Fast, exciting and liable to produce stunning images, the Nacra 17 catamaran – the sailing class that will make its Olympic debut at the Rio 2016 Games – is built for the ‘Marvellous City’. When racing gets underway in Guanabara Bay in August 2016, against a backdrop of Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer, it seems the sailing world and wider public will be glued to their screens.

“Nacra 17 is definitely the most spectacular Olympic class,” said Australia’s two-time Olympic silver medallist Darren Bundock. “It’s the only class that uses multi-hull catamarans and the boats can reach very high speeds. We always have amazing images in Nacra 17 races and in Rio, with the mountains – the Sugarloaf and Christ the Redeemer – as a background, it has all we need to be a huge success with broadcasters and public. Hopefully, that can make the class more popular.”

The Nacra 17 has a special wave-piercing design that allows it to cut through the water with minimum drag, reaching consistently high speeds. And that is not the only thing that makes it stand out from the other Olympic sailing classes: it is also the only one in which a mixed crew (a man and a woman competing together) is obligatory.

An Australian duo enjoy the view of Chris Redeemer during the Rio 2016 sailing test event  (Photo: Rio 2016/Alex Ferro)

It is hoped the last point helps inspire more women into sailing, especially now Nacra 17 has been confirmed for the Rio 2016 Games, when 20 teams will compete, and Tokyo 2020.

“Sailing is historically a men’s sport, but in the last 15 years more and more women have been competing and getting good results, “ said Dutchwoman Renee Groeneveld, who raced in the Elliott 6m class at the London 2012 Olympic Games. “I hope that with Nacra 17 being in the next two Olympic Games, more women are encouraged to compete in sailing.”

During the Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta, the first Rio 2016 test event, which was staged in August in the same place where the Olympic regattas will happen, 36 sailors took part in Nacra 17 boats.

For Brazilian Samuel Albrecht, the experience proved valuable. “It was great to sail in Guanabara Bay for both us Brazilians and the foreigners,” he said. “We competed in a different system, as there were only 18 boats and the major international tournaments usually have 80 or 90. That demands a different strategy and it was useful to compete in this situation.”