Australian women’s America’s Cup crew out to make splash, not crash at historic regatta

Watching and listening to teammates race in the youth America’s Cup has provided crucial intel for Australia’s first women’s team - including how not to make too much of a splash.

The Australian team on the water ahead of the women’s America’s Cup. Picture: Nic Douglass @sailorgirlhq

Australia’s youth team created the biggest splash and best moment on the highlight reel during their America’s Cup campaign with a spectacular high-speed nose dive.

Now teammates preparing for the women’s regatta have studied the footage in detail and spoken to the crew in a bid to prevent a repeat of one of the biggest crashes of the event in Barcelona.

Incredibly the boat and Andoo Australian crew escaped any major injury or damage when the AC40 footer hit rough water at speed and nose dived in spectacular fashion during the youth racing.

Helm Jack Ferguson described it as “a tsunami of water in your face” which blew his googles clean off his head as tons of water flooded the boat in the dangerous pitch pole, where the foiling boat went from 38 knots (70km/h) to zero in seconds.

The women’s team watched in horror but have now been fully debriefed by the youth team to prevent making the same mistake in their racing kicking off on Sunday.

NAILED IT: Aussies creating AC history

The Australian team creating a splash at the Youth America's Cup. Picture: Supplied/ Nic Douglass/@sailorgirlhq

“We were actually listening to all of their communication at the time so we could kind of digest what was happening and figure it out ourselves,” said Harding, a Victorian sailor who campaigned for the Paris Olympics in the 49erFX with Americas Cup crewmate Annie Wilmot but missed out to fellow helm Olivia Price who finished ninth with youngster Evie Haseldine in Marseille.

Australian sailors Lisa Darmanin, Olivia Price, Laura Harding and Annie Wilmot.

“The boys came to us with the things that they changed after in terms of the settings on the boat and how they operate.

“So hopefully we won’t make that mistake too.”

Harding said she, Price, Wilmot and trimmer Lisa Darmanin have spent hours with the youth team sailors learning from their experience, crucial given the limited time they have spent in the AC40 learning its nuances on the water.

“They also took notes each day, so we’ve been going through them as a women’s team to figure out things,’’ Harding said.

The Australian team on the water. Picture: Nic Douglass @sailorgirlhq

Australia is one of the invited teams competing at the historic event, the first time women have had their own regatta in the famous sailing competition first held back in 1851 and won by the 100-foot schooner America.

The invited teams will compete in a separate draw to the teams associated with Louis Vuitton America’s Cup challenges and the defender - Great Britain, USA, Italy, Switzerland, France and New Zealand.

This pool has had considerable more time in the foiling 40 footers been raced compared to invited teams with most of Australia’s experience in a computer race simulator they trained on in a Sydney office prior to arriving in Barcelona.

But in an encouraging sign and after just a few hours in the boat this week in training sessions, the Australians managed a third place in the fleet of six in their first practice race, a fifth in the following after a touchdown and finally a morale-boosting second in their third outing.

The Qualification Series involves eight fleet races for both groups with the top three from both pools progressing to the four race semi final.

The top two will then race in a winner-take-all Match Race finale.

The regatta starts on the October 5 for Pool A with Australia expected to take the water with Pool B rivals late Sunday Australian time.

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