Women’s America’s Cup: Australian quartet create history, latest race updates

For the first time in 174 years Australian women have set sail in an America’s Cup. How the quartet on Andoo Australia are faring as the Pool B Racing begins.

The regatta is being contests in F40 foiling boats in Barcelona. Picture: Supplied.

It’s taken 174 years but Australian women are finally sailing in the America's Cup.

The Australian quartet of skipper Olivia Price, fellow helm Laura Harding and trimmers Annie Wilmot and Lisa Darmanin kicked off their campaign in the inaugural Women’s America’s Cup alongside five rival teams in Pool B.

A day earlier six crews associated with the Challenger and Defender syndicates raced their first four races in a historic moment for women.

The moment was not lost on the Australian women with Price claiming just the thought of competing in the famous regatta was “spine tingling’’.

Price is a 2012 Olympic match-racing silver medallist who finished ninth at the recent Paris Olympics in the foiling 49erFX class.

Harding and Wilmot were campaigning against Price in the same boat for the Olympics with Darmanin, a former Olympic silver medallist in the Nacra 17 class.

Racing on the opening day of the Women's America's Cup. Picture: Supplied/America’s Cup.

POOL B AMERICA’S CUP WOMEN’S RACING BLOW BY BLOW

Barcelona turned on the sun for the Australia’s first day of racing - just not a lot of wind.

RACE 1; The Australian crew diced for the lead in the first race in an encouraging early sign for their bid to make the semi-finals later this week.

Price and her crew led at the first mark and were just pipped for second place by the local Spanish team at the second and third roundings when disaster struck.

The Australians fell off their foils, losing speed and dropping back to fourth place on the final leg of the opening race.

Then the Spanish also touched down to allow Sweden to take the race win.

The rest of the fleet were unable to finish which resulted in a time out.

This meant results were based on placings in the previous leg where Australia were third.

RACE 2: Australia were penalised for being over at the start but recovered to take the lead early in the second race where just five boats raced after Sweden had a technical issue which stopped them from competing.

They were then never headed to claim their first win at the regatta

“Nice one ladies,” said Price to her crew after the emphatic win.

Spain finished second with The Netherlands third and Canada fourth with Germany disqualified for being out of bounds.
The win saw the Australians secure top spot in the pool.

RACE 3: In a major change of fortune, Australia were vying for a top three placing in the third race when they fell off their foils and then to the back of the fleet.

It took the Aussies significant time to recover as the breeze built and the leaders stretched the gap.

The Netherlands won from the consistent Spanish, Canada, Germany, Sweden with Australia last, 1m:33 behind.

RACE 4: Australia used the last place to fire themselves up for the final race of the day to finish in second place behind the Netherlands, just six seconds off the win.

Sweden, Spain, Germany and Canada followed.

This result put the Australians in third place overall behind the Netherlands and Spain going into the second day of racing.

Annie Wilmont, Olivia Price, Lisa Darmanin and Laura Harding. Picture: Nic Douglass @sailorgirlhq

TEAMS COMPETING THE WOMEN’S AMERICA’S CUP

Group B: Invited Teams

Spain (Royal Barcelona Yacht Club), The Netherlands (Royal Netherlands Yacht Club & Royal Maas Yacht Club). Canada (Royal Vancouver Yacht Club). Germany (Kieler Yacht Club, Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, Bayrischer Yacht Club & Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee), Sweden (Royal Swedish Yacht Club, Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club), Australia (Cruising Yacht Club of Australia).

Group A: America’s Cup Teams

New Zealand (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron), Great Britain (Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd), Switzerland (Société Nautique de Genève), USA (New York Yacht Club), Italy (Circolo della Vela Sicilia), France (Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez).

EARLIER: On day one of the regatta the teams associated with the America’s Cup challengers and defender New Zealand took to the waters off Barcelona in a big breeze and rough seas.

The Italian Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli was the standout performer and lead Pool A after four races and plenty of high-seed sailing and multiple touchdowns.

The Italians lead overall going into their second day of racing late Tuesday night form the Great Britain team, Athena Pathway, with Emirates Team New Zealand in third.

Only he top three teams from each pool will advance into the semis.

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Originally published as Women’s America’s Cup: Australian quartet create history, latest race updates