Fourteen-year-old Liam, a year 10 student at Wentworth College, was raised on the ocean. Growing up boating with his parents, he began his competitive sailing career on the O’pen Skiff at Manly Sailing Club and worked his way up to the ILCA 6. As he was about to start his pre-season training, Liam received the devastating news that the aftereffects of covid benched him for the winter.
Not one to be easily deterred from his passion, Liam immersed himself in online forums and videos to keep up with the sailing world and his peers. A chance discovery on YouTube led Liam to download ‘AC Sailing’, a new simulation videogame launched by the 37th America’s Cup and developed from the same physics engine as the simulators used by top America’s Cup teams. From open waters to close quarters, Liam had to change tack and learn to steer a virtual AC40 yacht from his bedroom.
With Liam’s raw talent winning him 90 per cent of his online races, it wasn’t hard to convince his parents to let him enter the official competition – a new series for the world of e-sports, culminating in the 2024 America’s Cup Sailing ESeries Grand Final in Barcelona on September 28. The only promise Liam had to make was to keep up with his homework. It wasn’t all plain sailing.
Liam put in the hard work, logging 240 hours playing the game, reviewing earlier races, and comparing notes with fellow ESailors. His real-world sailing experience came in handy as he experimented with different setups for.
