sailed together, finishing 10th overall. It was super cool to be a part of that team! Nic and I won the North American Red Bull Foiling Generation a few years later together which definitely helped when I got to the 40. Then at 17, I made the transition to the big skiff, became a US Sailing Team Athlete. I’ve been stoked sailing the 49er ever since. I still get such a high when I think back to the Worlds in the Hague last year when we earned a Top 5 and qualified the USA team for a spot at the Olympic Games! That is enough to keep me going for a bit.
I’ve been really lucky to always have great coaches, great training partners and a super structured group along with fantastic sailing opportunities while I was growing up and advancing my career.
TCO: At 5 or 6 years old, would you say that your life was already gravitating toward sailing?
IM: Yeah, for sure! Seriously, as a kid, I’d be at dinner parties with my parents wanting to talk about sailing with anyone who was a sailor. People would often comment on my passion and drive, amazed at how deeply committed I was to the sport at such a young age. It just seemed so inherent and natural to me. I know it sounds corny, but I really do love everything about sailing!
TCO: Tell us about the America’s Cup Youth Team. How did you get selected to join the team?
IM: It is definitely an interesting process to say the least. It started with a huge open roll call to all interested sailors in the United States from the ages of 17 to 25 years old. They had tryouts in various places, and everyone sailed what is called a 69F. This is a 3-person, foiling, I want to say dinghy, but it does have a keel – no winches, no hydraulics. They did camps in places like Newport, Pensacola, Miami, etc. Again, they made a broad sweep to make sure that everyone who was interested had a chance to try out. It was super cool that so many people had the opportunity to have a stab at a position. The process then moved into a string of regattas in the winter that started about 2 years ago in the 69F circuit against international groups.
I was very fortunate to make the team, even though I was not able to make many of the events. With my full time international 49er sailing schedule and the 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers – I was home less than 3 weeks in 2023 – I could rarely make dates work out that didn’t interfere with events that I already was committed to. With everything going on in my own Olympic campaign and thinking I might be too old to qualify for the team anyway, I gradually began to distance myself from the idea of making the team. Just about that time, I received a call from American Magic youth coach Phil Muller telling me that I did make the age cut by a mere 3 months, and he encouraged me to push for it. So, long story short, I did not go through the traditional tryouts and attend each training camp.
The turning point for me came when I had the opportunity to sail the 69F in Miami with Steph Roble, which was incredible. Sailing the boat with someone who truly understood me was amazing. Steph is such a talented sailor, but that was the first time we’d ever sailed together. The final step to making the team involved a series of simulator camps here in Barcelona. It was something I could fit in between regattas, and I had the opportunity to fly in to participate in sessions at the Barcelona base.
After spending your whole life learning how lines feel under tension and how to maneuver a boat by instinct, suddenly you have to relearn everything.
TCO: What are the simulators like?
IM: Simulators play a crucial role in learning how to operate the boats, as the boats are primarily controlled through a series of buttons, switches, and toggles. For anyone new to it, the experience can be quite overwhelming and disorienting. After spending your whole life learning how lines feel under tension and how to maneuver a boat by instinct, suddenly you have to relearn everything. I went from adjusting lines and trimming sails by hand on the wire of a 49er to sitting in a carbon fiber bucket seat, facing a monitor with a panel of buttons and switches. It’s completely different in every way. Some teams will only get to sail the actual AC40 three or four times before the Cup, but thanks to the time spent on the simulator, they’ll likely be far better prepared. The simulator has become a crucial part of the training process
TCO: Is it safe to say that the America’s Cup Youth Team is set up to transition onto the America’s Cup Team?
IM: Yes and no. There’s no shortcut “pathway” to join the team because you still have to earn it but comparing past Youth Cup teams to the current one shows a significant improvement. For instance, being contracted with America Magic as an athlete is a major milestone for me. From what I have heard in the past, the Cup teams would often leave youth teams to manage on our own. However, this time around, American Magic’s top people – Terry Hutchinson, Tyson Lamond, COO and several others – have been actively
Photo Credit: American Magic
involved in our process, whether through phone calls or email when I wasn’t on base to being right with us on the water and for planning. They’ve provided support when needed, but also allowed us to take the reins where possible. Overall, this has truly been a true American Magic Youth Team effort.
But to say all 7 of us will be on the roster for the next Cup team, who knows. At this point, there has not been a whole lot of discussion about that. American Magic has made it clear that they value us and that think we are pretty interesting prospects. All being said, it is not an official junior varsity team, but there is certainly a pathway and more of a connection for this year’s youth team than there has been in the past. We are extremely lucky to even be on base this close to the Cup.
TCO: What is your role on the America’s Cup Youth Team?
IM: I am a trimmer, and depending on how the week is organized, I also step into the position of recon coach. Much of being a recon coach is getting out on the water and taking pictures of other boats – how they are foiling, trimming, etc. It’s not just about snapping thousands of photos and finding a few good ones. What truly matters is capturing effective shots that can be reviewed in debriefs to reveal the story behind why and how certain techniques are faster. This process has been a super educational experience for me and a valuable opportunity for me to better evaluate and refine my techniques.
At the base, one of the biggest things for me is being in the sail loft. That has been absolutely insane to see these Cup sailmakers do their jobs. I thought I worked hard, but these guys are nuts and seem to be consistently going non-stop.
TCO: With your extensive experience with the 29er and 49er, how do they compare to sailing the AC 40? Do they sail with any similarities?
IM: Surprisingly, the AC 40 has many similarities to sailing the 29er and 49er. I think that if we [the team] had more time to consistently sail the AC 40, I mean like a straight 6 months, by the end of that time we would be sailing the AC 40 exactly like the 49er. The biggest difference I’ve noticed is speed.
While skiffs are already incredibly fast—where you might be in 10th place planing upwind and quickly move to 2nd with a good puff—the AC 40 takes this to a whole new level. It has the same potential as skiffs but amplified a thousandfold. The speed differential is astounding the way it impacts tactical opportunities; this is really skiff-style sailing at its absolute pinnacle.
On the AC 40, you must always keep the boat battery life in mind. These boats only have a battery life of about 2 hours, depending on winds, sea state, etc.
The one major different component between a 49er and the AC 40 is the battery. To start with the 49er does not have a battery! On the AC 40, you must always keep the boat battery life in mind, which is something I haven’t dealt with before. These boats only have a battery life of about 2 hours, depending on winds, sea state, etc. This becomes a significant issue during practice or while running tacks—just as you’re getting the hang of things, you run out of power. It can be quite frustrating when you have to stop and regroup.
Another challenge that we face in these type boats is boundary racing. In the America’s Cup, you have 2 boats match racing at 40kts within a boundary. In the Youth America’s Cup on the AC40s you now have 6 boats all racing within boundary lines. Imagine this: you have 6 boats on your hip in close quarters with the driver on the leeward side unable to see anything, and the offside driver is going to be tacking into a situation that he hasn’t laid eyes on. While all this is going on, you need to maintain communication with your crew and stay within your designated lines. If you manage to position yourself perfectly within those lines, you are like a god amongst men and can rule the course for a bit. If you’re outside the line and tack, well, you could put a hole in a boat and should probably never sail again! The bottom line is these boats need to be sailed seriously and taken seriously all the time. They are weapons, there truly is no “down time.”
TCO: Would you say that the AC 40 was designed to be a “mirrored” version of the AC 75?
IM: Yes, very much so. They did a good job of making the 75 “palatable” and the transition to the 75 possible. From what I have seen, the guys on the 75 can pretty much manipulate the boat to do anything they want now. Both boats have amazing power, but when you put the cyclists on the 75, they seem like they can push the boat even more.
TCO: Have you had the chance to get out and sail on the AC 75?
IM: Not physically on the 75, but I have a bunch of time in the 75 simulator and I’ve been on the chase boat
Photo Credit: Ricardo Pinto
following it. It is ridiculous to see firsthand the speeds and angles that the boats can sail. We were on a chase boat with quadruple 450HP race motors, and we were barely able to keep up with them!
TCO: How many crew do you race with on the AC 40?
IM: Just 4. There is no variation with wind speed or conditions, there are only 4 seats on the boat, 2 for the drivers and 2 for the trimmers.
TCO: With the current roster for the America’s Cup Youth Team, are these guys that you have sailed within the past?
IM: I have sailed with almost everyone, at one time or another. Severin and I actually went to elementary school and high school together, carpooled every day, and sailed together a bit, so we have been super tight for years. It was a similar relationship with Ripley. We did a ton of Opti training together during our careers. I raced against Harry and Finn a lot when they were doing 49ers in the Tokyo Quad. I had actually never had the opportunity to meet Kyle before the Youth Cup stuff. It is kind of split down the middle.
You start out doing upwards of 25kts of speed, and it feels even faster. You have your helmet on, goggles on, full com headset on, and you are surprisingly dry. The most unusual thing I had to adapt to was the headset. With everything going on, it is just dead silence.
TCO: Describe what it is like to be shooting across the water on the AC 40.
IM: It’s unreal…. the first thing that you see when you are in the cockpit is this little target number on the screen. You start out doing upwards of 25kts of speed, and it feels even faster. You have your helmet on, goggles on, full com headset on, and you are surprisingly dry. The most unusual thing I had to adapt to was the headset. With everything going on, it is just dead silence – the headsets are noise cancelling. You feel everything going on around you, the wind ripping, the water shooting by, but it is dead quiet. You have that combined with the fact that you are sitting down in a form-fitting carbon fiber bucket seat and your head is just slightly above deck level.
What many people don’t realize is that, despite sitting low within the hull, the boat’s design and foil configuration actually keep you relatively high above the waterline. There is a lot of leverage with the hull/foil geometry so when you hit high speeds, the hull shakes and bounces up and down, even though you are off the water.
Imagine being crammed in the seat down in the hull of the boat, your feet are stuck down at the bulkhead surrounded by a bunch of hydraulic pumps with heat blasting off of them, you have your shoulder tucked just under the deck line for stability and your control panel just inches from you face, dead quiet, less the feel/hum of the hydraulic pumps doing their thing. All of this going on while trying to hit your target numbers on the control panel in front of you and getting creative trying to manipulate the auto pilot system to get to 100%! It is exhilarating, but just super intense. Truthfully, there were not a whole lot of “holy cow that was incredible moment,” it was more, “we need to nail this performance every time.”
Photo Credit: American Magic
The coolest part for me, is when you have the chance to look around the course and the other boats. Your head is telling you that you don’t have enough space to tack around them, until the boat accelerates, and you shoot right across them and are in a spot on the course that you never thought you could hit with one tack.
To sum it up; it is incredibly fast, shockingly dry, extremely quiet with a really subtle bouncing as you rip across the water – the overall feeling is surreal and a bit disorienting at first!
TCO: You have been over in Barcelona since June 1st. By now you have an opportunity to see and experience so many amazing things in the America’s Cup world. What is your biggest “WOW experience”?
IM: The biggest thing that comes to mind is just how big the Cup teams are and how hard that every single person on the team is working. From the actual race crew to the landside crews, everyone is always giving it 100% all the time. I have only worked with small teams, more like a squad iwith 8 people, but being on a team with 200+ people, all professional, all with their own opinions, and all extremely smart and experienced. For example, there are a couple of 19-year-olds that are working in the hydraulic division as interns over here, but their knowledge is so huge, they are basically running the entire department. The heads of the hydraulic department are allowing them to rewrite a bunch of their work, because as he says, “they just fundamentally understand what we are trying to accomplish, and a fresh set of eyes is always good.”
I have just gained so much respect for everyone involved and for what it takes to run, not only a functional Cup team, but a winning Cup team.
TCO: What is a typical day for you while you are in Barcelona?
IM: There really isn’t a typical day per se. We used to get 1 day off per week, usually Sundays, but since we moved to the team base in August, and it is so close to the Cup, we are full on 7 days a week. Between the preliminary regattas, the constant sail measurements, and round robins, there just is no time to take off. The Cup team seems to really appreciate our help, and I think that we offer a positive force to help them along when we aren’t doing the 40 thing. They have really allowed us to get hands on with the big boat daily stuff. For example, because of my US Sailing Team experience I have become a “go to guy” for sail measurements. I get the opportunity to work with the official measurers and the head of the department for sail measurements as needed. It has been such a great learning experience.
The days are usually long, some starting at 5am and ending around 12am, but they go so quickly with such a great amount of work to get done. The other day, I got done around 9:30pm, hit the gym and I didn’t get home and in bed until after midnight. There is a lot of coffee involved, they feed us really well, and we have pretty much open use of the base gym, except when the cyclists are warming up since they like to have the room to themselves.
TCO: It is no secret that a handful of the crew on the AC boats are professional cyclists. Is American Magic training with any professional cycling teams?
IM: I believe that up until the spring, the cyclists were still involved in their own individual programs outside the AC team. They were still competing and training outside of the base, but as we have moved closer to the Cup, that has been put on hold. Most of that is to stay focused on the program and to also make sure that there are no unforeseen accidents out on the road. We don’t need that.
TCO: Changing gears a bit, you have had so much success in your sailing career between all your accolades in years past, 3 single digit World Championships in the Paris Quad and coming unbelievably close to going to the Games this year. What is next? Is there a plan for a campaign for the 2028 Games?
IM: A Los Angeles 2028 campaign is happening, for sure. I am just wrapping up the finishing touches of the plan, but I already have boats in storage and a new partner to sail with. Seeing Ian and Hans win a medal at the Paris Games was hyper-motivating to me. There have been so many individuals working to put a bigger focus of the skiff program, and to see them actually make it to the podium, was super inspiring. I would also be lying if I said I wasn’t super stoked that it is
Pictured L-R: Andrew Mollerus, Ian Barrows, Hans Henken, Ian MacDiarmid
Photo Credit: Allison Chenard, US Sailing Team
going to be at home. I am super jazzed about having the Games back in the States. I have spent a lot of time over here in Europe sailing, but I really miss just being at home and all the great things about being in the States. With my familiarity with Southern California waters and the idea of the European sailors will be coming over to our country to compete it is going to be awesome.
Ian, thank you taking the time out of your chaotic schedule to chat with us. Best of luck to both the American Magic and the America’s Cup Youth Team! We will be cheering you guys on and look forward to seeing more of you as we get closer to the LA 2028 Games.
-Ty Christopher Olsen, September 15, 2024
