Puig Women’s America’s Cup!

The Puig (pronounced pooch) Women’s America’s Cup has produced fantastic racing. Some of the best women sailors on the planet are making their case for equality on the high seas, as they smash through that glass ceiling that has prevented many of them from being able to compete on equal platforms unless mandated. At the top level of professional sailing, different series have attempted different solutions to allow women the opportunity to be treated not as separate but equals; to create meaningful change without the appearance of just pandering by putting a Band-Aid on it [inequality], and not leaving the athletes feeling disenfranchised.

The scarlet red jersey that Isabelle Bertold from Canada (in the front row) wore at the opening press conference in huge letters said it all: “It’s Time”!

The Puig event here in Barcelona is not a sideshow. We are being treated to spectacular fleet racing in AC40s by these superstars who are every bit equal to their male counterparts, on and off the water. These sailors know the spotlight is on them and they have risen to the occasion! It’s time to drop the condenscending application of labeling athletes male and female and move into a world where you’re not judged by your sex, but by your performance.

The leaders of the America’s Cup Event (ACE) know they have some issues on their hands: how to actually get a sailor on board an AC75, who is a woman, and not just creating a position on the boat that holds or carries no real meaningful role. This is not to criticize or judge the position of the female strategist on SailGP’s F50 foiling catamaran. The Women’s Participation Program has provided a sea state of change that has given women a pathway, but now, as with the America’s Cup and Olympics, it seems stuck in neutral on what comes next.

One of the brilliant moves by ACE has been the audio airplay of communication on the AC40s in multiple languages during races, giving you a level of engagement and excitement as these women foil at insane speeds (over 40 knots). Many of them stepped into the boats just a few days ago, as they stepped out of the simulators that had been part of their training cocoon for the past several months.

The competition to date has been fierce. Artemis, which purchased an AC40, is formidable so far, given their experience on the boat. Of the non-stakeholders, the Dutch made the cut, but not Andoo Australia.

Of the 12 teams competing, New Zealand, Great Britain, USA, Italy, Switzerland, and France are Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup teams, with another six being “invited” from Spain, the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Sweden and Australia. Of the six America’s Cup teams, American Magic is hanging by a thread in last place, as the NYYC effort led by Erika Reineke and Sara Stone lacks the resources to be competitive.

“This is such an opportunity for women to get experience in these boats,” said Hannah Mills, double Olympic gold medalist and skipper of the GNR Athena Pathway team. “The experience gap is real, and we’ve all raced Olympic boats, but in this foiling era of sailing there is very little opportunity, and experience with women sailors marks a huge step forward.”

“This regatta is such a step in bridging that gap and showcasing to the world what female sailors can do, and we all feel that responsibility here to demonstrate that,” said Mills, who also sails in SailGP. “We need to make this event the biggest success we can, talk about it, shout about it, tell everyone we know what’s going on and why it’s important to gain traction going forward, and hopefully whoever wins the America’s Cup, sees this as a huge part of it going forward as well.”

“It’s what we’ve been missing for a while now, having the chance to sail on these boats. It is just the beginning now and we are getting more experience, I think we all want to sail on the AC75 for the next campaign, but for myself, I want to be involved in this kind of project only if I deserve it,” said Manon Audinet, skipper of France’s Orient Express L’Oréal Racing Team.

“We are going to have more women involved in the America’s Cup over the next event, and I can’t wait to see women on the big boats for the next one,” said Audinet.

Surprisingly, none of the women have set foot on or driven an AC75!

“It’s exhilarating to be able to be doing these sorts of speeds on such amazing foiling craft, and with the best women sailors in the world it is, honestly, surreal,” said Olivia Price, Olympic silver medalist and skipper of Andoo Team Australia. “It is the first step, hopefully, to continue women’s racing and to create that pathway for youth and women sailors coming through. It still gives me goosebumps to say we are part of history. This is the first Women’s America’s Cup; of course, we have had women involved in the past, but not one event for ourselves where we are racing as equals all together.”

“It’s the biggest stage in sailing, being out on the water sharing the course with the AC75s, and we’re going to have just as many people tune in to watch us; it’s not just the 5- or 8-year-old girls who are going to be able to have a female role model in the sport, but it’s also the commercial side,” said Isabelle Bertold, skipper of Concord Pacific Racing.

“We’ve seen more and more data over the past two years that women’s sport has some of the most engaged fans, and that drives sponsorship revenues for the teams as well and drums up even more support. I think this is just the start, and we are going to see women’s sailing and women’s sport progress, and at a rapid pace,” said Bertold.

Again, we are beholden to the efforts of our hosts, Turismo Barcelona.