TeamBDA member Emily Nagel has left the Bermuda Red Bull Youth America's Cup Team.
Nagel, who graduated last year with a Masters degree in Engineering with Naval Architecture from the University of Southampton in the UK, has been offered a full-time position with SoftBank Team Japan.
Nagel had been working with SoftBank Team Japan as an intern until going full-time in January with TeamBDA. She had to make an extremely tough decision when SoftBank Team Japan approached her last week with a full-time offer to join their design and shore team, starting as soon as possible.
Nagel wrote on her personal social media page, “For as long as I can remember I have dreamed of being a professional sailor and one of my biggest goals has been to win the America’s Cup as a sailor or as a designer. This was a heart wrenching decision to make, because I have spent the past year-and-a-half fighting to be part of the final team, but the opportunity to be part of a real AC team is what the Youth America’s Cup pathway is all about.
"I am looking forward to learning as much as I can from Softbank over the next few months and will continue to support and push TeamBDA in every way I can. This experience has been incredible and has only furthered my passion for the sport, I still dream of one day competing in the AC and possibly the Volvo Ocean Race.”