Saskia Clark hopes a British women's team competing in the America's Cup will encourage more girls to pursue careers in the sailing industry.

The hard-fought Louis Vuitton Cup series ended with a perfect race by INEOS BRITANNIA who won the right to compete for the America's Cup.

Marc Puig, company chairman and chief executive officer, said it was a natural decision for a host of reasons.

The start of racing in the Puig Women's America's Cup felt like the start of a whole, new and exciting chapter in the story, not only of the Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup, but also for women's elite sport.

Known as “the race with no second place”, the America’s Cup sailing competition is one of the hardest trophies to win in international sports.

The British Athena Pathway team made history by taking victory in the opening race of the first Women's America's Cup. The team is one of 12 in the inaugural women's competition and ended the first day in second place overall after four races in Barcelona.