A new team has been created in Barcelona to represent the city, region and country to challenge for the Youth and Women’s America’s Cup in 2024.
SAILTEAM BCN is a collaboration between an experienced group of sailors and campaign managers together with the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona (RCNB).
They have received approval from America’s Cup Event Management Company (ACE) and Emirates Team New Zealand to be the Spanish challenger for the event in 2024.
Heading up the team will be legendary Catalan sailor Guillermo Altadill and experienced international team manager Stewart Hosford, a Cork Harbour yachting stalwart and CEO of Sir Keith Mills’ pan-global sports investment group Origin Sports.
Among the team’s objectives are to purchase and run two newly released AC40 race boats with a full America’s Cup team structure, and to recruit talented youth and female sailors from across Spain in an open, application-based process — building a platform of talent with pathways towards future competition.
The team have already commissioned the design of a team base in Port Vell in Barcelona and are in discussions with a number of investors and sponsors to support the initiative.
Team principal Guillermo Altadill said: “I have participated in a number of America’s Cups and the opportunity to build a Spanish team and harness the incredible sailing talent from across this country is an incredibly exciting opportunity for me.
“As a team we will proudly represent Barcelona and our wider country to show the world that Spain is a leading sailing nation and to be home favourites for the Cup in 2024. What has been incredibly impressive to me already is the amount of interest and talent that this opportunity is attracting already.”
Jordi Puig, president of the RCNB said: “Our club has been supporting the America’s Cup bid since the beginning and we have been in informal discussions for a number of months with SailTeam BCN and last week we formed an agreement that, we as a yacht club are incredibly excited by.
“Our club is 100% behind the team and the America’s Cup event in Barcelona and we look forward to supporting the Team in their ambition to win the Youth and Women’s America’s Cup in 2024.”
Grant Dalton, chief executive of ACE added: “Guillermo and Stewart, together with the yacht club here in Barcelona have put together a world-class plan and team and as the event authority we are delighted to back them as the local and Spanish Team to compete in [the] Women’s and Youth America’s Cup as part of AC37, creating pathways for the next generation of local sailors to compete in the America’s Cup.”
As Sail-World reported in July, both Women’s and Youth America’s Cup regattas will be contested between 12 teams split into two pools of six for an initial fleet race series.
The first pool will comprise teams entered and competing in the America’s Cup, with the second pool formed by independent yacht club entries that qualify to enter under the nationality clause of the 37th America’s Cup Protocol.
