FILE PHOTO: Sailing - Official opening ceremony of the Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup - Bogatell beach, Barcelona, Spain - October 10, 2024 General view of sail boats during the open ceremony REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File Photo
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Italy and Britain qualified for the first America's Cup for women on Friday after a tight semi-final series.
On a day of fluctuating Mediterranean winds, the contest to whittle the fleet of six down to two went down to the wire as the sun set over Barcelona.
Racing in high-tech foiling AC40 monohulls, lifted just above the water on hydrofoils, the black-sailed boats reached speeds of around 30 knots as they sped around the course.
"That was so stressful," British skipper Hannah Mills said on the America's Cup live broadcast, adding that she expected "an exciting, action-packed" inaugural head-to-head final against Italy, which is scheduled for Sunday.
"It's such a joy, I'm so happy," said Italy's Giulia Conti.
(Reporting by Alexander Smith; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
