Jemima Lines hailed a pivotal moment after becoming the first British woman in 90 years to be selected for an America's Cup team. She is named to the GB1 crew for next year's race, which will be the first 175‑year edition to require at least one woman per five‑person crew.

Lines, 29, is a former kitefoiler on the British Sailing Team and backed gold‑medallist Ellie Aldridge at Paris 2024. With a mechanical‑engineering degree and experience in altitude kite‑surfing, she will also contribute to the design of the AC75.

The 38th America's Cup will take place in Naples, Italy, in 2027, with racing starting in May and the final on 10‑11 July. Lines joins Bleddyn Mon, Dylan Fletcher, Ben Cornish and Andrea Tesei.

She described the selection as surreal and a family legacy, crediting her late father Ralph Crathorne, a former special‑forces soldier. The crew’s design challenge precedes the water race, and she anticipates a "buzz in the air."