Saskia Clark: America’s Cup a ‘big deal’ for women, says ex-Olympian

“In addition to the sailing part, there’s a lot of background work in engineering and boatbuilding, careers that haven’t been as accessible to women, so we’re really trying to encourage the science, technology, engineering and math aspects to get young women and girls interested in those career paths.

“We have done a number of roadshows in schools across the UK and a common thread throughout the campaign is promoting gender equality.”

The Parkway team was co-founded in 2022 by Mills and Ainslie to more quickly identify promising sailors and increase diversity in the sport.

More than 300 sailors signed up to take part, and eighteen months of trials followed before the team was whittled down to the final dozen.

Other competitors include Anna Burnet, who won a silver medal at the 2021 Tokyo Games, and fellow Olympians Ellie Aldridge, Saskia Tidey and Freya Black.