Hannah Mills says she believes there is a “strong chance that women will feature in the America’s Cup sailing teams in the next Cup cycle”.
Speaking before the start of the first Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona on Saturday, Mills, skipper and co-driver of the British challenger, said dozens of female sailors training and racing AC40s – smaller versions of the 75-foot Cup boats – would suffice to allow the best of them to move on to the senior teams.
“I think it’s enough,” she said when asked if they’ve had enough time to make an impact. “Especially, I think, for the cup teams whose youth and women have actually had a lot of time in the AC40, some of them will say, ‘Actually, wow, you know what, they could offer us something. So let’s bring them in and see where they can get.”
“As far as whether they would be able to get on the boat, I think it’s hard to say what your learning curve would be if you were to make that trip. It could be vertical, in which case you’ll be in a great place by the time the next Cup happens. I think there’s a good chance we’ll see women in the cup teams. Whether they race or not, I think it will purely depend on who does the best job on the day, in whatever role.”
Not only is Mills the captain of the British challenger, the two-time Olympic champion runs the Athena Pathway Programme, one of a group of entities within Ben Ainslie’s Athena Sports Group, which runs the youth and women’s America’s Cup teams.
Mills’ British team has been based in Barcelona since April and has been sailing an AC40 since May.
The youth team finished third in the youth regatta last month and narrowly missed out on a place in the final match against winners Luna Rossa, but hopes are high that Mills can lead her crew to success on the waters of Barcelona.
With an enviable budget, backed by the support of Cobham Ultra, and a hand-picked sailing team including Ellie Aldridge, the newly crowned Olympic kitefoiling champion, and Saskia Clark, Mills’ old 470 crew, the British challenge must be one of the best prepared.
However, Mills said that regardless of how her team fared, the introduction of a women-only regatta, which offers female sailors opportunities in high-quality foil boats, could only be helpful in propelling women into the Cup itself.
At least four of the eight spots on board an AC75 – the helmsmen and trimmers, who do not have power-based roles – could in theory be filled by women.
‘The potential for some to grow into a cup team is finally there’
The AC40 uses the same system as the AC75, with two helmets and two trimmers. The only difference is that the AC40s are powered entirely by batteries, while the larger boats are powered by batteries and cyclone power.
“It’s so important this regatta,” Mills continued. “Because the result is that we give 48, if not more, women the opportunity to train en masse in this type of sailing, and we have never had that before. And so we leave this event with 48 women who are very good at sailing these types of boats. And so the potential for some to perhaps progress to a cup team is finally there. I just don’t see how that would have happened without this being here.”
The women’s America’s Cup will feature a total of twelve teams, competing in two groups. Six from the established cup teams and six more from Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Canada, Sweden and Australia. Mills’ team, which shares a base in Badalona with Artemis and American Magic, would expect to at least advance to the semifinals. After a rigorous selection process, Mills will share the helm with Natasha Bryant, an Australian with SailGP experience, while Clark and Hannah Diamond will be the trimmers. Mills named Luna Rossa as their biggest threat.
“The Italians are definitely the ones to watch. Their youth team was super fast, with Marco Gradoni as a breakout star. And when I see their women sailing too, they have certainly positioned themselves very well.
Ainslie, who saw Mills as helming the British SailGP boat when he stepped down last winter and who could theoretically consider her for the role again as Giles Scott moves to Canada, backed Mills to impress in the ongoing regatta from October 5 -12.
“Sure,” he said. “There is a certain pressure on her as one of the better prepared teams. But she has experience. She is a big game player.”
Asked whether women could feature in his cup team in the next cycle, Ainslie added: “It’s too early to say. What I would say is that we would definitely look at all the women coming out of the youth and women’s cups. I am really impressed with the sailing level. We would definitely look at those teams when we come to fill roles.
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