A1R’s SWITCH Program- Garda Foiling Week

Recap from coach Luther Carpenter on the 2026 Foiling Week, June 22 – July 1

A1R’s new developing and growing effort in the foiling Switch Class headed to beautiful Lake Garda to participate in training and racing at the annual Foiling Week. Gavin Ball, Tommy Sitzmann, and Mac Agnese sailed, with support from coach Luther Carpenter.  The goal and mission of the week was to bring our initial and developing skills over to Europe, rub shoulders with similar teams, and gain valuable insight on this new class.

The Switch is an excellent “One-Design version” of the Moth, bringing similar performance, speed and thrills,  at a fraction of the price,  and on platform that is strict one-design.  The foiling world has patiently waited for a boat like the Switch to evolve, and finally the Switch has emerged,  and is truly delivering.  The rumors are that the Switch is being considered as an Olympic Class in the near future, so interest is high!

The event was held in Malcesine, Lake Garda, which is right down the road from Torbole, the host for the Switch Globals in October set to be the premier world event of 2026.  

A1R’s squad goal list was the following:  

~ Meet and interact with the sailors and administrators in the class, and share the passion and hunger to sail/race in this new boat.

~ Assess the one-design nature of the class, review the rules, and scrutinize how the fleet is rigging, tuning, and conforming to the one-design nature for the boat.

~ Hone our skills as racers in the Switch.

~ Find and create solid collaboration with the overseas community.  

The trip began by immediately welcoming Danish sailor Magnus Overbeck, who is a past WASZP World champion and current reigning Silver Medalist in Under 23 Switch class.  Magnus became our 4th of the squad as we trained and debriefed throughout the week together.

After a day of rigging and shakedown, we had two solid days of training in both wind directions on Lake Garda, enjoying 7-11 knots each session.  The training in Long Beach and Hawaii in the lead up was good preparation for hitting the ground running,  and gave us the ability to be competent,  yet open for quick evolution. The beauty of the Switch is that it is a relatively simple platform,  adjustable in the key areas. Batten tensions, spacers, adaption of different system purchases, foil setup and optimization, and the exact lines for the job were all top priorities.

Of course the foiling boat handling and speed technique were top priority, and developing a quick routine of efficiency, language, and teamwork were put into motion.  The sailor’s talents, professionalism, and the fact that we all have worked with each other before, created instant vibe; joy in the work, and focus at the expected level of A1R programs.  Tommy had just come off of winning A division at the College Nationals, Gavin a recent World Champion this year in WASZPs, Mac on his constant SailGP circuit as Grinder, and Magnus bringing a highly focused and eager skillset and voice to the squad.  Magnus is also joining the Danish SailGP program.

The Foiling Week Regatta ran Saturday thru Tuesday, competing in 10 races. The first 6 held in primarily 8-12 knots, and the final day delivering initially 19-26 knots (!) which moderated slightly to 15-21 knots.  The racing was top-notch in the 40 boat fleet, with many of the competitors avidly “campaigning” in the European circuit.

The A1R squad’s efforts were rewarded by some solid sailing, with Magnus finishing 3rd, Gavin 5th (with an amazing last day in the big breeze!), Tommy 13th, and Mac 15th.  I was proud of our squad to maintain the “learning approach and goals” of our trip through every day of the regatta,  capturing lesson opportunities and advances while in the heat of the action.  Every afternoon, night, morning, and day, brought on the next steps in our observations and tests; and the advances forward were steady.  As we packed up on the last day, ideas for the next event, next training opportunity, and gathering of needed parts to haul back to the US commenced.  

I always say “the best measure of success, is that as an event concludes, everyone should hopefully be saying I cannot wait to do that again!”  And that is certainly the case with this A1R effort.  Calendars are in motion, admin being called, and notebooks being filled with what we learned, and what tests are next.  

Hey – it’s what we do, and it’s great to be a part of it!  Many thanks to the supporters and staff – this Switch boat and program looks to be a winner through and through.

~Luther