Isabella Bertold's Canadian sailing team looks to make waves in America's Cup Barcelona

One hundred and seventy-three years.

That's how long it has taken to get a women's sailing event at the America's Cupregatta, which is being held this year from Oct. 5-13 in Barcelona.

Among the 12 teams, six are invited to compete — and Canada is one of them. At the helm is captain Isabella Bertold, who is principal of Concord Racing, a private team coached by Australian Chris Nicholson.

Bertold, 33, is thrilled to be captaining Canada's team for this historic moment in women's sailing. But at the same time, it draws questions as to why it took so long for this to happen. So long, in fact, that Bertold actually retired from sailing in 2019, and took up high-performance cycling (in which she still competes).

"I didn't feel like there were any opportunities for me in sailing," she told CBC Sports.

Bertold says she is part of a "trailblazing generation" that will help create pathways for young women interested in competing in sailing.

But opportunities like the America's Cup brought her back to the seas in 2022. I asked what prompted her return.

"I love the ocean," she replied. "I am good at dealing with the elements and in tactical and strategic ways."

She and her teammates Maura Dewey, 31, Ali Ten Hove, 28, Mariah Millen, 26, and Maggie Drinkwater, 34, could be considered on the younger side. In addition to working through the waves, they're also trying to make them in order to draw attention to their sport as women athletes in this seascape.

In fact, the name of this campaign is called "It's Time" — stemming from the 2023 Canadian Women & Sport report of the same name that shows that two out of three Canadians are fans of women's sports, with strong demand for increased representation and visibility.

The report also