Neus Ballester, sailor from Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita: ‘I feel very comfortable flying’

The America’s Cup has already set sail in Barcelona, where six teams are navigating in spectacular flying boats, the AC75s, to conquer this centenary title, in a competition where there is only one winner.

Additionally, this year the Catalan bay will host two more competitions framed within this America's Cup: the Unicredit Youth America’s Cup and the Puig Women’s America’s Cup.

Only the best sailors will be able to add to their sporting resume having been part of this legendary regatta, among them is the sailor from Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita, Neus Ballester, who has visited the studios of Pasión por el Mar to tell us all about this great experience she will live being part of the crew of Sail Team BCN.

Indeed, the young sailor will be part of the women's team along with other outstanding athletes such as Silvia Mas, María Cantero, and Nicole van der Velden or the Olympians Paula Barceló and Támara Echegoyen. “For me it is a pride to be able to share this experience with them, I think I can learn a lot and I am trying to take full advantage of it,” assures Ballester.

And, she is also the only girl on the youth team that is formed by Albert Torres, Marcos Fernandez, Martin Wizner, Conrad Konitzer, Nico Martin, Jaime Framis, and Antonio Torrado.

In total, 12 teams will sail in the AC40s, boats that can reach speeds of over 40 knots. “It's like a Formula 1, with buttons and numbers. You go like inside a box, with the steering wheel, the helmet, big glasses, vest, air pump... All super professional,” explains the sailor from Sa Ràpita who acknowledges that “I feel very comfortable flying. The adrenaline is very different.”

To prepare for this historic regatta, the crew of Sail Team BCN has been sailing in a GC32, “it's a catamaran that flies and it's not the same as the AC40, but it simulates quite well the sensation of speed, of being flying...” explains Ballester. But, they have also been training in an AC40 simulator on land.

At such high speeds, the most important thing is the coordination of the whole team and good communication. “It's super important to have very clear and precise communication because things happen very quickly. We are very focused on the screens, on the buttons, on not getting confused with the button and having all the parameters controlled,” she acknowledges.

And these boats are equipped, in addition to foils, with cutting-edge technology. “It is said that it is a boat for young people, because in the end, we are agile in seeing screens, seeing things fast, through social media,” confesses Ballester.

It could be said that sailors navigate these fast boats as if they were in a video game. “The only thing that changes from traditional navigation is that to catch the sail we have some joysticks and to control the boat to fly higher or lower we have some height buttons,” she explains.

The time is near to see these young crews in action. The Youth America's Cup takes place from September 26 to October 2, and the Women's America's Cup will be from October 10 to 16.