It was only their first competitive outing together but already the vibes are good for a new crew of female sailors.

The foursome of skipper Elizabeth Walker-Sobhani, Carola Cooper, Laura Davis and Megan Kempe placed a highly-creditable third in last weekend's Sundance Cup in Texas, USA.

This result ? out of 20 teams ? is certainly a fillip for these friends who came together just last October and decided to start match racing.

"We started training in a J-24 and last week we went to Texas to compete in J-22s. They are two feet shorter than the boats we were training in but both are built similarly," explained Cooper, the team's tactician and trimmer.

The Bermudians attended a two-day sailing clinic in Texas and then engaged in three days of racing among ten teams with a double round-robin format. The top four teams advanced to the semi-finals which was a first-to-three battle.

Being the fourth semi-finalists, they faced off against Californian Charlie Arms and her crew for a place in the final but lost 3-0. However, they won the Petit Final by the same scoreline to secure third overall.

All four noted it was a "big deal" for them to reach so far as they had never competed together before and none except Cooper had any match-racing experience.

"It was a major accomplishment," said 29-year-old Walker-Sobhani.

"We're all very pleased with our achievement at this regatta. We had a great time and enjoyed match racing. Now we need to figure out what competitions we want to do to enhance our skills even further."

The skipper revealed they performed so well that they even received a thumbs-up from Arms at the awards ceremony; the American stating that the Bermudians ? who beat her in the preliminaries ? gave her the toughest competition.

"We lost three straight races to her but our races were neck and neck, very close and the lead changed in some races. It was extremely tight racing," recalled Cooper.

In a veiled reference to her split with Yngling Olympic sailor Paula Lewin late last year, the 27-year-old said it was wonderful to be back on the water and to put everything behind her.

"I had a great time sailing with these girls," she told

"They are all my friends so it was very refreshing for me to sail with them.

"There was no pressure for me to perform and there were no hidden agendas within the crew so I could relax and actually enjoy sailing again."

For Walker-Sobhani, who has been out of sailing for five or six years, returning to the international arena was an exciting prospect and she is eagerly anticipating more of it.

"We trained hard and it definitely paid off. Those two months of training were worth it. I think the four of us are very compatible and make a really strong team with our different strengths," she added.

"Now it's a matter of balancing our sailing with work and family commitments."

Davis, 31, had only been involved in fleet racing before but enjoyed her responsibilities on the fore deck.

"This was a real step up in competition for me," she said.

"Getting into the J-22s was a challenge. I learnt a lot and I'm looking forward to more."

Jib trimmer Kempe, who has relocated here from Canada, said competing with "this level of sailors" is teaching her a lot and proving a great experience.

The 24-year-old and her team-mates thanked all who have helped them train, including Somers Kempe, Craig Davis, Adam Barboza, Pete Ramsdale and Blythe Walker.