Nine world-class teams will go head-to-head as the Portuguese capital hosts the global Stadium Racing tour for the first time starting today and Thalassa Magenta Racing making its debut.

The new kids on the block are sure to attract plenty of attention with a Thalassa Magenta Racingcrew roster that includes some of the world’s most successful female sailors. [caption id="attachment_6356" align="alignright" width="228"] Olympian Sharon Ferris-Choat fronts the all-female crew on Thalassa Magenta Racing in Lisbon. Image courtesy of Lloyd Images/Extreme Sailing Series.[/caption] The new team will race with six crew members, as opposed to five on the all-male boats, and the Canadian-flagged catamaran will be skippered by New Zealand Olympian Sharon Ferris-Choat. The race crew will be selected from a star-studded line-up including ocean racers Dee Caffari (GBR), Elodie Mettraux (SUI) and Abby Ehler (GBR); Olympians Sally Barkow (USA), Annie Lush (GBR) and Gemma Jones (NZL); Olympic Silver medalist Annemieke Bes (NED), Nacra 17 World Silver medallist Hannah Diamond (GBR) and 420 World and European champion Annabel Vose (GBR). Thalassa Magenta Racing in partnership with the Magenta Project aims to give female sailors opportunities and pathways to compete at the highest performance levels of the sport.