Role: Helmsman
Meet our skipper: Nicolai Sehested is one of Denmark’s leading sailors – and will be one of the youngest helmsman on the start line for SailGP Season 2.
Having competed in some of the sport’s most challenging events – including two editions of The Ocean Race – and recorded over 100 regattas wins across a range of classes and disciplines, Nicolai has carved out a solid reputation as a skilled and driven operator behind the wheel, and now proudly leads the first ever Danish entry in SailGP.
It all began in the Optimist class, where Nicolai picked up multiple national and international championships, before moving into dinghy racing and winning the Danish title in his first year.
In 2014-15, Nicolai was selected to race around the world for Team Vestas Wind in The Ocean Race, and quickly made his name as a skilled and super fast driver, even in some of the most extreme conditions on the planet.
He returned for a second race in 2017-18 as part of team AkzoNobel, where his team smashed the 24 hour speed record, clocking up a huge 602-miles in just one day whilst racing across the Atlantic Ocean. Now, he sets his sights on the SailGP speed record.
Sehested has skippered the entry for Ewii Racing – of which he is a founder – in the World Match Racing Tour since 2010, accumulating more than 30 podium finishes. Additionally, he won the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in 2018 and 2019 with Team LYRA, while taking the title at the Rolex Fastnet in 2019 as a member of the Ocean Challenge Club.
When not racing the F50, Sehested can be found driving tractors on his farm in Denmark.
Career Highlights
2014-15 – The Ocean Race (Team Vestas Wind)
2017-18 – The Ocean Race (team Akzonobel)
Stats
Position: Helm
Nationality: Danish
Hometown: Kolding
Date of Birth: 6 November 1989
Weight: 82 kg
Height: 183cm
