Barcelona, Spain – May 23, 2024 – Concord Green Energy, along with lead sponsors RBC and TELUS, has unveiled the Concord Pacific Racing squad for Canada’s first-ever campaign at the historic Puig Women’s America’s Cup and UniCredit Youth America’s Cup, set to take place in Barcelona later this year.
Supported by official sponsor Dilawri Group and the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, the Concord Pacific Racing squad features top talent from across Canada including decorated Olympians and SailGP athletes.
The Concord Pacific Racing Women’s team is:
Isabella Bertold (Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, Captain)
Ali Ten Hove (Kingston Yacht Club)
Maggie Drinkwater (Royal Vancouver Yacht Club)
Mariah Millen (Royal Canadian Yacht Club)
Maura Dewey (Royal Victoria Yacht Club)
The Concord Pacific Racing Youth team is:
Andrew Wood (Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, Captain)
Andre Van Dam (Royal Vancouver Yacht Club)
Jack Gogan (Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Club / Northern Yacht Club)
Galen Richardson (Royal Canadian Yacht Club)
Georgia Lewin-LaFrance (Chester Yacht Club / Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron)
Georgia Lewin-LaFrance is eligible to represent Concord Pacific Racing in both the Women’s and under-25 Youth categories. Lewin-LaFrance will also represent Canada at the Paris 2024 Olympics this summer.
Concord Pacific Group President and CEO Terry Hui announced, “The Concord Pacific Racing teams will be led by illustrious Australian Head Coach Chris Nicholson, renowned for his track record in cultivating a culture of excellence with the ROCKWOOL Denmark SailGP Team, and with six World Championships to his name.”
Concord Pacific Racing Head Coach Chris Nicholson added, “It’s fascinating how simulated sailing advances our sailors’ skills with these incredible machines. The team has worked really hard on the simulator and in planning. It’s a pleasure to work with such dedicated individuals who are passionate about representing Canada in the America’s Cup. We have a lot to do before the first race day, but these are truly exciting times. I’m very much looking forward to getting out there.”
Concord Pacific Racing Women’s Captain Isabella Bertold said, “I’m incredibly proud to have assembled such a dynamic and passionate group of athletes to represent Canada on the world’s biggest stage in sailing. We’ve been fully focussed on building the best team possible, not just the best sailors in Canada.”
Olympian Mariah Millen, selected for the Women’s team along with her 49er FX partner and fellow Olympian Ali Ten Hove, is proudly following in the footsteps of her father, John Millen, who introduced her to sailing after his own career as a crew member of Canada 1 and Canada 2 for the America’s Cup in 1983 and 1986.
Mariah Millen said, “I’m beyond excited to represent Canada with this exceptional group of athletes. It’s been an amazing journey so far, and we’ve made remarkable strides as a team. Continuing in my father’s footsteps and making this a family tradition makes it even more special. We’re eager to keep developing, putting in the hard work, and seeing what we can achieve together.”
The team has now relocated to Barcelona, immersing themselves in the local sailing scene, acclimatising to the challenging conditions and surveying the race course in preparation for the upcoming regattas.
The Youth regatta starts in Barcelona on September 17 with the final scheduled for September 26. The Women’s regatta starts racing on October 5 with the final to be staged amid the main AC75 America’s Cup racing program on October 13.
The two Canadian teams will compete against Spain, New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, USA and France.
You can follow all the action of Concord Pacific Racing on Instagram or at the team website.
