It took 173 years but the America's Cup is finally a woman’s game

Women's sailing has made remarkable progress over the years, thanks to pioneers and athletes who have broken gender barriers across the yachting world. In an interview in Sail-World by John Curnow, two experienced female sailors, Keryn McMaster and Lisa McDonald, share their stories, experiences and visions for the future of women's sailing, culminating with the historic Puig Women's America's Cup in Barcelona.

McMaster was a pioneer of women's offshore sailing in New Zealand in the 1990s and a member of the fully professional women's team on Wild Oats X, which finished second overall in IRC in the 2018 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. McDonald, from the USA, was part of the first female entry (apart from Dave Dellenbaugh) in the 1995 America's Cup aboard America3 Mighty Mary (USA-43) and has competed in most of the world's major regattas.

Keryn McMaster explains how she grew up at sea with her parents, inspired by figures like Leah Newbold, who had just finished the Whitbread Race on Heineken and offered her a place on his team for the next race. 

Lisa McDonald, on the other hand, found her passion for sailing in the stories of her grandfather sailing clipper boats in the Last Grain Race (from Australia to Britain in around 100 days) and the America's Cup in Newport. She took on her first ocean crossing at the age of 19, where she first experienced the fury of Mother Nature out in the ocean, dodging past hurricanes. An experience that changed her life.

While reflecting on the significant changes that have taken place in the world of professional sailing since the 1990s, both sailors confirm that today women tend to be judged on the basis of their abilities rather than their gender, and the degree of visibility with regards to women's events is increasing. The younger generation can finally see that it is possible to achieve goals that once seemed unattainable. Keryn McMaster emphasises the importance of social media in connecting female athletes by helping to promote female participation. In the 1970s and 1980s, women’s presence in sports was limited, even more so in sailing. At that time, Britain's Tracy Edwards (the first skipper of an all-female team in the Whitbread Round the World race and winner of the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy) made history with Maiden, but few women imagined they could follow in her footsteps. It was only when US sailor Dawn Riley took the helm of Heineken after her participation in the America's Cup, that sailing finally began giving the impression that it was opening its doors to women athletes. Despite this step forward, however, the sport remained a male-dominated world and many women were still left to watch from the sidelines. Over the years, Italy has seen the rise of Francesca Clapcich and Cecilia Zorzi, both female sailors flying the flag of inclusiveness, high-level female ocean sailing and more.

Both sailors highlight the strong sense of community that sailing offers, along with the physical challenge and continuous innovation that defines it. Sailing not only stimulates healthy competition, it also creates lasting bonds and offers professional opportunities, even in technical fields that often tend to be overlooked.

Keryn McMaster advises young women to be proactive, to be ready to engage and learn a variety of skills. Building connections in the sailing community is key to opening doors and finding opportunities. The important thing, she says, is to enjoy the journey and value the friendships you make along the way.

The first edition of the Puig Women's America's Cup represents an epic achievement, a much-needed opportunity for women throughout the sailing world. With more events like this, the conditions will soon be such that women be able to easily access, compete and succeed at higher levels. Leah Newbold, who has competed in two editions of the America's Cup, had always dreamed that one day there would actually be a women's team, and now that dream is becoming a reality: something to celebrate for the next generation of female sailors!

The wind was quite tricky on the days dedicated to the women's regattas; individual races to decide the semi-finalists of Group A, the one represented by the teams belonging to the AC75 team syndicates, were a challenge for all. Emirates Team New Zealand had its ups and downs, managed to reach the semi-finals by a whisker, but unfortunately ended their try there.

As was only natural, once Emirates Team New Zealand had left the semi-finals, SLAM, as an Italian brand, also cheered on Luna Rossa as they competed in the final match against INEOS Britannia. It was great to see Giulia Conti at the helm again, with her 470 bowwoman Giovanna Micol, with whom she took part in the Beijing and London Olympics (with SLAM as the official supplier to the Italian Sailing Federation); Giulia also raced against her 49erFX bowwoman Francesca Clapcich (with whom she won European and World Championships in 2015 and took part in the Rio 2016 Olympics) who was at the helm of the NYYC American Magic Women's Team. Italy's final victory was the perfect redemption for Giulia Conti, who in four Olympics has never managed to claim a medal, despite being among the strongest and most eclectic helmswomen in the world. The Puig Women's America's Cup, in the final, brought her back to a speciality in which she is – also – among the strongest, so much so that she won silver at a women's Grade 1 Match Race in Florida in 2010.

All that remains is to congratulate the entire Luna Rossa team, who like Youth team deserved every ounce of the victory they achieved. For the girls onboard Emirates Team New Zealand, we hope the experience has only stoked their determination to continue with AC40 racing!