Island sailor’s bid for historic America’s Cup glory ends

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Island sailor Maura Dewey’s dreams in the America’s Cup competition off Barcelona dove nose-first into the Mediterranean, but not before she sailed into history, as part of the first women’s race in the 173 years of the venerable event.

What was described by the Canadian team, known corporately as Concord Pacific Racing, as a “catastrophic mechanical failure,” caused the boat to suffer a sudden and severe dive, plunging it into the water at speeds of more than 30 knots, in the qualifying-round race Tuesday.

“The whole foil hydraulics basically exploded,” said Dewey, who hails from the Royal Victoria Yacht Club.

“It sounded like we had hit something, a log or whale, I don’t know,” added Dewey, in her post-race media interview.

Dewey is the Canadian crew’s Starboard trimmer. The other crewmembers are captain Isabella Bertold of Vancouver, Olympians Mariah Millen of Toronto and Ali Ten Hove of Kingston, Ont., and alternate Maggie Drinkwater of Vancouver.

The jarring stop narrowly avoided a capsize, according to the team, which added: “It was a cruel blow for a team that had poured their hearts and souls into training over the last six months and showed such promise on the race course.”

Dewey, who turns 32 today, began racing at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club at age 12, counting thousands of hours on the waves around Cadboro Bay. After graduating from Lambrick Park Secondary, and the University of Victoria with a degree in atmospheric physics, Dewey is studying for her PhD in meteorology at Stockholm University in Sweden.

“I feel frustrated and bit sad because, like all sailors, I want to leave it out there on the water,” said Dewey.

“I want to race my hardest, and the results are what they are, so to have it end not through our fault but through mechanical failure, is really frustrating. It feels like unfinished business. On the other hand, it’s been incredible to be part of such an amazing regatta and the first-ever [America’s Cup] event for women in sailing. I just hope there’s another chance. There are mixed feelings but mostly I’m really grateful.”

Canada has not contested the cost-prohibitive America’s Cup in any fashion since the 1980s and Dewey is the first Island sailor to race in the America’s Cup since Olympic-medallist Eric Jespersen of Sidney with challenger semifinalist Canada I in 1983 at Newport, Rhode Island, and with Canada II in 1987 at Freemantle, West Australia.

Women have sailed with previous crews in the America’s Cup, held every three years and considered the Super Bowl of sailing, but this is the first stand-alone women’s race and considered a landmark moment for the sport.

“For other girls sailing in Canada, I would just say never give up on any opportunities and take every opportunity that comes your way,” said Dewey, who also competed in Olympic qualifying for Paris 2024 in Laser and is considering a run also for Los Angeles 2028.

“There’s a lot of incredible stuff happening now for women in sailing, and it’s only going to grow. Say ‘yes’ as much as you can and try lots of different boats and see what happens. For me, it’s been about taking every opportunity I get with both hands, and it’s been really incredible. We want to build a legacy and continue the momentum going for women’s sailing. We hope this [America’s Cup] is a pathway to bigger things. This can’t be the end of it.”

Artemis Swedish Challenge topped the women’s America’s Cup qualifying rounds in first place followed by Jajo Team Dutch Sail in second place and Sail Team BCN from Spain in third and those top-three advanced to the semifinal round.

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