Talking about nothing with Peter Kinney and Ben Bardwell

The Starboard Portal video channel continues to push out resourceful videos and live content featuring a variety of knowledgeable experts, with another full schedule this week.

On May 13, Scuttlebutt editor Craig Leweck caught up with Rome Kirby and Kimo Worthington of the United States SailGP Team, and on May 20 he connects with Peter Kinney and Ben Bardwell, two of the grinders on the United States SailGP Team.

“Usually we just hear from the helm or tactician, so it was great to turn the camera on the guys that make it possible for the afterguard to do its job,” noted Leweck. “We had some laughs and gained some insight into their world. While they came to sailing differently, they reveal how their effort and interest now has them on the fast track.”

Peter Kinney
New to the United States SailGP Team for Season 2, Peter Kinney brings an aggressive amount of multihull muscle to the crew from his experience competing in the popular M32 class where he has competed since 2017.

Growing up on the coast of Southern California, Kinney has always been close to the ocean and began sailing Naples Sabots in the Newport Harbor Yacht Club at the age of eight.

He spent some time away from the water as he played football in high school and collegiately at the University of Redlands but came back to his sailing roots as he represented the United States at the 2013 Red Bull Youth America’s Cup.

Kinney is a veteran of the offshore racing scene in Southern California, holding the Pacific Cup and San Diego to Puerto Vallarta records set onboard the behemoth Rio100. He regularly races on the M32 catamaran and Melges 32 circuits, the latter of which he won a world championship title in 2016.

Ben Bardwell
Ben joins the United States SailGP Team for Season 2 after training with the crew late last season. His inclusion on the team will add a significant amount of power and athleticism to the young American squad, bringing a deep resume of offshore racing accomplishments that compliment his strength and size.

The Vermont native has made a name for himself as a bowman on the TP52 and Maxi race circuits as well as several stints in the professional match racing world.

Bardwell is a two-time winner of the coveted Barn Door Trophy in the Transpacific Yacht Race that starts in San Pedro, California and ends off Diamond Head in Hawaii.

Bardwell sailed alongside SailGP teammate Taylor Canfield as a part of the Stars and Stripes Team USA in the 2019 Congressional Cup.