The first American woman capable of winning the Barcolana, the world's most competitive race conducted annually in the Gulf of Trieste, is an American. At the helm of the deep blue boat – first classified – was Wendy Schmidt, wife of the former CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt. The 85-foot yacht reached the finish line in 57 minutes and 47 seconds (the course was approximately 13 miles), ahead of the Italian boat of the benussi brothers of Triestine and the other 1612 contestants. Wendy Schmidt, a 67-year-old entrepreneur and philanthropist, shone during the ceremony. "Ours is a relatively young boat, having been launched in 2020, but we are a hard-working crew - she remarked - we were fortunate with the breeze and fought to remain ahead". Her achievement is historic. Schmidt instantly responded when asked what it means for her to be the first woman to win the Barcolana: "I aspire to be the first installment in a lengthy series. Sailing has no gender, no age restriction. I began sailing fifteen years ago. I acknowledge that this triumph is the result of the hard effort of my entire team, and I rely on them every single second, especially in a race like that."