AC40s make history
at the inaugural Women’s Americas Cup
This summer, we saw the very first Puig Women’s America’s Cup take off – quite literally! Teams representing twelve nations crewed by the world’s best female sailors raced one-design AC40 foiling yachts built by McConaghy Boats for the coveted new trophy. High speed, high adrenalin and the highest level of skill were all on show.
Although new, the event was a highlight of the iconic America’s Cup and a huge success, with crowds gathering on the sun-drenched shoreline of Barcelona to watch the action or tuning in at home to follow the racing through the online live feed.
Crews of four rockstar sailors raced the high-tech AC40s in two fleets of six in a round-robin format on windward-leeward courses. Despite a wide range of testing conditions, with the breeze oscillating from the lightest breath of wind to hefty gusts of 20+ knots, the racing was incredibly close and exciting to watch – the boats came within just a few metres of one another at blistering speed, the teams showed off their skills with impressive tacks and gybes on the foils, and there were a few spectacular nosedives in big waves – going from 40kts to 4kts is quite impressive to watch and it’s even more impressive to see the AC40 Yachts take it in their stride.
In the end, after a week of highly contested racing, the final match race came down to the wire with top contenders from the UK and Italy vying for first place in an intense, sudden winner-takes-all scenario – Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli took overall victory by just 8 seconds.
The ground-breaking AC40s have set a high-octane benchmark for the future of women’s sailing in the America’s Cup and it has now been announced the AC40 will have a key involvement in the 38th edition of the America’s Cup for both Women and the cup teams themselves.
McConaghy Boats Prowess
The AC40, built by McConaghy Boats, is a scaled-down version of the AC75 America’s Cup boats. Underpinned by over 50 years’ boat building experience and consistently at the forefront of composite technology, McConaghy Boats’ dedication to excellence across its range of high-performance racing yachts, fully customisable luxury multihulls and powercats is unparalleled.
With top speeds close to 50 knots on the water, the AC40 One-Design foiling monohull can withstand loads and stresses that would have been unthinkable in a 40-foot yacht a few years ago.
Battery power replaces the need for multiple grinders, and with a self-tacking headsail, the yacht is sailed by just two helms and two trimmers, while an autopilot control system maintains stable flight so the crews can focus purely on speed and tactics.
The Women’s, Youth and Americas Cup crews all devoted significant time training in AC40 simulators to familiarise themselves with the controls before showcasing the boat’s phenomenal performance on the water – foiling at speed with finesse, balanced manouveres, and strategic racing that was just as fun for those watching as the sailors.
Opportunity to Fly
If you want a piece of the action, flying across the water at adrenaline-inducing speeds is now possible for yacht racing thrill-seekers.
The AC40 is available to purchase from Ancasta Race Boats in partnership with McConaghy Boats and Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ). Embrace cutting-edge technology and performance synonymous with the America’s Cup for the first time in sailing history.
With the AC40 having a long term place in our sport, the first private build contract signed, and a race series penned for 2025 in Europe, this is the right time for the AC40 Class to become the pinnacle of One Design, foiling racing.
Ready for take off?
The AC40 is available to buy from Ancasta.
Contact us to join the foiling revolution.
