Team NZ members speak about the launch of their 2024 America's Cup boat, the Taihoro. Video / Alyse Wright
A trio of America’s Cup teams are forming a new hive of activity as they look to get the jump on their competitors for the regatta in Barcelona later this year.
The women’s and youth America’s Cup teams of Ineos Britannia and American Magic, along with Swedish entry Artemis, have ventured to Badalona, about a 25-minute drive northeast of Barcelona, to set up their training programmes.
Speaking to the Herald, Ineos Britannia’s Hannah Mills, who will helm their Athena Pathway entry in the women’s regatta, said it was more out of necessity than anything else. However, she added it would be a beneficial space as they moved away from learning while sailing alongside the main America’s Cup team, who recently launched their new AC75 and will now be moving away from two-boat testing with their AC40s.
“Ineos Britannia were using the AC40s and we were upskilling alongside them. Now, we’re taking ownership of one of the AC40s as a youth and women’s programme and setting up our own base in Badalona, so we’re hoping to be on the water next week to start full sailing operations,” Mills said.
“It’s kind of a youth and women’s hub. I don’t know about American Magic, but the Ineos Britannia base wasn’t big enough once they had the AC75 to accommodate. It just made sense in that respect.”
The teams are looking to make the most of available time on the water with less than five months before racing starts in the Youth America’s Cup regatta, the inaugural women’s event being contested after its conclusion.
Along with the six syndicates contesting the America’s Cup, six more teams have been invited to make up a 12-strong fleet for the two AC40 regattas such as Artemis.
For the most part, the teams have been honing their skills in the AC40 simulator. However, Mills said you could only pick up so much from that.
The move from the Great Britain teams is the latest in their slow build toward the regattas later in the year, which has seen them involved in about six or seven on-water training sessions of up to an hour dispersed among simulation work over the past few months.
“[The simulator] is a really cool bit of kit that teaches you all the functions and buttons and how everything works, and the racing element is really good to do in that more controlled environment than on the boat,” Mills said.
“But there’s nothing like going on the boat. It’s a totally different experience because it’s just a sensory overload with everything that’s going on. The tariff is a billion times higher, so it’s important to get that time on the boat.”
Ineos Britannia's youth and women's America's Cup teams are moving into a new base. Photo / Paul Todd, America's Cup
Part of the challenge on the water is the sea state, with Barcelona offering up a wavy playing field.
“I think if it was a fully flat-water venue, the time in the boat would be slightly less of a challenge. But the venue is tough. There’s big waves at times, and that makes these boats exponentially harder,” Mills said.
“The wave direction can come from anywhere. It throws up a lot of different challenges, for sure. You can get weather systems coming through, and you can get the offshore breeze, which is really wacky and shifty.
“Sailing is such a funny sport where you compete over X amount of days and you’ll get whatever conditions you get, but you have to be ready for literally any condition.”
America’s Cup key dates
Barcelona Preliminary Regatta: August 22-25
Louis Vuitton Cup round-robins: August 29-September 8
