‘I get emotional seeing women competing’
Faith Dean, a British skipper working with Climent, is more positive. “I grew up competitively racing dinghies in England, so I get emotional seeing women competing in the America’s Cup.”
Of the 48 sailors involved, there were 17 Olympic medallists, and yet Dutch skipper Odile van Aanholt and her team had to train for hours in simulators, only getting time in the vessel at the event itself. In contrast, the victorious Italians were aided by the men’s set-up, as Robertson points out: “With Luna Rossa, the women’s team was embedded and prioritised, with access to the same top coaches, and their example demonstrates what happens when female sailors get support.”
Giving female sailors experience racing these high-performance catamarans has been key and while Mills narrowly missed out on lifting the Cup for Britain, she sees this event as a win for female sailors. “I know people might ask why we need a standalone event, but as a woman sailor, I only want to be on a boat because I deserve to be on it,” she says. “At the moment there is a huge experience gap between female sailors and the men who have been sailing these high-performance foiling catamarans for years. This women’s event is a massive opportunity to upskill women in this type of sailing, and nurture the talent we know is there so that women can race alongside men in the America’s Cup itself.”
Italian captain Giulia Conti echoes those sentiments: “Female sailors want to earn our place on a team. This event was a major step forwards for female sailors, but this is not the end. It’s just a step.”
There is no doubt positives will come from the Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona. Ben Ainslie alluded to the possibility of this year’s female competitors being selected for the next America’s Cup after his British team had lost to New Zealand in the main event and, as Mills says: “Closing the experience gap between men and women is a challenge, and we’re closer today than we were in August. When I think about all the young girls who have watched this event and been inspired, this is probably what I’m most proud of.”