Liv Mackay, The Strategist Taking The Black Foils to Greatness
M2woman had the opportunity to sit down with Olivia (Liv) to learn about her passion for sailing and the ability to operate at the top of the world. Liv is the strategist for SailGP team Black Foils, and we interviewed her just six days after the team cleaned up the first round in Dubai. The Black Foils were in Auckland for a press event, 50 days out from the kickoff of the spectacle that is SailGP. A yachting series like no other: Super lightweight catamarans doing over 100 km an hour just metres from shore. An 8000 seat stadium will be erected just for this purpose and the event is hosted in Auckland on the 18th and 19th of January 2025.
I’d love to know is your first memory of boats when you saw them and fell in love with sailing?
My first memory is in Napier on the harbor. Being on a rescue boat, my older brother learning to sail, and just a big group of opties [Optimists], like 15 or so, laughing with my dad on the road, watching my brother learn, and just with all friends and stuff. So very happy memories, very funny. It was just on the water and everyone loving it.
What was your first America’s Cup memory?
San Francisco [2013]. So quite recent. I was at boarding school, I remember every morning it being on the TV and in class, and everyone asking me: “What’s going to happen – what’s going on?” I was sailing a lot then.
When did you remember realizing that sailing was to become your career?
I had to make the decision at 17 whether to move from Hawke’s Bay to Auckland to pursue it. So a serious decision where to go to university. When I was younger, it was just a very natural progression. And to for me, that social group was a massive part of why I loved it. I was always very competitive in a lot of sports, so that naturally shone through. I started to get more and more competitive.
Was it driven by you? Theparents didn’t push it on you.
No, not at all. My older brother was a big influence for sure. I went to boarding school when I was 10, so it was a huge effort for my parents to get me on the water, but never do I recall being pushed to do it. It was always a very natural thing. I’ve always wanted to do more. It was always just, “how do we get on the water as much as possible and compete”. Very grateful for my parents, looking back on it now, they spent a lot of hours supporting me.
There’s something you touched on there, which was you were very driven. Is that something you remember from when you were really young? Did you just always want to do things well?
Yes, I would say so. It’s definitely what you pick up from your parents. Anything they did was done very well. High quality. If they’re committed to something, they follow through. And it was always very important to show up and do it to the highest level that you can and come at it with a great attitude. With sailing I was fascinated by how complex it is as a sport. I like the data side that’s now integrated into the sport, but at the time, it was just going off ‘feel’ and observing the many factors that make you a great sailor, but there’s always so much to work on. I find all those different elements make it so interesting. It’s always different. And for me, having the freedom when you get out in the water, when you’re 9 years old, it’s very liberating to be on the water, on your own.. I have memories of crying when I was in an Optie…
And then you went out again?
Yeah, exactly. I think what you learn at that age is to persevere. It gives you a lot of confidence in so many things in life, to then know that you can not just get over them, but embrace and and push through.
What’s your secret to your success? Do you have personal techniques you use?
Consistency is a huge thing. Turning up the same each day, no matter how you’re feeling. I leverage a lot of motivation off our team as well: When one person’s not feeling great, you can lift each other up. We travel a lot, and your energy levels change massively. So I definitely have a routine how I get up each day. You check in with yourself and see how you’re feeling. If I’m not feeling great, no matter what, I still try to get up at the same time, do the same thing. I really like to read and maybe write a few things down and then, and then move my body a lot.
What time does the day start?
I’m definitely a morning person, so I like to get up at five or six am. In SailGP you don’t get a lot of training, but on a practice day and the race day, it really changes around crane-in time. Those change a lot, but Pete [Burling] myself and our coach will normally catch up for coffee, around eight in the morning. That’s where we check in on conditions and see how the day is going to play out.We’ll head down often to help crane-in and then come together as a team for a pre-brief at 10 or 11 o’clock for half an hour. Everyone brings priorities from their areas, and then we do a core and mobility [workout] session. Marc [Marcus Hansen] one of the grinders leads that, that’s a great time to start lifting everyone’s energy. If you’re feeling a bit stiff or battered from the week it’s a good way to get into that. And then we have an ice bath!! So in Dubai, that was great to really cool down the core body temperature. San Francisco, not such a great idea – it got a bit too cold. There was a whole ice sheet over it. We had to get the hammer out. That’s hardcore. [Liz beams as she tells me this]
Do you ever stop and think “Why am I sailing?”
Not often, to be honest, which is a privileged position, it definitely doesn’t feel like a job. I seriously love what I’m doing, and nothing feels arduous, and there’s always more to do. The thing I struggle with the most, is feeling like I haven’t done enough. Because there’s always more to do. So it’s really just coming into race days saying to yourself, “you’ve done enough”.
Is that a hallmark of high performance people, where they’re actually never quite satisfied?
100%. There’s definitely always more to do. The biggest struggle is getting hours on the water because we travel so much. It’s hard not to get [more] hours on the boat, because that’s really what gives you confidence.
Practice is extremely limited. We typically only get Friday. [before the race weekend] We don’t even have a simulator! They’re developing that at the moment. That will be a huge step forward
You’ve got a lot of drive. if it wasn’t yachting, what that thing would be?
I often got asked at the beginning, because there’s not many females at the top, everyone would say “Okay, well, if this doesn’t work out, what are you going to do?”, whereas what you’re asking is “So, you’re going to be successful, whatever you do, what else could you turn your hand at?”
I really love being outside, working with my hands. So I don’t know exactly what it would be. I’m from a farming background, and I do love being outside and in the elements, so potentially down that route, or, yeah, I’m not certain, but it would definitely be in the outdoors.
So you’re all in on, on sailing for now, nothing to distract you?!
Yeah, the amazing thing about sailing is that you can do it at any level. People enjoy the sport from so many different angles. And it feels like I’m only just getting into it, like the doors are just opening, and right now I don’t feel like I’m anywhere near my potential and performance. So I’m focusing on that. I’m curious where it takes me, and I’m very open minded.
During the time that you’ve been sailing, it has changed more than any other sport possibly ever has, right? It’s gone from sitting doing five knots in a 10 knot breeze to doing 20 knots in a 6 knot breeze!
Exactly. The technology and the boats has surpassed anyone’s expectations. The same goes for what I thought was possible for myself. Just five years ago, I would never have even dreamt of the opportunities. So it’s hard to imagine what the next 5 or 10 years looks like. I don’t want to put a ceiling on it. I just want to keep pushing and being curious, to continue to learn and be a positive contribution to the team, and…
An inspiring leader? That’s a unique position you’ve got.
I hope so. It’s always hard as a kiwi to [say that]. I had a really special experience in SailGP Dubai. She was only seven, I met her last year in Dubai, and she came up to me and told me she got into sailing because of me! It was quite emotional, because it was the first time I’d experienced something like the direct message “I got into sailing because of you”. That was super special.
Seeing a woman at the top level has the ability to inspire, right?
Being a part of the women’s America’s Cup was super special, with that group of five women. Following on from that, we discussed how we bring younger women in. We’re all super passionate about it, so I’m excited to see the effects of this. SailGP is doing an amazing job globally of bringing fans in, inspiring, hopefully the next generation. And I really want to leverage that for young girls particularly.
