Puig Women's America's Cup update
There are now fewer than three months to go to the start of the Puig Women's America's Cup
With the stunning trophy from the world-renowned architect and designer Patricia Urquiola now the centrepiece of the Puig Women’s America’s Cup, training for victory has been the focus for all of the teams in June.
The British, Americans and Swedish have all been training out of Badalona to the north of Barcelona, the Swiss and Italians out of the Port Vell, whilst the Kiwis winter-trained in Auckland.
It has been a busy month all round and plenty of off-water simulator time for all the women’s teams including both a formal practice regatta and plenty of unofficial racing between the teams. It’s all hotting up in the race to win the inaugural Puig Women’s America’s Cup.
EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALAND
The Emirates Team New Zealand Women’s Team have been putting in huge hours on the water in chilly Auckland with a programme that saw them going out just after dawn for training, followed by on-water instruction and race observance alongside the senior team before sailing through to dusk – if they had nav lights they would have stayed out all night!
Gemma Jones got incredible trim practice with Josh Junior and Sam Meech being brought on to the AC40 in pre-start practice against Peter Burling and Nathan Outteridge whilst the likes of Jo Aleh, Olivia Mackay and Molly Meech have all been pushing hard both on the water and in the simulator throughout June.
Aleh and Molly are now training at the Paris Olympic sailing venue in Marseille where they will represent New Zealand in the 49erFX class joining Veerle ten Havre in the iQFoil and Erica Dawson in the Nacra 17.
ATHENA PATHWAY (GBR)
June has been a busy month for the Athena Pathway team who have been transitioning from the learning phase on their AC40, focusing on up-skilling the crew, and are now entering the racing performance phase.
This has involved fine-tuning their sailing days, racing on courses, and pushing the limits of the AC40. The sailing team and shore team's dedication and hard work are truly paying off as the squad continues to build on its collective performance. The British women’s team is now now sharing a base in Badalona with the Artemis Swedish Challenge and NYYC American Magic.
Athena Pathway Women’s Team Members Anna Burnet (Nacra 17), Saskia Tidey (49erFX), and Ellie Aldridge (Formula Kite) are up in Marseille preparing to represent Great Britain at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games and everyone in the team wishes them the very best of luck in their quest for gold.
In addition to its on-water activities, the team has also embarked on an exciting outreach initiative by – in partnership with the 1851 Trust and Cobham-Ultra – kicking off its STEM Crew Roadshows in York.
These roadshows aim to inspire the next generation to pursue STEM subjects and careers in the marine industry and the team aims to bring this program to various locations across the UK throughout the year, fostering curiosity and enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics among young students.
ALINGHI RED BULL RACING
The Swiss have been hard at work in Barcelona, completing over ten days of on-water training in the AC40s with a few capsizes thrown in – which is all part of the learning process.
The Youth/Women team are in a super-positive mood now that they are getting real sailing hours in. Huge improvements all round from the daily operations and routine through to the sailing skills being developed and the team are getting valuable time in the simulator during maintenance days or whenever the weather is inclement.
With safety being the number one concern, the Alinghi Red Bull Racing Youth Team received full safety training with spare air bottles and simulations of emergency situations. The team have also been broadening their communication skills, sharing their passion with Red Bull athletes and welcoming some famous names and sponsors to the base.
The four members of the Shore & Tech Pathway have been fully integrated to the America's Cup team. Aside from training in Barcelona the athletes have also been competing around the world at regattas and preparing for the upcoming Paris Olympic Games, as follows: Final preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games for Maja Siegenthaler (470) & Arno de Planta (49er). Laurane Mettraux represented Switzerland at SailGP and Laurane Mettraux (Decision 35) and Alex De Weck (K2 Monohull) won in their categories in the Bol d'Or Mirabaud on Lake Geneva
NYYC AMERICAN MAGIC
June marked a significant milestone for the US Women's and Youth teams as they began training together on the AC40. For the next two months they will be based in Badalona, along with the Athena and Artemis Women's and Youth Teams, and will be sailing as much as possible
The team reports having had “a great first two weeks with excellent weather conditions, a breeze ranging from 5-10 knots, and sea states from 0.3m to 1.3m—fantastic conditions for learning the boats and training!”
All the American youth and women sailors have now sailed on the AC40, and the team plans to continue to intensify its race training programme over the coming weeks. All eyes are on September and October for the UniCredit Youth and Puig Women's America’s Cups.
LUNA ROSSA PRADA PIRELLI
Having completed the final training period in Cagliari, Sardinia, the team shipped its AC40 to Barcelona to resume sailing sessions in Spain on June 24th, notching up a total of three days (6 hours) on the water in the month of June. During this period the team encountered a variety of weather conditions, ranging from sustained breezes from SW (12/18 knots) and light Easterly winds (7/12 knots).
The women's team alternated roles on board to evaluate the best starting crew for the Puig Women's America's Cup. On the days with strong winds the focus was on boat handling, foil transitions and manoeuvring, with several bear-away and tacking exercises. In lighter wind conditions, however, the focus shifted to pre-start and racecourse geometry.
Simone Salvà, the Youth & Women's team coach commented: “We’re really pleased to see the crew improving day by day and the quality of sailing is steadily growing, as well as the team bonding, both onboard and on shore. The women crew has become familiar with the Barcelona waves, and they are all performing manoeuvres with confidence and speed.
“During practice we are not allowed to line up with the other teams, but we’ve had a few crosses with our opponents and are very happy with our performance. As for the schedules, we will train in the first week of July, then have a week of break and boat maintenance. We will resume sea sessions from July 15 – 27.”
ORIENT EXPRESS RACING TEAM
Unfortunately there was no AC40 training in June for the Women’s Team but the French syndicate says the months of July and August will be devoted to intensive sailing, with major training sessions for both the Women and Youth squads. The team did however complete plenty of simulator sessions and data analysis.
Three of the French women’s team were part of the Olympic torch relay: Amélie Riou and Lara Granier in Marseille in May, and Aloise Retornaz (Bronze medallist in Tokyo) in Les Sables d'Olonne on June 4.
Kitesurfer Jessie Kampman, (third in the world championship and silver medallist at the European championship, won the second leg of the Engie Kite Tour in the women's category.
JAJO DUTCHSAIL
For Odile van Aanholt (49FX), Annette Duetz (49erFX), Bart Lambriex (49er) and Bjarne Bouwer (Nacra17) the focus is entirely on the Paris Olympic Games in Marseille – although it was noted that when he was back home for a few days last week Lambriex had been secretly putting in some pre-starts on the SIM before going out to sea playing with his wing foil.
For the Youth team Paul Hameeteman, Aleksandr Moliakov, Eliott and Wiebrand are spending time on the water in the 69F, WASZP, Moth and 49er. For them it’s after a long winter of mostly only virtual sailing in the sim important to be out and racing in or above the water again. In addition, they certainly also spend hours on the sim but that’s almost more maintenance than actually doing or learning new things.
TEAM AUSTRALIA CHALLENGE
The team have been clocking significant simulator hours with the Youth and Women and combinations of both working well together and have also started WASZP on-water training through a new partnership with the Australian designed foiling yachts.
This is supplementing other on-water training including Elliot 6s. The team has hosted some other famous Australians on the simulator recently including Sydney Swans AFL players, and solo round the world yachtswoman Jessica Watson, who undertook her circumnavigation aged 16.
The Australian women’s squad took part in glitzy photo shoot with Vogue Australia which will feature in the magazine’s October edition, while Women’s Sponsor PUIG in Australia hosted a glamorous dinner on the Sydney harbour-front. Meanwhile, two of our female sailors – Olivia Price and Zoe Thomson – have been selected to sail for Australia at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The team has also staged a number of information events with the athletes at yacht clubs from Perth to Sydney - including one in Belmont featuring a keynote address from Australian America’s Cup legend Adam Beashel who revealed his original Boxing Kangaroo self-made flag from the 1983 America’s Cup win.
Concord Pacific Racing
Concord Pacific Racing athlete Maura Dewey takes us behind the scenes in Barcelona as preparations intensify ahead of the inaugural Puig Women's America's Cup:
June was a really good month for us. After an intense training camp in Barcelona, it was great to get everyone together as the final team. The trials and selection process had been long and stressful, especially for me as a single-handed sailor proving I could work within a team. But now that we're selected, it's a relief to shift focus from proving ourselves to working together, and it felt amazing to focus on serious work and build our team dynamics.
Our team structure is pretty flat, with team captains Isabella Bertold and Andrew Wood leading, but everyone else is on an even playing field. This setup fosters a collaborative environment, which is crucial for our success. The new simulator in our office setup has been a game-changer. Before, we were in a dark room in an Airbnb, so the new space makes us feel like a real professional organisation. Without a physical boat, the simulator is crucial for us, letting us train extensively and refine our skills.
A typical day starts around 08:30, and we spend the entire day on the simulator with a lunch break. We start with warm-up drills, then move on to specific skills like light wind takeoffs or start routines, and finish with racing. The simulator is cool because it’s online, so we can race against other teams in real-time and see how we stack up against the competition. It’s challenging because the view is limited, so it’s not like sticking your head out of the boat to get a view of what’s happening, but it’s great training.
Working with Chris Nicholson, our coach, has been fantastic. He brings so much experience, and his collaborative coaching style suits us perfectly. Chris helps us leverage everyone's knowledge and leads without forcing, which is really effective. His background with F50s and other foiling race boats has been particularly valuable. Chris's experience reassures us that we are on the right track, especially since this type of regatta is so different from traditional sailing.
Communication has been a major focus during our training this month. On the simulator, we've been fine-tuning what we say and when we say it to ensure efficiency and clarity during races. We've also worked on specific sailing manoeuvres and strategies, which has helped us gel as a team.
Summarising the month, we've made significant technical improvements and become a more unified team. Although we have limited time on the water compared to some other teams, our progress on the simulator has been really encouraging. We need to focus on clean, simple racing strategies that play to our strengths and maximize our performance.
Looking ahead, we know we face a big challenge, especially against teams with more time on their boats. But with our solid preparation, team cohesion, and strategic approach, we’re confident we can be competitive. It’s a big hurdle, but we believe it’s one we can overcome.
WOMEN’S AC TEAM GERMANY
During a foiling regatta in June the AC Team Germany women gave a talk about the female pathway and partly participated in the regatta too.
Additionally, there was an important sponsor shoot at our newly established Foiling Academy, where the women sailors were present and Tina Lutz was accompanied by a film crew.
SAIL TEAM BCN – WOMEN’S TEAM
During June the SailTeam BCN Women’s Team completed an intensive five days on the team’s Simulator going through plenty of pre-start and course management practice before gaining a valuable three days on the water in the AC40.
Also in June it was announced that Olympic 49erFX campaigner Tamara Echegoyen had been selected as one of the flag bearers for the Spanish Olympic Team and will carry the national flag down the River Seine at the unique Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games. The Sail Team BCN Women’s Team wish her and Paula Barcelo well as they go for gold in the at the Olympic venue of Marseille.
SWEDISH CHALLENGE
June has been an exciting month for the Swedish Challenge who earlier this month relocated from Belfast to Barcelona and have now built a “new home” in Port de Badalona. The Youth team and part of the Women’s team settled in quickly and spent many days on the water in the AC40. The squad say they are also finding new favourite places around the city to enjoy tapas, as well as exploring the area by bike each morning.
In total the Swedes sailed on 12 days with having 8 of their 10 sailors onboard during, as well as using the simulator daily to practice communication and racing against other teams.
In June part of the youth team took part in the RC44 event in Marstrand, Sweden with Artemis Racing. The team’s Olympic women sailors Vilma/Rebecca (49erFX) and Lovisa Karlsson (470 mixed) are no on site at the Paris 2024 Olympic venue in Marseille and the team wishes them the best of luck and is looking forward to welcoming them back after the Games.
The team also reported a great Swedish midsummer celebration at the base on the Swedish National Day and say that besides doing a lot of sailing the squad has also kitted out the base in self-built IKEA furniture, giving it ‘a very good-looking Swedish feel’.