Please select your home edition
Edition
Savvy Navvy 2024

Emirates Team NZ Youth and Women sailors begin sailing in Barcelona

by ENTZ Media 9 Aug 14:04 UTC
Emirates Team New Zealand Women and Youth teams sail their AC 40 in Barcelona © James Somerset/Emirates Team New Zealand

As the intense focus for Emirates Team New Zealand is on the start of the Preliminary Regatta in two weeks’ time, the injection of the Women’s & Youth sailors has added another element to the teams overall preparations for the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona.

Gemma Jones and Liv Mackay from the Emirates Team New Zealand Women’s team joined youth sailors Leo Takahashi, Oscar Gunn and Seb Menzies on their first outing on the AC40 Te Kakahi in Barcelona on a light air, 30 degree day with an ever growing fleet of AC40’s.

“It's hot, that's for sure.” said Gemma Jones fresh from arriving from the New Zealand winter.

“But it’s pretty cool to see all the other boats out, the AC75’s the other AC40’s which have been racing and lining up against each other, so we're excited to actually race against other boats and see how we line up and where we sit. Then we'll look at what we need to work on next.”

It is widely recognised that the 12 strong fleets in both the Puig Women & Unicredit Youth America’s Cup are full of exciting talent, a number of sailors arriving with recently minted and past Olympic medals around their necks.

An often spoken philosophy of ‘time in the boat’ being a factor all teams are chasing with several teams having been based in Barcelona training for the past couple of months getting to grips with the dynamic AC40’s and the local sailing conditions. A factor with Seb Menzies was quick to recognise after the first day on the water.

“It was a really fun day, pretty light breeze which was good conditions to get back into sailing the AC40. There were bigger waves than we've ever sailed in, but good to get our head around that and having some marginal take offs which we were all putting 100% focus into. It was really exciting to see what we can do and where we need to be by race time.”

Like the full Emirates Team New Zealand team, the clock is ticking down for the Women and Youth sailors to their respective events with the remaining Women & Youth sailors who have been competing at the Paris Olympics in Marseille, Jo Aleh, Molly Meech, Veerle ten Have, Josh Armit and one of New Zealand’s latest Olympic medallist Erica Dawson joining the team in Barcelona in the next week to continue their preparations.

Related Articles

EGO® Fishing's S2 Slider: Still the champion
Thousands of happy anglers later, S2 Slider remains the most innovative landing net on the water It's said that a system is only as good as the weakest link. Then how is it that some anglers rely on junk landing nets with warped hoops and rotten or torn meshing? Posted on 31 Oct
New Hurricane 24 CC 24-foot Center Console
Designed from the ground-up as a family-friendly boat Punching well above its weight class with features, ride and functionality for a 24-ft boat, the Hurricane 24CC was designed from the ground-up as a family-friendly boat that is equally in its element as a platform for fishing, tow sports or day cruising. Posted on 31 Oct
Fishing: Late Fall Walleyes
Quick Q&A with seasoned walleye professional Jason Przekurat Quick Q&A with seasoned walleye professional and Whitewater Fishing pro staffer Jason Przekurat. Posted on 31 Oct
A new Freedom debuts
Freedom 345 is making its debut in Fort Lauderdale Grady-White's NEW Freedom 345 is making its debut in Fort Lauderdale. Posted on 31 Oct
Boston Whaler debuts the all-new 330 Vantage
At the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show Boston Whaler introduced its all-new 330 Vantage (“330”) today, which completes the evolution of the dual-console Vantage family lineup. Debuting at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show Posted on 31 Oct
World Cat debuts new 400DC-X Island
Successor to the 400DC-X launched World Cat has launched the new 400DC-X Island, the successor to the 400DC-X, at the 2024 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Posted on 31 Oct
Fishing: Best extreme weather outerwear...ever
The ultimate outerwear for the hardcore hardwater anger Available in early November and first previewed at ICAST, Whitewater Fishing's new Great Lakes Pro Insulated is the ultimate outerwear for the hardcore hardwater anger. Posted on 30 Oct
Jarrett Bay Insider, episode 27
Engineering the Perfect Waterline In Episode 27 of the Jarrett Bay Insider, we walk through the intricate process of calculating the perfect waterline for our soon to be delivered Hull 64. Posted on 29 Oct
KenCraft Boats make brand shift to Bay Rider Boats
An independent boatbuilder producing inshore/offshore center consoles, bay boats, and skiffs KenCraft Boats, an independent boatbuilder with a 50-year history in producing inshore/offshore center consoles, bay boats, and skiffs, will now have its product produced under the Bay Rider Boats brand name effectively immediately. Posted on 29 Oct
Striped Bass Rebuilding Policy
Sportfishing industry reiterates priorities The Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) released its 2024 Stock Assessment Update for striped bass at its annual meeting last week in Annapolis, MD. Posted on 29 Oct
Maritimo 2023 M600 FOOTERSavvy Navvy 2024