In training with the new Tudor Team Alinghi helmswoman Nathalie Brugger has often beaten the men in her team. The 40-year-old is a female ace up the sleeve of the Swiss challengers in the 38th Louis Vuitton America's Cup. Known as an extremely tenacious competitor, the Lausanne-born former Laser Radial and Nacra 17 helmswoman could already be a contender for the title. at the first pre-regatta from 21 to 24 May in Cagliari.
Nathalie Brugger: a three-time Olympian on course for the America's Cup
The 1.74 metre tall sports scientist is a member of the in the first officially presented core squad of Ernesto Bertarelli's Tudor Team Alinghi. The racing team of the two-time America's Cup winner has nominated Nathalie Brugger as a helmswoman in the team. Alongside the furious New Zealand attacker Phil Robertson, who is also active as helmsman in the Italian SailGP team, she will steer the Swiss AC40 in the first pre-regatta in Cagliari.
Nathalie Brugger gained her first Cup experience at the Women's America's Cup 2024 in Barcelona. But now the omens are different, better. Surrounded by a top team with world-class trimmers Pietro Sibello (Italy), Nicolas Rolaz (Switzerland) and the versatile helmsman and trimmer Jason Waterhouse (Australia), Brugger can draw on her full potential as a helmswoman and thinker.
In training, she has already proven in series that she can beat the men. Nevertheless, Nathalie Brugger remains modest on course for Cagliari, saying recently: "We have just completed six intensive training days in Barcelona. That was a steep learning curve, especially for me. It was priceless to sail alongside such experienced America's Cup sailors. The team was incredibly open and supportive."
As a new group, we are not only developing on the water. We are also building strong cohesion and trust off the water." Nathalie Brugger
Nathalie Brugger's sailing career is impressive: she first took part in the Olympic regatta in the Chinese territory of Qingdao in 2008, finishing sixth in the highly competitive Laser Radial class when America's exceptional sailor Anna Tunnicliffe won gold ahead of Gintare Scheidt. One place behind Brugger at the time: Jo Aleh, the later 470 Olympic champion and current strong woman in the team of New Zealand's America's Cup defenders from Emirates Team New Zealand.
First an Olympian, then a coach and skipper in the Women's America's Cup
Nathalie Brugger qualified again for the 2012 Olympics in the Laser Radial, finishing fourteenth. In 2016, she raced to seventh place in the Nacra 17 class at her third Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro's Guanabara Bay. Brugger's current team-mate Jaso Waterhouse won silver behind Santi Langa and Cecilia Carranza with SailGP reporter Lisa Damrmanin.
Along the way, Nathalie Brugger shone with bronze at the first ever Nacra 17 World Championships in The Hague in 2013. Following her active Olympic career, she switched to coaching and coached her highly talented compatriot Maud Jayet on her Olympic course.
As a sought-after sailor, Nathalie Brugger remained active in classes such as Decision 35, J70, Diam 24 and TF35. She was already the top candidate to skipper Team Alinghi in the Women's America's Cup in 2024. She led the team to a remarkable race win and finished in the top three on the final day. A mistake and the merciless tiebreak system cost the Swiss women a place in the final round.
Nathalie Brugger's rise: step by step to the Cup
However, Nathalie proved to be an exemplary team leader and said afterwards: "Looking back, it was incredible to build a team from scratch with women who perhaps had less experience. A few months ago, some of us had never been on a foiling boat, never sailed at more than 10 knots - and here we are."
We have achieved amazing things, won a race and were in the lead at the top marks. So I think we can be proud of our journey together." Nathalie Brugger
Nathalie Brugger is now back in the newly formed Tudor Team Alinghi and is already well integrated into the team. Like the other America's Cup teams, the Swiss racing team is currently focussing on the Cagliari pre-regatta. Later in the year, the Swiss team's large AC75 spoiler will also be used. Five of the now six America's Cup teams want to get involved in the America's Cup pre-regatta in Sardinia.
The three "superpowers" will compete with two boats each: The Cup defenders from Emirates Team New Zealand, Sir Ben Ainslie's British Team GB1 and the "hosts" from Patrizio Bertelli's Team Luna Rossa are sending an A-team and a mix of youngsters and female sailors to the start. Exciting: Will the women and the Cup youngsters be able to stand up to the established teams, perhaps even beat them?
New opportunities for women in the America's Cup
The French La Roche-Posay Racing Team and the Swiss team will each enter the pre-regatta with one boat. For the recently announced last-minute campaign of the American Racing Challenger Teams USAwho have just announced the appointment of double Olympic champion and SailGP helmsman Giles Scott as sailing director, the pre-regatta came too soon.
The 38th Louis Vuitton America's Cup pre-regatta thus offers completely new opportunities for female sailors. For the first time, they will be competing on a common stage against the male Cup celebrities. The next step to the AC75 Cup yachts has been shortened as a result. How does that feel?
It feels like a huge step forward for women in sailing." Nathalie Brugger
Brugger also explained why she sees it that way: "There have been no women on these boats for the last 50 years, and suddenly we have the chance to catch up. I don't think the guys realise how much catching up we have to do, because in the last few days they've been totally open, talking about the project, and sometimes I thought: 'Guys, I've never seen this and this and this'."
Nathalie Brugger: "Steep learning curve, lots of numbers, huge opportunity"
When YACHT 2024 asked the skippers for the Women's America's Cup gathered on stage at a press conference in Barcelona who had ever been on an AC75 yacht, not one of them was able to answer "yes". That should change.
Nathalie Brugger knows: "Now it's up to me to work my way through the data and the technical part and try to catch up. The experienced athletes are helping me. That's really cool. They really want me to be at the same level. And it's a huge opportunity for me. I'm learning every day. It's definitely a steep learning curve."
This is also due to the fact that data analysis plays an important role on board the small and large Cup yachts. Nathalie Brugger says: "I quickly realised that I had to get to grips with numbers - and lots of them! And even the AC40 experience with all the data analysis is a big deal and a first for me. Even as an Olympic athlete, you look at this data and think: 'That's not possible.
It's simply in a completely different league. And we only got a small taste of this level of data analysis in 2024." Nathalie Brugger
The other teams have also integrated strong women into their crews. It has become mandatory to race the Cup yachts with at least one woman in the crew. This motivates the teams to make commitments and provide intensive training for women in the America's Cup. Those taking part in the pre-regatta with two AC40s even have to crew the second boat with a 50:50 mix of youngsters and women. In this way, the female sailors who are aiming for a Cup and professional career are progressing step by step.
Data vixen Amélie Grassi joins the La Roche-Posay Racing Team
According to the regulations, the Cup teams only have to announce their line-up shortly before the start of the first pre-regatta off the coast of Sardinia. However, it is already clear that well-known female athletes will be taking part and gaining valuable new experience.
These include, for example, double Olympic champion and SailGP strategist Hannah Mills in Sir Ben Ainslie's Team GB1, New Zealander Jo Aleh in Emirates Team New Zealand, or in the French La Roche-Posay Racing Team - Offshore Ass, Ocean-Race-Europe- and Globe40 winner Amélie Grassiwho had already been brought onto the team by her "Biotherm" skipper Paul Meilhat due to her strong data analysis skills.
In the Italian team Luna Rossa, sports scientist Margherita Porro is the fourth helmswoman for the two AC40s alongside exceptional sailor Peter Burling, double Olympic champion Ruggero Tita and young star Marco Gradoni. She had teamed up with Giulia Conti and Italy's women to win the final of the first Women's America's Cup against Hannah Mill's British team. This battle will also after current intensive training Soon continued on the water. Of men and women in a boat.
Mixed comeback for the America's Cup: For the first time, men and women will compete with and against each other on the same stage in a pre-regatta for the 38th Louis Vuitton America's Cup:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
