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Photo Credit: Nic Douglass 

A squad of 17 of Australia’s top-performing sailing women and youth athletes have been revealed by Team Australia Challenge Patron John Bertrand AO to spearhead the nation's return to the America’s Cup in the Youth and Puig Women’s Regattas in 2024.

Among these esteemed athletes are four Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron Members: Jack Ferguson, Annie Wilmot, Max Paul and Finn Alexander.

A gruelling selection process over many months, with leading Australian sailing luminaries participating on the selection panel, reduced a field of over 130 applicants from across the country to the new 17-person sailing squad.

Max Paul, SKP Representative, Olympic campaigner and current 2nd World Ranked 49er sailor, said the opportunity to compete in the America’s Cup was the pinnacle of his sport and the Everest dream for every competitive sailor.

“Australia’s re-entry in this competition is so important to us and we are aiming to make our nation proud again with such a legacy to uphold,” he said.

"I'm pretty excited for this opportunity! It’s an honour to be selected with some of the best sailors in the country. I’ve represented Australia in a whole variety of classes, but this is a whole lot bigger than that.

Australia’s best sailors have been at the forefront of the America’s Cup for my whole lifetime, but competing under different flags. It feels really special to be a part of an Australian campaign for the youth and women’s Cup. It is the 40th Anniversary of Australia II winning the America’s Cup in 1983, and their legacy only grows till this day. It’s the beginning of a long journey to Barcelona but it is the chance to start building a new legacy to inspire the next generation of Australians in the America’s Cup!" he commented. 

With many of the Australian squad also aiming for the 2024 Paris Olympics and competing internationally in other classes, the Team Australia Squad coaching and operations crew are scheduling intense time for the base camp simulator and on water training across the Australian summer to prepare athletes.

Philanthropic support has enabled the Team Australia Challenge to purchase the high tech AC40 foiling yacht simulator that will now be used to start an intensive training program to get the athletes prepared for some of the most high-speed performance sailing on the planet.

The simulator incorporates a pair of AC40 cockpits, helm wheels, control devices and instrumentation displays, replicating precisely those in the one-design AC40 monohull foiling yachts that sail with a team of four sailors – two on helm and two trimmers.

Max went on to say, "The simulator is a really awesome tool, I had never really seen this side of how far technology in our sport has progressed until I stepped into it. It replicates the cockpits of the AC40s with every button and control identical to the actual boat. We haven’t spent a massive amount of time yet in the simulator but it has been a bit of a change going from trimming sails with ropes and winches to pressing buttons and pushing toggles. We don’t have access to a real boat until right before the regatta, so the simulator is the next best thing in terms of getting ‘time on the water’ but virtually!

I remember watching Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen win gold at the London 2012 Olympics and that being the catalyst that inspired me to take the path that’s led me here. I watched them sail over the last decade across several America’s cup cycles and I think it’s pretty exciting to be racing in the same boats as all these elite sailors are across this America’s Cup cycle." 

For more details on the Team Australia Challenge Squad Announcement, including how the simulator works, watch this video. 

Read more about our athletes below: 


Annie Wilmot – NSW


Photo Credit: Team Australia Challenge

Annie has an impressive track record of securing world titles and multiple Australian titles. Annie is a member of the Australian Sailing Squad, currently campaigning for 2024 Paris Olympics in the 49er FX class.

Last year she placed 4th at the Allianz Regatta World Cup and achieved 16th at the World Championships in 2022. She won Sail Sydney in 2021 and Sail Melbourne in 2022. In 2018 she rated 11th at the ISAF World Championship which secured a quota spot for Australia for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

In her youth career Annie was named Youth World Champion in the 29er class in 2016 and secured multiple first-place titles, including All Female Australian National, Australian Youth, New Zealand National and German National Champion in the same year. Annie was named Australian Female Sailor of the Year in 2017 and followed with a win in the U23 World Championship in 2018 and 2020.



Finn Alexander - NSW


Photo Credit: Team Australia Challenge

Finn competes in the ILCA class and is currently 9th on the Men’s World Rankings.

His first outing winning the Youth World Championships in 2016 has been followed by performances across local and European championships and included being named Australian Youth Sailor of the Year in 2017. He also competes in yachting team events and in 2020 was named with the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron Team of the Year.

In 2022 he was tactician on the MC38 Season Champion winning yacht and has had podium wins in tactical and strategy positions on Farr 40’s and with the Australian Match Racing National Championships coming 2nd in 2019. He is currently sailing with the Australian Olympic team aiming for Paris and scored a 10th in the Men’s European Championships ILCA class and 2nd at the Europa Cup in Italy in 2023.


Jack Ferguson - NSW


Photo Credit: Team Australia Challenge

Jack Ferguson is a member of the Australian Sailing 49er Futures Squad and is the current 49er Junior World Champion. He has won 5 National Championships across the Optimist, International 420 and Waszp classes. He currently campaigns in the Moth class as the Junior National Champion and is a member of the Enzedder 69F team.

In 2021 he was named Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron Yachtsman of the Year and has held a NSW Institute of Sport Individual Performance scholarship since 2019.


Max Paul - NSW


Photo Credit: Team Australia Challenge

Max is a current member of the Australian Sailing Squad and is currently placed 2nd in the World 49er rankings and is also placed on the World Match Racing Rankings.

This year he has placed 2nd in the 49er Sailing World Cup Series and first place in the Sail Melbourne International 49er Regatta. He also scored 2nd in the Hardy Cup Youth International Match Racing Regatta and top ten in other racing including Australian 18ft Skiff National Championship.

Last year he similarly had strong international results including 2nd at the 49er u23 World Championships and won the Sail Sydney International 49er Regatta.

Max was named 29er Australian National Champion in 2018 and 2019, the same years he came 2nd in the Open World Championships (2018) and 3rd in the World Sailing Youth World Championships (2019).



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