Jo Aleh knows progression has to start somewhere.
Last week, the double Olympic medallist and world champion sailor was among the four new faces named in Emirates Team New Zealand’s crew for their America’s Cup defence in Naples in 2027.
Aleh was co-helm for the team in the inaugural Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona and will be among the first women to sail aboard the AC75 foiling monohulls. It comes after the protocol for the 38th edition of the Cup stated all teams must have a woman on board in Italy.
“It’s always a little difficult when there’s a quota system and I know at the Women’s AC last year, a lot of us were probably a little bit against that kind of rule because we thought it might take away from the Women’s America’s Cup itself,” Aleh told the Herald.
“But I think what’s happening now is really amazing in that the Women’s AC is going to be there, it’s going to be a really strong kind of feeder event and the fact that there was some way to step up after that Women’s AC into a main sailing team role, I think is amazing.
“Hopefully in a few years you don’t need a quota, but you’ve got to start somewhere and, yeah, I can’t complain.”
The thought of adding a quota for a female sailor on board was one Team NZ chief executive Grant Dalton grappled with. Initially, he was “quite verbally against” a quota, saying it gave the impression that the athlete had been included to tick a box.
However, he changed his mind after considering what the next step was in getting women on to the boat after the success of the women’s regatta in Barcelona.
“Two things changed. One, the physicality came off the boat [with cyclors replaced by batteries], so an opportunity arose which wasn’t there before because you only had four guys and the rest was power-based,” Dalton said.
“Secondly, the argument was put to me that the Women’s America’s Cup was hugely successful, we’re doing it again, so now what? They’re never going to make the jump because, rightly or wrongly, instinctively, the guys are going to pick the guys.
“So if you don’t mandate, because remember, I was against it, you won’t ever actually make it happen. So, definitely, the argument is fair that a mandate just creates potentially a woman on the boat and, you know, we wouldn’t have done it.
“The flipside of that is unless you actually do it, it will never happen and because it’s not a power-based role, it’s a skill-based role, they’re infinitely as capable as the guys.”
Like many in the Women’s America’s Cup fleet last year, Aleh’s resume speaks for itself.
Earning her place in the squad, the 39-year-old was relishing the opportunity to get involved in the team’s bid to claim the Auld Mug for a fourth-straight time.
“I think the Women’s AC was the first time that everyone in the world could see that we can sail these boats, so just give us a chance. Give us the keys and we’ll take it for a drive,” Aleh said.
“I think that really helped in terms of just breaking a bit of that barrier and also the experience factor. The only way to get good at sailing these boats is to sail these boats and that’s what, hopefully, we get to do now.”
The team have yet to provide an indication as to what the roles will be for the sailors on board, though Dalton hinted that British sailor Chris Draper was brought in with the intention of him helming on the port side as Nathan Outteridge shifts to the starboard side.
Aleh said it was early days and those sorts of things would become clearer as the campaign progressed, particularly as the team figured out how best to sail the AC75 with five sailors.
Aleh, along with fellow recruits Seb Menzies, Josh Armit and Jake Pye, had been diving into work on the AC75 simulator over the last couple of weeks to try to get the feeling for what will be a step up from the scaled-down AC40 sailed in the Youth and Women’s America’s Cups.
Aleh, Menzies and Armit all have experience on the AC40, having competed in Barcelona, while Pye comes in completely new to the class.
“A lot of time in a windowless room, but it’s an amazing learning tool,” Aleh said of working on the simulator. “A huge amount to learn and it’s quite a difference from the AC40. That was really simple, really, in a way.
“Obviously, the 75 is a lot more complex, so a lot to learn, but that’s what makes it fun.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.