Isabella Bertold’s Canadian sailing team looks to make waves in America’s Cup Barcelona

One hundred and seventy-three years.

That’s how long it has taken to get a women’s sailing event at the America’s Cup regatta, which is being held this year from Oct. 5-13 in Barcelona.

Among the 12 teams, six are invited to compete — and Canada is one of them. At the helm is captain Isabella Bertold, who is principal of Concord Racing, a private team coached by Australian Chris Nicholson.

Bertold, 33, is thrilled to be captaining Canada’s team for this historic moment in women’s sailing. But at the same time, it draws questions as to why it took so long for this to happen. So long, in fact, that Bertold actually retired from sailing in 2019, and took up high-performance cycling (in which she still competes).

“I didn’t feel like there were any opportunities for me in sailing,” she told CBC Sports.

Bertold says she is part of a “trailblazing generation” that will help create pathways for young women interested in competing in sailing.

But opportunities like the America’s Cup brought her back to the seas in 2022. I asked what prompted her return.

“I love the ocean,” she replied. “I am good at dealing with the elements and in tactical and strategic ways.”

She and her teammates Maura Dewey, 31, Ali Ten Hove, 28, Mariah Millen, 26, and Maggie Drinkwater, 34, could be considered on the younger side. In addition to working through the waves, they’re also trying to make them in order to draw attention to their sport as women athletes in this seascape.

In fact, the name of this campaign is called “It’s Time” — stemming from the 2023 Canadian Women & Sport report of the same name that shows that two out of three Canadians are fans of women’s sports, with strong demand for increased representation and visibility.

The report also highlights that younger audiences — particularly Gen Z and millennials — are driving this demand, with 85 per cent of fans engaging by watching women’s sports on TV or online.

According to the team, the campaign leans into this data and is “calling on fans, corporate partners, and communities to support women’s sailing as it takes centre stage.”

I have to admit, I was very surprised when I found out that in an elite sport like sailing, there has never been a women’s category. Particularly when there are names like Canada’s Sarah Douglas who sail. I have always associated women with sailing since I can remember.

Women sail all over the world in dinghies, in yachts, in sailboats and now in the hydrofoil boats that are sweeping across oceans. But the America’s Cup has not had a place for women.

Sure, there are different kinds of sailing events, like different events in athletics and not all have been of equal opportunity for women. Women may have competed individually as part of a team, but there has never been a standalone women’s event in the history of this race.

Sailing has been an Olympic event since the first modern Games (with exceptions for weather) and women have participated since 1900. The Olympics have had a women’s category since 1988, but Bertold says that having a chance to race once every four years is not tenable.

Sailing season is “all year” and one just changes hemispheres to adapt and get to more cooperative weather. That means, there should be continuous and ample opportunities for women to race. These athletes also need attention beyond once a quadrennial.

It’s bizarre to think that high-performance athletes don’t get a chance to compete consistently.

The Canadian team is made up of six athletes (sailors); four on the boat and two reserves. One of the reserves is on-shore and another follows nearby in a safety boat.

Bertold explained how there are two drivers who make the tactical decisions, and there are two trimmers who control the sails.

I wondered why women may have been excluded from this particular regatta and in addition to the usual systemic sexism and gender exclusion, Bertold thinks that it’s nonsensical.

Perfect sport for women

Women, traditionally, are excellent at multitasking and sailing requires exactly that. It’s not a sport in which your knees give out. In addition to being able to make decisions quickly, exposure to nature, and experience on the water are incredibly important.

This makes it all even more puzzling that women weren’t included.

When the corporate world got wind of this, they stepped up. Bertold says that the corporate scene contributed to a level where the race is now possible. Prada, Ineos and Red Bull are some of the major sponsors.

The event itself is named the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Barcelona and has an Omega watch on the website for a countdown. Naturally, this leads to one thinking that sailing is truly a sport of the elite who access it through fancy yacht clubs.

But the reality is quite different, for Bertold anyway. She started sailing at five years old on English Bay near Vancouver. The reason she got a chance was because the sailing day camp she attended while her parents were working was one of the most affordable in her area.

She explained that being so young and on that body of water in an Optimus boat was so liberating. She also never saw herself being segregated and excluded based on gender because she “grew up racing against guys.”

Bertold calls herself an “accidental feminist.” Like many women athletes who simply fall in love with their sport, she wasn’t aware as a young girl that she would have to fight so hard to create and make a place for herself at the highest echelons.

Her message to Canadians is quite simple: “watch the racing.” All the races for America’s Cup are available on YouTube to stream. They will also be televised on TSN.

Like many women in professional sport, eyes on the competitions matter a lot. It tells corporate sponsors and event organizers that not only should there be place for women — there must be.

I asked Bertold how long she wants to race and she quickly said, “as long as I can.”

I hope we see women racing on water for another 173 years, at least.