The take-off is complete: embRACING Team Germany will compete with two teams in the America's Cup in 2024. The double participation has now been confirmed by the New Zealand Cup organisers from AC37 Event Limited. The green light and welcome for the young and female Cup chasers from Germany was sent personally by Grant Dalton, the boss of the America's Cup defenders from Emirates Team New Zealand: "It is a great pleasure for us to welcome Germany as a participant in these exciting events in Barcelona 2024."
The entry fee has been transferred, NRV and KYC at the side of the Cup Youth
The required entry fee of around 70,000 euros for both teams and competitions has been transferred and the starting authorisation granted. Both the German youth team and the German women's team will start for the Kieler Yacht-Club and the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein. The two leading clubs have joined forces to support the ambitious young double campaign.
"First of all, we are delighted that the Cup defenders from New Zealand have invited us to both events and have now confirmed our participation," commented coordinator and sponsor Marc Pickel on the milestone. The two-time Olympian, star boat designer, successful Olympic coach and partner of embRACING UG has been working with the group led by Kiel-based founder Paul Farien on the double campaign that has now been launched since 2022.
"The event, Barcelona as the venue and the timing are strong arguments in favour of a German campaign"
Commenting on his involvement and the next steps, Marc Pickel said: "We are focusing on a long-term project with which we can launch into a new German America's Cup era. The group is strong and we are working hard. The first important step has been taken. We are currently trying to build up further financial support so that we can start the Youth and Women's America's Cup in 2024 in a powerful and success-orientated way. The chances of this are good. The concepts of the Youth and Women's America's Cup and the AC40 yachts are convincing. The event, Barcelona as the venue and the timing are strong arguments in favour of this German campaign."
Boris Herrmann: "There are a few very talented sailors with great potential in the team"
The team manager of the German Youth America's Cup team on the move is 23-year-old embRACING Managing Director Paul Farien from Kiel. The socio-economist, Waszp Kiel Week winner and forward thinker says: "Our time is now. We are heading for the America's Cup with new ideas, a high level of commitment and a lot of sustainability." Vendée Globe and Ocean Race circumnavigator Boris Herrmann supports the young German Cup movement: "There are some very talented sailors with great potential in the team."
Laser world champion Philipp Buhl, who himself took part in the premiere of the Youth America's Cup with Team All in Racing in 2013, also says: "Many of the young sailors have great qualifications. Especially in the foiling sector, there are not many nations with so much concentrated ambition and ability." Members of the core youth team in the opening phase are Alica Stuhlemmer (23, Kiel), Lukas Hesse (23, Pfaffing), Linus von Oppen (23, Berlin), Jesse Lindstädt (22, Norderstedt) and Julian Hoffmann (20, Blaichach-Ettensberg).
Olympic medallists are on fire for the Cup
The team manager of the German team for the Women's America's Cup is the 29-year-old former Olympic participant and Nacra 17 sailor Carolina Werner from Schwedeneck. Successful German sailors such as the Olympic silver medallists Tina Lutz from Innsbruck and Susann Beucke from Strande, the 25-year-old 470 world champion Luise Wanser from Hamburg, the 27-year-old Moth sailor Franziska Mäge from Starnberg and the 21-year-old twin sisters Sophie and Theresa Steinlein from Starnberg are also involved in the starting phase of the women's team. A double commitment of female sailors in both the Youth and the Women's America's Cup is not out of the question.
The next steps in the campaign, which has got off to a strong start with its first partners, will focus on expanding the partner pool and setting up a base camp in Kiel. In the initial phase, the team is already being supported by partners such as Venjakob Maschinenbau GmbH and Fisacon AG as well as Voigt Logistik GmbH, Vector Foiltec Holding, Peter Frisch GmbH and young talent promoter Tommy Müller from Hamburg.
Ideally, two AC40 trailers should come to Kiel for training
"We need more strong partners, are currently holding very promising talks and may be able to announce further successes in the coming weeks. We have an action plan that will be implemented in several stages in coordination with our stage successes and the partners at our side," said Marc Pickel. Ideally, Team Germany would like to bring two AC40 trailers to the northern German "Sailing City" of Kiel and train on the boats on which the Youth and Women's America's Cup will be contested in 2024 and on which the major powers will also train in the America's Cup.
There are also plans to purchase smaller foilers to prepare the athletes for the high-calibre international competition. On course for the Cup future, the team's motto is based on the team name: "EmbRACING future moments - Youth, Diversity, Performance". The role model for the youngsters and the women's team are the four-time America's Cup winners from Emirates Team New Zealand, who first won in 1995 and are currently defending the "Auld Mug".
Team Germany is modelled on the Emirates Team New Zealand
Marc Pickel explains: "The Kiwis were never the richest team, but they have nevertheless set standards over almost three decades. The work culture of the New Zealanders, their Cup history from the first victory in 1995 to the present day, the emotional Red Socks campaign around Sir Peter Blake from back then and their creativity combined with great skill are our inspiration and our motivation."
The German team's own team culture and the central theme have merged into the name embRACING: the combination of the English term "embracing" and "racing" is intended to summarise the team attitude and the common sporting goals. The Youth America's Cup (from 19 September) and the Women's America's Cup (from 3 October) will be held off Barcelona in 2024. Female sailors can take part in both competitions, which will be held consecutively. In the Youth America's Cup, the maximum age limit is 25 years.
Sailing on "pocket-sized rockets"
Twelve international teams, including the youngsters of the current challengers and defenders in the 37th America's Cup, will be at the start. They will be sailing on AC40 foils. The little sisters of the America's Cup yachts of the AC75 type were designed for the youth and women's competition. The powerful "pocket-sized rockets" are sailed by crews of four. The opening ceremony for the America's Cup 2024 will take place on 22 August in Barcelona. The challenger series follows in September. The 37th America's Cup duel begins on 12 October.
