“I’d like to be able to say the AC40 [Women’s and Youth America’s Cup foiler] because hopefully – fingers crossed! – I will be in it and it’s definitely the coolest boat that I’ve ever seen,” says Rogers. “But the Waszp dinghy is what’s got me into foiling and has got a lot of other younger sailors into foiling.”

The Waszp is a one-design foiling dinghy designed to be more accessible to a wider range of sailors than development classes like the International Moth. It is raced in over 20 countries and has two smaller rig options for youth crews from just 40kg.

Photo: James Tomlinson/Waszp

“It’s just awesome coming off the line flying with 80 other boats,” says Rogers.”The Waszp is a really good boat for learning to foil in. It is a bit tricky sometimes for the girls in bigger wind, because it is a fairly deep sail – they’re 8.2m2 and quite powerful. But it is a really good boat and has set me up well for other classes. There’s a lot of lessons I’ve learned from the Waszp that, if I’d tried to learn in the Moth, I probably would have broken a lot!”

Make sure you check out our full list of Coolest Yachts.

Waszp stats rating:

Top speed: 24 knots
LOA: 3.35m/11ft
Launched: 2016
Berths: 0
Price: €15,500
Adrenalin factor: 90%

Hattie Rogers

Hattie Rogers was named this year’s YJA Yachtsman of the Year, the youngest ever winner of the title aged 22. Having previously competed in youth classes to a high level, she won the SailGP Waszp Inspire Grand Final in San Francisco in 2022 and is a part of the Athena Pathway Programme to develop a British Women’s America’s Cup team.

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