Women's America's Cup: Historic opportunity - Sailors storm Barcelona stage

173 years after its premiere, the America's Cup is opening a new chapter: The first Women's America's Cup begins this weekend off Barcelona. With the starting signal for the historic launch of an all-women's competition under the America's Cup umbrella, the sailors from AC Team Germany are also being challenged.

17 Olympic medallists at the start

As in the Youth America's Cup in September, the sailors from AC Team Germany are also facing a Herculean task. Out of twelve teams, they are the only ones apart from Holland who, for financial reasons, had never sailed one of the new fast AC40 mini-cuppers on which the women's cup is contested until the first training session in Barcelona.

It is the first time in the long and illustrious history of the world's most famous sailing regatta that there is a separate America's Cup for women. The best female Olympic sailors and other talents from twelve teams from just as many countries have gathered in Barcelona for the event. Among them are 17 Olympic medallists. One of them is Tina Lutz (Chiemsee Yacht Club) in the AC Team Germany squad. The former 49erFX helmswoman won silver in Enoshima in 2021.

The women from AC Team Germany have spent more than half a year in the simulator in Kiel preparing intensively for the challenge. All six women will rotate in a total of eight fleet races on two qualification days in the four-person crew on the AC40 mini-cuppers. The team captain is the former Nacra 17 foresailor Carolina Werner from the Kiel Yacht Club.

Six female sailors for AC Team Germany

At her side as skipper is Maru Scheel (Kieler Yacht-Club), who already held the same position in the Youth America's Cup and brings valuable experience at the helm of the AC40 to the women's crew. Victoria Jurczok (Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee), the 49erFX Olympic ninth-placer and 2016 World Championship bronze medallist, will join the team as the third pilot. In addition to Carolina Werner, 470 World Champion Luise Wanser and Jill Paland from the NRV Olympic Team are trimmers in the GER line-up.

Carolina Werner from Kiel says: "We are aware of our disadvantage that we had never sailed an AC40 foiler before our arrival in Barcelona, like the Dutch women, but we were able to learn a lot over three days of training in Barcelona. In addition, one of our helmswomen, Maru Scheel, has already taken part in the Youth America's Cup on the same boats. She brings valuable experience to the team."

From 4 October, the teams will be challenged in the Women's America's Cup. Maru Scheel is set on the already tried and tested port position. Tina Lutz and Victoria Jurczok will alternate at the helm on the starboard side of the positions occupied by the four-person crews. Carolina Werner, Luise Wanser and Jill Paland rotate as trimmers. The coach of the women from AC Team Germany is former Olympic and round-the-world sailor Annie Lush.

Simulator training as a "very good" basis

Tina Lutz authentically described just how steep the learning curve will be for the German and Dutch teams led by 49er Olympic champion Odile van Aanholt: "Our work in the simulator was valuable and important. The simulator prepares you very well to press the buttons correctly. But it doesn't prepare you to steer the boat correctly. Nor does it prepare you to trim the sails correctly. Only on the water do you suddenly have the sailing experience, the experience of the pressure in the sails, the speeder experience and the experience of how the boat reacts."

"To realise all this, you need time on the water, of course. You only become a better sailor if you spend time sailing. So of course I would have liked to spend more time on these boats. Two days were not enough. We will do our best. But we have take-off problems with the boat. I find it harder than expected. That's something you couldn't practise in the simulator."

The German sailors' opponents in qualifying group B are Jajo Team Dutchsail, the Canadian team Concord Pacific Racing, the Swedish Challenge Team powered by Artemis Technologies and Andoo Team Australia. The six women's crews from the current America's Cup campaigns will compete in Qualification Group A: Emirates Team New Zealand, Athena Pathway (under the umbrella of Ineos Britannia), Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, NYY American Magic and Orient Express-L'Oréal Racing Team.

Duel for victory in the America's Cup for women

In both groups, the top three qualify for the final series of the best six of the twelve teams. The semi-final series will be played with four fleetreces on 11 October. The two top teams will battle it out in the knockout final match on 13 October for victory in the first Women's America's Cup.

Ten of the twelve women's teams were able to train for between a few days and several months on chartered or (team) owned AC40 yachts long before the summit attempt. Naturally, the teams associated with the America's Cup campaigns and the Swedish women, whose team has its own AC40 foiler, had the most sailing time.

This is another reason why two-time America's Cup winner and team mentor Jochen Schümann said: "This time, taking part is really everything. The Youth and Women's America's Cup will continue to exist in the future." According to Schümann, Barcelona is all about "learning, preserving and passing on". For all nations not involved in the current America's Cup, the gap would otherwise be "even bigger".

From Kiel to Barcelona's sailing world stage

The long-term goal of the "super small start-up" behind AC Team Germany, which was launched by Kiel sailor Paul Farien in 2022 and has since grown, is a German comeback in the America's Cup. In addition to the young sailors and now the female sailors, Jochen Schümann and a group of sponsors and marketers are also working towards this goal. The heart of the racing team on the move is the newly founded Kiel Foiling Academy, where young German Cup sailors have been preparing intensively on a simulator for the premières in the Youth and Women's America's Cup.

Schümann describes the task of the campaign, which is operating with a mini-budget of 300,000 euros in the current Cup year, as follows: "This is the start of something new in the long term, for a better future in the Youth and Women's America's Cup and beyond that for a real German America's Cup team as a real home for performance."

Getting there is not easy. The German sailors have invested a lot in their participation in the Women's America's Cup. They have fought hard for their chance. Victoria Jurczok was not the only one to experience the "best sailing hours of my life" on the AC40 foiling rockets in the few hours of training before Barcelona.

A spirit of optimism in the Women's America's Cup

The new favourite class of the international Cup sailing elite and up-and-coming talents is soon to have its own international series. For AC Team Germany, participation in this series would also be another important building block on the comeback course for potential German America's Cup contenders.

On the day that Inos Britannia won the Louis Vuitton Cup and secured the golden ticket to the 37th America's Cup, the pre-match press conference for the Women's America's Cup was remarkably refreshing and authentic. There was a very special atmosphere of optimism there. There was a lot of fresh energy, genuine enthusiasm and plenty of ambition in the air on the eve of the starting signal for the historic women's regatta in the name of the America's Cup.

Canadian skipper Isabelle Bertold described the sailors' shared opportunity well: "When we're on the water, we'll be sharing the course with the AC75s on the biggest stage in sailing. We'll have just as many spectators. Not just the five- or eight-year-old girls who can experience a female role model in the sport. It also applies to the commercial side. We've seen more and more data over the past few years that shows that women's sport has some of the most dedicated fans."

I believe this is just the beginning. We will see how women's sailing and women's sport continue to develop, and at a rapid pace." Isabelle Bertold

According to Isabelle Bertold, who arrived in a bright red T-shirt labelled "It's time!", this "also boosts the sponsorship income for the teams and ensures even more support". She went on to say about the competition in the 'invited' group: "In our pool (ed.: qualifying group B), I think there is less experience on the boats. So it will be about keeping it simple and learning as quickly as possible. But my biggest realisation is that the races have been really fun. I can't wait for our first race."

The female path to the America's Cup

Two-time Olympic champion Hannah Mills put it in a nutshell: "The generation before us knocked so hard on this door. I have the feeling that we are the ones who are now shooting through it. And hopefully the door will then open wide for the next generation to unlimited opportunities in our sport."

The Dutch Olympic champion Odile van Aanholt reported that she had already dreamed of the Olympics as a four-year-old. She soon realised that as a woman and a sailor, there could be a real way to get there - and successfully followed it all the way to 49erFX gold in Marseille. "I only realised two years ago that there could be a path to the America's Cup for us. That's a big step. And I hope it's just the first step."

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli's skipper Giulia Conti said: "We all share a deep bond here. We are part of something historic. We will always share that in the future. I am really incredibly proud that we are here." The female sailors in Barcelona want nothing less than to prepare for future roles in the America's Cup - and to get them.

First starting signal at the weekend

The first starting signal for the Puig Women's America's Cup will be given on Saturday (5 October) at 2 pm. Here is the live link. On 6 October, the qualifying group with the women from AC Team Germany will also be required for the first time from 2 pm. The races are broadcast live here.

Worth seeing and hearing, because very inspiring! The press conference with the sailors of the teams in the 1st Women's America's Cup: