Hi Everyone,
A quick update on what Canada’s Women’s and Youth America’s Cup Teams have been up to. We have been getting a lot of questions, so hopefully we answer some of them here.
Where is the Team based?
Barcelona, Spain
Why?
This is where we will be racing in September and October, and it is important to get used to sailing at the venue where we will be racing. Most of the teams that we will be racing against are also sailing here.
Who is on the Team?
The final team will be announced mid May after final selections are made. The final team will have 5 female sailors and 4 youth sailors, and one data analyst. The sailors are from across the country.
When will we know who the team is?
The final selections for the team will be made early May, with an announcement to follow mid May.
How are you training at the moment?
The team primarily trains on an AC40 simulator. It is very similar to sailing the actual boat in terms of load on the wheel, how the boat responds, and all of the buttons are the same as on the boat. This is especially important for the trimmers who need to know exactly what button or toggle to move to adjust the sails as needed (which is a lot!). Everything needs to be second nature, and for fun, the team even sometimes sails with half of the boat blindfolded. There is also a lot of data to process after each session to understand what makes the boat sail faster. All of the data is proprietary, and is not shared between teams, so every team must determine their own hypothesis about what will make the boat sail the fastest. Apart from simulator training, time is spent sailing on the water in moths and 49er’s/FX’s.
When will you get to sail an AC40 on the water?
Hopefully soon! The boats are very complex, and just to get on the water requires a shore support crew of 10 people, two big chase boats (keep in mind, the boat sails at 35-45 knots!), and safety team members. The teams that are not associated with a Men’s America’s Cup team are all working together to get out training on an AC40 very soon, however all of this also comes with a big financial cost and given our current budget, is a hurdle that we still need to overcome.
How can we support?
We have a few exciting fundraising events coming up very soon including a lottery with a VIP Experience at the America’s Cup as the grand prize. We are also very grateful for donations, all of which are tax receiptable. We are running a very budget program, and are very grateful for the support that we have received to help get us to this point. Unfortunately, some of the bigger expenses cannot be reduced, for example, one day of training on an AC40 costs approximately $15,000 - so to help the team get out on the water, we have a lot of fundraising to do!
Have you watched any of the AC40 racing that took place earlier in the year? If you haven't, click here to get a taste of what is to come in September and October!
Written by Isabella Bertold, Women’s Team Lead, America's Cup Team Canada