Lindsey Vonn goes sailing with Team USA and joins grinder Anna Weis on the winches

Lindsey Vonn went sailing on the Hudson River on Friday aboard a foiling catamaran, enjoying one of the perks of joining the board of directors of the United States SailGP team.

The retired skiing champion was the “sixth sailor” with Team USA for a jaunt off Manhattan before all 10 crews held practice races ahead of this weekend’s Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix. It's the penultimate regatta in Season 4 of tech billionaire Larry Ellison's global league.

While there certainly will be some boardroom work involved for Vonn — she envisions helping with brand strategy and partnerships — being on the water was the place to be.

“For me, part of the excitement about being on the board is just being involved with another adrenaline sport,” Vonn said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.

The wind wasn't strong enough to do much foiling, which is what makes the F50 catamarans among the world's fastest boats.

The wind did pick up just after Vonn got off the boat.

“Just my luck,” she cracked. “It wasn’t what I hoped for. As someone that’s missing speed as a retired athlete, I was really hoping to go fast. But to be actually doing something, or at least they let me feel like I was doing something, was exciting. ... Downhill's a little bit faster. But again, I’m retired so I’ll take what I can get.”

She was thrilled to work alongside grinder Anna Weis, turning the winches that help the wing trimmer do his job.

“It was fun,” Vonn said. “I was grinding with Anna and kind of following their lead. I was a little bit of a fish out of water, to some degree, but it was really fun. Grinding is so hard and what Anna does as a woman, I think, is really, really incredible. I don't think many people know how difficult a role like that really is, so I just have a lot of respect for her and the team. To have a coed team like that, it’s amazing.”

As part of the Women's Pathway program, every SailGP team must have a woman onboard. Weis, who competed in the Tokyo Olympics in the foiling Nacra 17 catamaran class, has done the most races as a grinder of any woman in SailGP, and she also trims the jib. Her job requires strength, cardiovascular endurance and finesse.

“She's such an amazing young woman who's incredibly strong,” Vonn said. “She's a great example for the next generation.”

With women’s sports reaching a tipping point, Vonn mentioned the work Billie Jean King has done over the decades in championing women’s equality in sports, and how current women athletes, including in SailGP, “are showing people what is possible. And again, it’s a combination of the past paving the way for the present and the present really taking the opportunity and maximizing it.”

Vonn was outfitted in full protective gear, including a crash helmet. Team USA had a dramatic capsize in practice racing in Bermuda in early May that was caused by a crew error. While there were no serious injuries, the boat was damaged to the point the team missed the regatta.

“Since the capsize of a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to make sure I actually listened to the safety protocol this time,” said Vonn, who also sailed with an America's Cup crew in 2016 off Manhattan before an exhibition regatta.

“I saw the video of it. It was pretty crazy," she said. "Honestly, I think things like that are really exciting. Obviously, again, it was very expensive, but that’s what makes it exciting. Those are the type of things that make the sport really interesting.”

Vonn retired from skiing in 2019 after winning three Olympic medals, including one gold, and four overall World Cup titles. She was the first woman to win 82 World Cup races.

Team USA was purchased in November by a group of investors from the sports, technology and entertainment worlds. They include former Alabama linebacker Dallas Turner, who was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings at No. 17 overall; actress/producer Issa Rae; founding Uber engineer Ryan McKillen; and professional sailor Mike Buckley.

On Friday, Team USA announced a multiyear partnership with Tommy Hilfiger starting in 2025 that will include boat branding and crew uniforms.

The Americans are out of the running for the $2 million, winner-take-all season championship race July 14 in San Francisco. New Zealand sits atop the 10-boat fleet with an 11-point lead over Spain, with three-time defending champion Australia another point back in third.

Bernie Wilson has covered sailing for the AP since 1991.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports

Members of the Canada SailGP Team practice racing ahead of the New York Sail Grand Prix, Friday, June 21, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Members of the New Zealand SailGP Team man their catamaran ahead of the New York Sail Grand Prix, Friday, June 21, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

International SailGP teams practice racing ahead of the New York Sail Grand Prix, Friday, June 21, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

International SailGP teams practice racing ahead of the New York Sail Grand Prix, Friday, June 21, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Lindsey Vonn, second from right, Olympic skiing champion, rides a USA SailGP Team chase boat during racing practice ahead of the New York Sail Grand Prix, Friday, June 21, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Lindsey Vonn, second from right, Olympic skiing champion, rides a USA SailGP Team chase boat during racing practice ahead of the New York Sail Grand Prix, Friday, June 21, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

PHOENIX (AP) — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., won’t be with his better-known rivals, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, when they debate Thursday in Atlanta.

And aside from a livestreamed response to the debate, he also has nothing on his public schedule for the coming weeks. Nor does his running mate, philanthropist Nicole Shanahan.

After a busy spring hopscotching the country for a mix of political rallies, fundraisers and nontraditional campaign events, Kennedy appears to be taking a breather.

Kennedy’s absence from the debate stage and the campaign trail carries risk for his insurgent quest to shake up the Republican and Democratic dominance of the U.S. political system. He lacks the money for a firehose of television commercials, and he must spend much of the money he does have to secure ballot access. Public appearances are a low-cost way to fire up supporters and drive media coverage he needs to stay relevant.

Kennedy says he can’t win unless voters know he’s running and believe he can defeat Biden, a Democrat, and Trump, a Republican. That problem will become increasingly acute as the debate, followed by the major party conventions in July and August, push more voters to tune into the race.

Still, Kennedy has maintained a steady stream of social media posts, and he continues to sit for interviews, most recently with talk show host Dr. Phil.

“Mr. Kennedy has a full schedule for July with many public events, mostly on the East Coast and including one big rally,” said Stefanie Spear, a Kennedy campaign spokesperson. “We will start announcing the events next week.”

For Thursday’s debate on CNN, the network invited candidates who showed strength in four reliable polls and ballot access in enough states to win the presidency. Kennedy fell short on both requirements.

He has cried foul about the rules, accusing CNN of colluding with Biden and Trump in a complaint to the Federal Election Commission and threatening to sue.

Kennedy won’t be on stage, but his supporters have a visible presence on the streets around the debate hall.

Some Kennedy backers set up a lemonade stand a few blocks from the spin room where the press was gathered. A sign on top of the stand read, “CNN Lemons = Kennedy Lemonade.” Others waved “Heal the Divide” signs. Not far away, a Kennedy campaign bus blasted music.

Sujat Desai, a 20-year-old student from Pleasanton, California, who supports Kennedy, said Kennedy's absence from the debate is a major hurdle for him to overcome.

“I don’t think there’s any way to get awareness if you’re not on the debate stage,” Desai said. “I think it’s a pretty lethal blow not to be in this debate, and it would be detrimental not to be in the next.”

Still, Desai said he won't be dissuaded from voting for Kennedy even if he appears to be a longshot come November.

“I think this is probably the strongest I’ve seen an independent candidate in a while, so I’ll give him that,” Desai said. “I think he’s definitely doing well. His policies are strong enough to win, I just don’t know if there's awareness."

Kennedy plans to respond in real time to the same questions posed to Biden and Trump in a livestream.

Independent and third-party candidates like Kennedy face supremely long odds, but Kennedy’s campaign has spooked partisans on both sides who fear he will tip the election against them. Biden supporters worry his famous Democratic name and his history of environmental advocacy will sway voters from the left. Trump supporters worry his idiosyncratic views, particularly his questioning of the scientific consensus that vaccines are safe and effective, will appeal to people who might otherwise vote for Trump.

Christy Jones, 54, a holistic health and mindfulness coach from Glendora, California, worries people won't know Kennedy is running without him standing next to Biden and Trump at the debate. But she said he's still all over her social media feeds and she's confident he's making himself visible.

“I do feel like he could still win if people choose to be courageous,” she said. “If all the people that actually want change voted for him, he would be in. People are asking for change.”

Until recently, Kennedy’s website promoted a variety of events weeks or more in advance, including public rallies and private fundraisers. He held comedy nights with prominent comedians in Michigan and Tennessee.

But since he went to the June 15 premiere of a film on combatting addiction, Kennedy has been dark, though he continues to promote in-person and virtual organizing events for his supporters.

Associated Press journalists Steve Peoples in Atlanta and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Supporters of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., stand at a lemonade stand near the presidential debate site before President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump debate in Atlanta, Thursday, June 27, 2024.(AP Photo/Steve Peoples)

Supporters of Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. protest outside the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif., Friday, June 21, 2024. Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN's parent company, plans to relocate to its Burbank studios. Host network CNN said Thursday the independent presidential candidate fell short of benchmarks both for state ballot qualification and polling. The missed markers mean the June 27 showdown will be solely between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Supporters of Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. protest outside the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif., Friday, June 21, 2024. Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN's parent company, plans to relocate to its Burbank studios. Host network CNN said Thursday the independent presidential candidate fell short of benchmarks both for state ballot qualification and polling. The missed markers mean the June 27 showdown will be solely between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)