Jimmy Spithill, the Oracle Team USA skipper, says Team BDA are reaping the rewards of their hard work as they prepare for the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup Finals.

Team BDA, the adopted team of Oracle — the defenders of the 35th America’s Cup, presented by Louis Vuitton — will face seven other qualifiers in the six-race, two-day finals on the Great Sound.

Spithill has backed the home favourites to continue to make the island proud and believes the cornerstone of their success has been marrying a complete dedication to their talent.

“I’ve been really impressed, certainly with the work ethic and the dedication of the youth team in Bermuda,” said Spithill, whose syndicate trail Emirates Team New Zealand 3-0 in the America’s Cup Match.

“They have been out training, putting the hours in, and it’s great to see them going through into the business end of the competition.

“They’ve obviously got a lot of support from us as well as locally. They’re a talented bunch of kids and we wish them the best.”

Team BDA will race against NZL Sailing Team, Spanish Impulse, Land Rover BAR Academy, Team Tilt, SVB Team Germany, Artemis Youth Racing and Team France Jeune in the finals.

Mackenzie Cooper, the Team BDA skipper, agrees with Spithill that their intensive training over the past 18 months has been a huge factor in their impressive displays.

“We’ve put the time in and that’s the big thing here,” said Cooper, whose team had two second-place finishes in the qualifiers.

“A lot of the teams haven’t had a full year of training, whereas we were part-time in the fall and have been full-time since January.

“The amount of time we’ve put in shows in every part of our team.”

Cooper said Team BDA will stick to the same game plan as the qualifiers and look to sail consistently, avoiding too many mistakes.

“You’re always going to catch a few bad breaks, but being consistent and trying to keep the ups and down to a minimal is what’s really important,” Cooper added.

“We may push a little bit more [than in the qualifiers], but the game plan will be pretty much the same.

“We’re really happy and we think we’re sailing the boat really well. That’s important and going into the finals we’re really confident.”

Cooper believes Team BDA’s exploits have attracted new fans to the sport and hopes their performances have inspired the next crop of young Bermudian sailors.

“We go with an open mind into the finals,” Cooper said. “We know we have the support of Bermuda and we’ll just go for it.

“Having a Bermudian team is so important and now you have people who weren’t sailing fans, or even sports fans, appreciating the time and commitment we’ve shown.”

The team also have support for leading figures on the island.

“I wish the team the very best and I’m so proud of them and how they have engendered true Bermudian spirit,” said Michael Dunkley, the Premier.

“We hope that Bermudians will be able to find time to show their support by coming to the Americas’s Cup Village for today and tomorrow’s 2pm racing.

“Team BDA hears the cheers and sees the flags; let’s make sure they know we are behind them.”

America’s Cup Bermuda CEO Mike Winfield added: “From the ACBDA team, indeed from all Bermudians, a very sincere thanks to all of Team BDA for your hard work, know that your country is behind you.”