In a groundbreaking moment for sailing, Alinghi Red Bull Racing’s Women’s team have taken to the waters of Barcelona as part of the inaugural Puig Women’s America’s Cup. The historic event sees the top sailing teams from 12 countries battle to claim victory in the first-ever all-women’s edition of the prestigious competition.

The opening day of the Puig Women’s America’s Cup was marked by intense fleet racing in the one-design foiling AC40, as Alinghi Red Bull Racing went up against five other America’s Cup teams. A mix of conditions delivered challenging and unpredictable racing in Barcelona, with powerful winds taking the AC40s over 40 knots. Early rivalries emerged as the Swiss team took a second and a third position in the first two races, at the end of the day finishing fourth in the rankings.

Tomorrow, the spotlight will shift to the Invited Teams as they face off for the first time. Alinghi Red Bull Racing and the other America’s Cup teams return to action on Tuesday 8 October for the next four races in the Qualification Series, to determine which three will advance to the Final Series on Friday 11 October.

Nathalie Brugger, Helm: “We were happy with our strategy and how we read the wind today. Then we had a little issue with the jib change, which put us in a bit of a rush for the third race of the day. When the wind conditions changed, we struggled to adapt and went a little less fast in that race than we were expecting. But overall it was really cool to race today and we started off strong. We felt like this was the start of something big, and we were part of it, so we enjoyed every second.”

Anja von Allmen, Helm: “I’m really proud of how we approached today. Even when we had heated moments, we kept it calm because of the good spirits, and the trust between us was really good. For sure, we have to look into a few things, for example in the breezier conditions where we struggled a bit with the boat handling, especially in the pre-start.

When we saw the dock-out today and how many people showed up for us, it was amazing to see that we do inspire people. There were a lot of boats surrounding the racecourse today, and it’s a great feeling to be part of that.”

Matías Bühler, Head Coach, Women’s Team: “I can see that the job done on the simulator is bringing good results in the game plan, in the tactics, and in figuring out the next moves. The attitude to keep fighting until the finish line is definitely a positive as well. As for points to work on, we saw that with more risk, we paid a price in terms of confidence in the boat handling. Sometimes in these boats, when you try to sail too safely, you end up making your life harder.”