Little sister after a job with James Spithill

Katie Pellew joked two weeks ago that being an observer in the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Auckland would be the closest she would ever get to the America’s Cup.

“But after being on the boats this week, the Cup is now my goal,” Australian Pellew declares.

That's not such a surprising decision, when you know her brother, Jimmy Spithill, was the winning helmsman in the latest America’s Cup, and the two have been extremely competitive since they were kids, growing up on Sydney Harbour.

And Pellew is no slouch when it comes to sailing.  Two weeks ago, she won the New Zealand women’s match racing title in Auckland, has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the world, and is competing for a match racing spot in the 2012 Olympics.

In fact, her big brother concedes she is so good at the wheel, he’s no longer brave enough to race against her.

“Sail against her?  There’s too much of a risk for that to happen. We’ve trained together and she’s beaten me plenty of times. Imagine trying to live that down with family and friends. It’s a lose-lose situation for me,” Spithill says.

“We started racing together.  Our neighbours were throwing out a boat, so Dad grabbed it and we started sailing for fun. It’s amazing how well she’s doing now, considering how very difficult it is for the girls to get into grade one events, and even harder to get sponsors. But these girls run just as professional a campaign as the guys. I won’t be surprised to see one of these women’s teams win a men’s match racing event soon.

“The best advice I give her is when she doesn’t listen to me – she’s much smarter.”

Pellew is getting smarter too, with every race in the Louis Vuitton Trophy. As observer on the back of the race boats, or helping out in the umpire boats, 27-year-old Pellew is honing her matchracing skills.

“I’m so lucky - this is one of the best opportunities I can get to see how the professionals do it,” she says.   

“I loved watching the first Artemis-TEAMORIGIN race.  I was on the umpire boat, playing flag assister, so it was brilliant. I’m really getting an insight into how the umpires interact with the crews, listening to their language, seeing what they’re calling. It’s a big help for me, understanding the rules for my sailing,” she says.

There have been no heart-in-the-mouth moments in the boat’s stern yet, but there was one for her friend and sailing rival, Nicky Souter, an early round robin race. “Nicky did a dive forward, when she was on the back of one boat, and I was on the other. All I could do was laugh,” Pellew says.

Souter is the 2009 world champion in women's match racing, and in the Australian women’s development squad with Pellew.  Both are gunning for the London Olympics, and it could be a case of one of them going , at the expense of the other. But there’s no animosity between them.

“We’re friends and I think we have to be. Our families grew up with each other. Obviously it’s going to get competitive between us, but day to day, we’re friends,” says Pellew.

“As long as I am enjoying match racing, I’ll keep doing it. Now I’m the New Zealand national women’s matchracing champion – that sounds so weird being an Australian – I’ll have to defend my title,” she says.

“Are the Olympics my main goal?  That’s an interesting question. I think being involved in an America’s Cup team is my new goal any way.” 

So has she asked her brother for a job?  “Not yet, but I will. I'll work on it.”

  - Suzanne McFadden