Big news from the British America’s Cup team Athena Racing, which announced today that legendary sailor and team boss Ian Walker MBE has been appointed Chief Executive Officer.

Walker joins Sir Ben Ainslie’s Athena Racing as CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of its America’s Cup Challenge, reuniting two of Britain’s most successful competitive sailors.

It also sends a strong signal that the Brits – who have not revealed any major backers since splitting from INEOS in January 2025 – are gearing up for a full-power challenge for the 38th America’s Cup.

Since entries closed for the 38th America’s Cup, to be held in 2027 in Naples, there have been no announcements of confirmed entries, only the news that American Magic will not take part.

Athena Racing, representing the Royal Yacht Squadron, remains the Challenger of Record.

Ainslie at the helm of INEOS Britannia in AC37 (no word yet on what the Team Principal’s full role will be, nor on backers for the British Challenge).

Athena Racing’s new CEO

Ainslie welcomed his new CEO today, saying: “Ian is an exceptional leader with a proven track record of success with high-performance campaigns across the very top of our sport, there are very few people as qualified, both on and off the water.

“He also understands the complexity of running teams that need to be at the forefront of innovation and performance while meeting both budget and timeline demands. For AC38, that timeline is tight, and we needed a CEO who could hit the ground running and Ian can do that, he understands how to drive teams forward and the importance of continuity in achieving the ultimate goal.”

Ian Walker also spoke about his enthusiasm for returning to the America’s Cup arena: “The Cup has evolved enormously since I was last involved in terms of the boats, the technology, and even the balance between sailors and designers.

“But at its core, it remains unchanged, it’s about managing your resources, getting the best out of your people, and making every second count, in a race against time, and the clock is ticking.”

The 2000 Team GBR sailing team, including Ian Walker (left), Ben Ainslie (3rd from left) at the Olympic Games in Sydney Harbour. Photo: AFP/Torsten BLACKWOOD via Getty Images

British talent reunited

Walker and Ainslie were both part of the hugely successful British Olympic sailing team, and competed at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games (Ainslie famously took silver at Atlanta, then Gold at Sydney, while Walker won silver at both – in the 470 with the late John Merricks in 1996, then the Star with Mark Covell four years later).

Since then, while Team Principal Ainslie went on to score four more Olympic golds and compete in multiple America’s Cups, Walker’s career has spanned ocean and inshore racing, America’s Cup campaigns, and high-performance team management roles.

He skippered Britain’s Wight Lightning for Peter Harrison’s GBR Challenge in the 31st America’s Cup in 2003, which Ainslie was also a member of. In 2007 Walker joined the Italian 39+ Cup team with fellow British Olympian Iain Percy.

The British Americas Cup boat GBR Challenge racing in the Solent during the Round the Island Race. Photo: Clive Mason/ALLSPORT

Ian Walker: a winning leader

Ian Walker also achieved major success in offshore racing, skippering three Volvo Ocean Race entries, which culminated in becoming the first British skipper to win in 2015 with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, having come back from a dismasting in the previous edition.

His coaching and performance roles have included coaching Shirley Robertson to her second gold in 2004, and serving as Performance Director for the British Sailing Team. He oversaw the British team’s last truly dominant Games, with GBR sailors topping the medal table at Tokyo 2020, winning five medals, including three golds after a challenging, covid-disrupted build up.

Since Tokyo, Ian Walker has been at North Sails, leading the UK sailmaking team for the past three years.

Ian Walker, skipper of the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team, celebrates during the winners ceremony in Gothenburg at the end of the Volvo Ocean Race. Photo: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images

Unusually, Walker brings experience at a high level in both commercial and performance spheres, combined with personal sailing achievement and experience.

“It’s an exciting moment to return to the America’s Cup with a British challenge that has the continuity of the last three campaigns, alongside the recent creation of the America’s Cup Partnership (ACP),” Walker explained.

“That was a big part of my decision to take this on, because I believe in what the ACP is trying to achieve – creating a sustainable, viable commercial business model for the competition. I’ve also worked with several members of the team previously, which gives me real confidence in what we’re building together.”

“The America’s Cup transcends the sport of sailing and has so much untapped potential, Walker concluded. “I am excited about what lies ahead, just imagine how cool it would be for the team to win it for Britain.”

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The US-based America’s Cup team, American Magic has announced it will not compete in the 38th edition of the America’s Cup, stating that the event’s current Protocol and new Partnership Agreement ‘do not provide the necessary framework for a financially sustainable and highly competitive campaign’.

The team, which has represented the New York Yacht Club in the previous two Cup cycles, made the decision following, what they call ‘an extensive review of the governing documents’.

“After extensive engagement with the Defender [Emirates Team New Zealand], Challenger of Record [Athena Racing], and fellow teams, we’ve concluded that the present structure does not provide the framework for American Magic to operate a highly competitive and financially sustainable campaign for the 38th America’s Cup,” said Team Principal Doug DeVos.

“For a team committed to long-term excellence, alignment around financial viability and competitive performance is essential. At this time, we don’t believe those conditions are in place for American Magic to challenge.”

The decision comes amid significant structural changes to the America’s Cup. The new America’s Cup Partnership (ACP), established in the latest Protocol, fundamentally changes how the event is run.

The ACP aims to spread the logistical and financial burden of hosting the event among the Challengers and Defender, creating a more commercial structure intended to secure long-term sponsorship and hosting deals.

However, the American Magic’s withdrawal reflects growing concerns that this “democratisation” of the Cup, which shifts away from the traditional winner-takes-all format, may dilute the event’s unique appeal and prestige.

Critics of the ACP argue that commercialising the competition risks turning it into a world championship circuit, potentially making it harder for teams like American Magic to raise the necessary high-level finance by reducing the unique cachet of challenging for the Auld Mug.

Despite the withdrawal, American Magic confirmed it remains committed to its founding purpose of building a high-performance American sailing platform. The team’s focus will now shift to athlete and technology development, international competition, and supporting U.S. Olympic sailing from its base in Pensacola, Florida.

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Despite looking like another bland piece of America’s Cup politics and procedure, it is difficult to overstate the significance of the newly formed America’s Cup Partnership (ACP).

First revealed a few weeks ago in the 38th America’s Cup Protocol, the ACP changes fundamentally the way in which the Cup will be run in the next cycle and beyond.

And while there are good reasons for the change, it’s not going to be universally popular. In fact, this could be the most controversial Cup move in modern times, some say it could even be the beginning of the end for the Auld Mug as we know it.

Sir Ben Ainslie, who has played a major part in creating the ACP – and whose team Athena Racing represents the Royal Yacht Squadron, the Challengers of Record – says this is, “The biggest step change in the history of the Cup,” and that the ACP is, “Critical to the future success of the Cup.”

His opposite, Grant Dalton, CEO of Emirates Team New Zealand representing the Defenders, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron is equally punchy. “If we hadn’t have done this it could have been pretty much the end of the Cup.”
Both are bold statements and both will raise plenty of comment and fierce debate.

RNZYS Commodore David Blakey and RYS Ltd’s Bertie Bicket shake hands, watched by Sir Ben Ainslie and Grant Dalton, to mark the signing of the Protocol for the 38th America’s Cup, in August 2025. Photo: Suellen Hurling / RNZYS / America’s Cup

Spreading the load

Traditionally, if you win the America’s Cup you take on the responsibility for putting on the next event once a Challenger has thrown down the gauntlet.

It’s a big obligation, both logistically and financially and puts huge pressure on both the Defenders and the club they represent, especially in multi-challenger Cup cycles where the burden of hosting an event that runs for months can place huge demands on infrastructure.

Covering the huge financial costs is made even harder as the short-term nature of a Cup cycle that lacks any detail makes it especially difficult for sponsors to justify putting their hands in their pockets.

This means that the time frame between America’s Cup matches inevitably gets drawn out, which in turn causes its own problems when it comes to maintaining public interest in the event. Filling these gaps with more events costs more money and so the problem continues to spiral.

The financial. burden of hosting multi-challenger Cups, such as the very successful 32nd Cup in Valencia, Spain in 2007, is significant. Photo: Jose Jordan/AFP via Getty Images

The ACP seeks to change this by sharing the logistical and financial burden with the other competitors.

In simple terms, under the new structure when a Challenger enters the America’s Cup it takes a place on the board that governs the event. From here the rules, the schedule, the venue selection and every other detail of the cycle is agreed and actioned.

Dalton and Ainslie argue that this creates future structure to the event around which hosting deals can be made for future venues along with long term sponsorship deals and other financial considerations.

They also argue that costs can be better controlled and talk of spending caps which they say would help to increase the number of future potential teams.

No longer unique?

All of which sounds positive, especially given that this is how SailGP, which was born out of the 2017 America’s Cup, is currently growing.

SailGP has succeeded in creating a commercially focussed, spectacle-driven circuit – but is that the right direction for the future of the America’s Cup? Photo: Felix Diemer for SailGP

But there are those that will argue that democratising the America’s Cup strikes at the heart of its foundation.

Commercialising it in this way, and running a Cup event every two years as has been suggested, risks turning it into another world championships of sailing and removes the winner-takes-all aspect that has drawn a steady stream of billionaires for 174 years.

The appeal and potential commercial benefit of winning the Cup and bringing it home could also be gone if hosting deals have been made for future cycles. This could also reduce the appeal and prestige of the Cup making it harder to raise finances.

Big money deals

But Dalton and Ainslie don’t see it this way.

“We would dearly have loved to be able to negotiate with Naples for two cycles,” says Dalton. “Their infrastructure bill is €180 million, but when you can only plan for one cycle you can’t do long broadcast deals and you can’t do long sponsor deals which is the well known Achilles heel of the Cup.

“So, in this commercial world – and knowing that our sport is niche – we knew it was time to make that move. And so along with the Challenger of Record with support from the New York Yacht Club we have been able to do it but it’s not been easy because there’s a lot of stakeholders to be satisfied.”

Ainslie agrees. “The challenge has been trying to convince stakeholders that this is the right move for the Cup,” he says.

“Initially there was quite a lot of resistance for many different reasons and it’s taken 12 months to get to this point. But as hard as it’s been, actually the conviction from Grant that this is what we should be doing has delivered at the end of the day.”

The America’s Cup has endured since 1851, as captured in this painting of America running to the finish line of the RYS Cup in Cowes. Will these new changes secure its future? Image: duncan1890 via Getty Images.

But these are big changes, and even Dalton has his concerns. “We knew that if we didn’t do anything then we might not have a Cup in 10 years time.

“So, in the end this was a call that we had to make but you won’t be able to convince me that we’re right yet, I think only time will tell.”

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The much delayed Protocol for the 38th America’s Cup has – finally – been agreed and signed, and there are some radical changes within it for both the racing and the structure of the America’s Cup. Plus, potentially some promising hints for the British team.

This Protocol is long overdue, and the past few months have seen publicly played out disagreements between ETNZ, headed by Grant Dalton, the Challenger of Record, represented by Ben Ainslie, and the other potential teams (Alinghi, New York Yacht Club, the French, and Italians), that have been vehement and, at times, a bit ugly to watch.

Even until late last week I was still receiving messages from those closely involved suggesting that the 38th America’s Cup could yet become a ‘Deed of Gift’ match – or in other words, that the Protocol could fail, and the Cup go back to a two team match. There have clearly been some emergency summits held among the key players with Ainslie, Dalton, and Bertie Bickett of the Royal Yacht Squadron hinting that it had been a fairly torrid 72 hours.

So today’s news is something of a relief, and positive step, though it’s worth noting that until the final ‘Partnership’ agreement (more on that below) is signed in September, this could yet all become null and void. Such is the way of the America’s Cup…

Cup cyclors replaced with batteries

Some of the most visible changes will be in the crew used to sail the AC75 for the 38th America’s Cup. Teams must sail either their existing AC75 from the 37th Cup, or build one to an existing design.

The boats will race with a crew of five, one of which will be a female sailor. However, the four cyclors are to be replaced with a new battery power system.

There are no ‘surrogate’ boats allowed this time around, such as the LEQ12 designs some teams built in the last cycle, and were heavily used in the design and testing of elements such as power cycles. The addition of batteries also removes the number of athletes on board, and adds a ‘push button’ element, similar to the AC40s in the last Women’s America’s Cup and Youth America’s Cup.

“This isn’t a decision taken lightly regarding the cyclors and the athleticism of sailing these boats and the effort that those guys put in,” Sir Ben Ainslie – the head of Athena Racing, the official Challenger of Record – told Yachting World this morning. “But we had to make some difficult decisions regarding cost caps and moving forward. That’s a tough call.”

“It doesn’t actually change the sailing of the boat,” Grant Dalton added. “I think the key to it is not to just create unlimited power because, really, you might as well carry around a power station. It’s to mimic – and I think this won’t be very hard – the peaks and troughs of the power of an average [AC]75 from the last America’s Cup and produce that.”

Peter Burling – who left Team New Zealand and joined Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli – will be eligible to compete for the Italian team

Nationality and Non-compete agreement

The nationality rule was known to be a huge sticking point in the negotiations for the new Protocol. For AC38 the female sailor and at least two other crew members must be of the same nationality as the yacht club they represent.

The other big shift in this updated Protocol is the removal of a ‘non-compete’ clause which would have banned sailors who competed in one team from competing in another, which was a point known to be a big bone of contention among some teams.

Widely referred to as the ‘Burling clause’ after New Zealand three-times winning helmsman Peter Burling did not re-sign with Emirates Team New Zealand but instead moved to Italian team Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, a lot of focus has been on whether Burling could sail for the Italians. In this morning’s media call, Grant Dalton confirmed that he now could.

After an announcement earlier this year Naples is now confirmed as the 38th America’s Cup venue.

38th America’s Cup venue

The 38th America’s Cup is still due to be held in Napes, Italy, in 2027. The racing cycle for the 38th Cup will include up to three Preliminary regattas – potentially two as soon as next year in AC40s, before a Preliminary Regatta in AC75s in Naples.

There will also be more racing scheduled, including fleet racing for the AC75s as part of the Challenger Series.

A cost cap of £75million is to be imposed – though Dalton acknowledged that would be tricky to fairly implement for teams such as Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, who are already up and running, with staff employed.

Entry opens soon, with just a 28 day window, and a €7million entry fee. Ainslie said that they are expecting most of the AC37 teams to enter. “I think we’re looking at five, maybe six teams for this next cycle.

Grant Dalton added: “Whether there is any further – if there is, they’re going to come out of Italy. I think that would be fair to say. So there could be an extra one, not sure yet.”

‘Fundamentally reshaped’ America’s Cup

However, the biggest structural change to the America’s Cup baked into this Protocol is the formation of a new Partnership Agreement, in which all currently involved teams have agreed a new commercial structure for the America’s Cup.

The idea is to give the event – which has historically been largely subject to the whims of its current holder – a firmer timetable. Going forward the Cup should have a two-year cycle giving teams more security when it comes to sourcing sponsors, planning campaigns etc. A new board will make key decisions such as class rule, agreeing venues etc, following an Formula One type model.

There’s no getting away from the fact this is controversial. The America’s Cup is the oldest sporting trophy in the world, and the Deed of Gift is one of its most unique elements. But it has also struggled to maintain momentum between cycles, and often ended up with protracted legal battles to get events off the ground. At one stage, it looked as if the 38th Cup could go the same way.

In this morning’s announcement, Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton said: “As the three-time successive winner and Defender of the America’s Cup and along with the RNZYS as current Trustee, we feel the responsibility to continue to drive the growth of the America’s Cup event.

“Although the America’s Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport and the pinnacle of sailing, its Achilles’ heel has always been its lack of continuity, so this transformation now gives all teams collective stewardship, and we are introducing a new executive management team to be headed up by a new independent CEO.

“By negotiating this Protocol and the America’s Cup Partnership with the Challenger of Record, it provides certainty for teams, commercial partners, and event venues to invest for multiple editions. This is the boldest change in 174 years of the Cup, while respecting the Deed of Gift, along with the Challenger of Record we are confident this is the best initiative to grow what is already one of the greatest sporting events in the world.”

New York Yacht Club Commodore Jay Cross said: “As the founding Trustee of the America’s Cup, we are completely supportive of the move to modernise the oldest sporting trophy in the world.”

“This is a seismic moment for the America’s Cup,” said Ainslie. “The partnership agreement fundamentally reshapes the governance and organisation of the event. The teams and yacht clubs share a vision to make the America’s Cup more inclusive, compelling, and financially sustainable. This new model marks a unified commitment to that vision. I am excited for the future of the sport.”

So will this partnership agreement actually go through? There does seem to be – on the surface at least – more agreement on the fundmental principles of this, than on some of the details that were driving the AC38 disputes.

Grant Dalton explained that there is more to it than appears in the Protocol. “You’re not seeing really the key document that actually has been signed – and you’re not going to be able to see it either, which is the term sheet,” he told invited media this morning.

“Which sets out the transitional period and the transitional rules of the defender handing over basically the keys to the city, the Crown jewels,  handing over all that. That is the key document. The rest of [the agreement], I have every confidence [will be signed], because it’s well done.”

Both of the AC75s used on the 2024 America’s Cup are likely to return, although the British boat will be renamed. Photo: America’s Cup

Hope for British America’s Cup team?

For British Cup fans, the signing of the Protocol by the Royal Yacht Squadron as Challenger of Record, represented by Ben Ainslie’s Athena Racing, is obviously a very good sign. Since the loss of sponsorship by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS, there have been major concerns about the viability of the British America’s Cup Challenge.

While Ainslie did not speak about the funding of his own team, he did drop a few hints that could be interpreted encouragingly. The first being that, while he confirmed that the AC75 hull they used in the 37th America’s Cup to win the Louis Vuitton Cup will race again, it would be under a different name, suggesting a title sponsorship deal may be in place.

“The boat that’s Athena Racing’s boat is not going to be called Britannia,” he said in today’s media call.

While talking about the importance of having female athletes in the America’s Cup, he added: “We have funding in place for our youth and women’s team right now, for the whole programme. I think it just goes to show how much support there is out there across the sailing community to push this agenda.”

There’s lots more to unpick from this morning’s announcement, and we’ll follow up with further details as we have them.

Download a full copy of the new America’s Cup Protocol.

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Unsightly and unnecessary public spat that has little to do with sailing… or another example of the extraordinary lengths some teams will go to win the America’s Cup?

Whatever your view, the recent public exchanges between the Defender and the Challenger of Record are illustrations of how the Cup’s capacity to both incense and entertain also demonstrate how much the Auld Mug means to those who want it in their trophy cabinet.

One thing is clear, the 38th America’s Cup has started. The trouble is that the dispute could lead the next cycle down a difficult alley with the risk of yet another Cup re-set.

By the time you read this, things may have developed further – hopefully for the better with both sides getting on. But the dialogue has been getting feisty.

On the face of it, the proposed format for the next America’s Cup in the draft protocol as released by the Kiwis had several interesting new aspects.

The next generation of AC75s will have no cyclors or grinders and rely solely on electric power. The crew will be reduced from eight to six and will include a female sailor and an under-25-year-old. A seventh position would be available too as a guest slot.

It’s also proposed there will be a spending cap of €60million, around half of what was previously spent.

Article continues below…

3 time America’s Cup winner, Peter Burling, swaps New Zealand for Italy in shock move

Peter Burling, the most successful America’s Cup helm in the modern era, has signed with Italian team Luna Rossa Prada…

Team New Zealand claims it has the ‘right and responsibility to choose the [America’s Cup] venue’ as war of words escalates

Following a statement from Alinghi and co-ordinated statements of support from Athena Racing and NYYC American Magic yesterday, Thursday 29…

But perhaps one of the biggest and most significant changes this time around is the formation of the AC Partnership (ACP) where the Defender, the Challenger of Record and ‘other prospective AC38 competitors’, agree to work collaboratively to create the next America’s Cup. The responsibility of this group includes the format of racing, the commercial rights, the selection of host cities and so on.

And while I’m led to believe there have been plenty of contentious issues during the negotiation of the yet-to-be-signed new Protocol, it was this area that seemed to be at the heart of the recent terse statements from both sides.

The announcement of Naples as the venue for the next America’s Cup came before the Challengers had formally agreed it (normally the venue is revealed after the Protocol has been agreed as this sets out the overall format of the event). So, given the new ACP arrangement where all parties were responsible for the venue, three of the Challengers – Athena Racing, American Magic and Alinghi – voiced their concerns that the Defender wasn’t playing by the draft rules that they were still working on.

There’s more detail in the dispute, but my suspicion is that the Challengers’ reactions are an indication of a broader concern over how the Defender is behaving this early in the Cup cycle and that they need to nip this in the bud.

For me, the bigger issue is the way in which this dispute has polarised the teams. On one side are the British – as Challenger of Record – the American and Swiss teams. On the other the Kiwis, the Italians – who are understandably delighted at the prospect of a home Cup – and the French who admit that competing closer to home makes things a lot easier.

Last time the Cup was decided in a Deed of Gift match the result was a pair of monster multihulls. It was eventually won by the wing-sailed trimaran USA-17. Photo: AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza

But what if this dispute deepens and the two sides dig in?

You can do pretty much anything with mutual agreement in the Cup but when cooperation runs out the backstop is the basic rules as set out in the America’s Cup Deed of Gift.

As we know from 2010 when agreement couldn’t be reached for the 33rd America’s Cup after the hugely successful previous one in Valencia, a DoG match can be pretty expensive. It can also mark a design re-set where teams go back to a clean sheet of paper.

For the Kiwis this would be a big risk, both financially and in relinquishing control over the rules that has helped them achieve their phenomenal success over the last three Cup cycles.

Statements over the last few weeks from the Challenger of Record’s camp suggest they are already collaborating. And it seems likely they could have much deeper pockets when working together to fund an arms race.

Today we have an AC75 rule that has plenty of life in it with boats that are at the leading edge, and racing that is getting closer with each iteration. To lose that now would remove the stability for the next Cup cycle – and if there’s one thing that holds back investment it’s uncertainty.

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When it was announced that three-times Kiwi America’s Cup helmsman Peter Burling had not re-signed with Emirates Team New Zealand, a lot of people wondered what he was going to do instead.

News last month that he was joining Italian Challengers Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli certainly made sense. Between that and his Black Foils New Zealand SailGP team – and a young family – he seemed to have enough on his plate.

But Burling is evidently enjoying the freedom that not being locked into an ETNZ contract or Olympic cycle brings, with the news that he is going to join the Ultim SVR-Lazartigue for this month’s Rolex Fastnet Race.

The Ultim SVR-Lazartigue being relaunched for its 2025 programme

SVR-Lazartigue will race with skipper Tom Laperche (who took over from Francois Gabart last year – Gabart is taking some time out for a cruising circumnavigation with his family) and a crew of six, including new co-skipper Frank Cammas. Cammas has moved from the Gitana stable, where he was long-time skipper and co-skipper of the Ultim Maxi Edmond de Rothschild with Charles Caudrelier.

Recruiting Burling

Tom Laperche explains: “François (Gabart) encouraged me to reach out to the Anglo-Saxon sailing scene, where some of the best in the business are pushing the limits of these flying boats.

“We had a shortlist of sailors we were keen to sail with. The New Zealanders have long been leaders in this area. Peter is an exceptional sailor — Olympic medals, America’s Cups… and from our first conversations, he was totally on board. His flight expertise is top-level, he’s an outstanding inshore racer, and I know he’ll bring a lot to the team.”

SVR-Lazartigue skipper Tom Laperche

“When they contacted me, it was an easy decision to say yes to the Rolex Fastnet Race,” adds Burling.

“I’ve always loved offshore racing — that’s what led me to The Ocean Race. The Ultim class is the pinnacle of high-performance offshore sailing. These boats are incredibly innovative and versatile. I’m really excited to get back offshore and to learn more about how this class is evolving.

“Joining a team with such deep experience on these boats is a fantastic opportunity. I’ve followed François Gabart’s journey and everything the team has achieved, and seeing Tom take over the project is great. He’s an exceptional sailor. For me, this is a chance to push myself, learn, and work with an outstanding crew. I can’t wait to get started.”

Leg 9 of the 2018 Volvo Ocean Race from Newport, US to Cardiff, UK – on board Brunel. Peter Burling thinks Vestas 11th Hour has tacked and fever sets in

Burling is no stranger to offshore racing: he raced with Brunel in the 2017/18 Volvo Ocean Race. He was helmsman and watch leader on the Dutch boat, and widely rumoured to be something of a secret weapon when it came to Brunel’s impressive boat speed improvements over the race.

Bouwe Bekking’s Team Brunel finished third overall, in the closest finish in the race’s history. Burling sandwiched the ocean marathon in between winning Gold at the 2016 Olympics in Rio and Silver at the 2020/21 Games in Tokyo, and winning back the America’s Cup for New Zealand in Bermuda in 2017 and defending it in Auckland in 2021.

Cammas switches teams

For Laperche and the SVR-Lazartigue team, having Franck Cammas join after six years with Gitana is a significant appointment. The Gitana stable is currently building a top-secret – and rumoured to be radical – new Ultim, designed by Guillaume Verdier and due to be launched this autumn.

Cammas will be Laperche’s co-skipper for this autumn’s Transat Cafe L’or (formerly the Transat Jacques Vabre), but also performance director.

“When I called Franck, I wasn’t just looking for a co-skipper,” explains Laperche. “I wanted someone who could also contribute to the sporting and technical vision — someone to challenge and build on the work from our design team.”

“My goal is to bring a fresh perspective to a team that already knows the boat inside out,” says Cammas. “We’ll need to keep the dialogue open, challenge ourselves, and remain receptive to new ideas.

“It’s all about working the details, staying rigorous, curious and open-minded. That mindset is something Tom and I share. We’re always looking for new ways to push technology further — but we know that innovation comes with risk.

Franck Cammas has joined the SVR-Lazartigue team for 2025 as co-skipper and performance director

“Humility is essential because the competition is fierce. Everyone is stepping up. Each time we go to sea, we aim to perform better than the time before. With this team — both on land and at sea — and one of the most advanced boats in the fleet, we have everything in place. Now we just need to deliver. Sometimes you have to be patient for results, but that’s the nature of the game.”

The Rolex Fastnet Race starts from Cowes on Saturday, 26 July. The Transat Café L’Or from Le Havre on 26 October.

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The post Peter Burling goes offshore: America’s Cup helmsman will race on foiling Ultim trimaran appeared first on Yachting World.

Peter Burling, the most successful America’s Cup helm in the modern era, has signed with Italian team Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.

Following much speculation, the Italian challengers confirmed today, Friday 20 June 2025 that Burling – who helmed Emirates Team New Zealand to a record three back-to-back wins (the ‘three-Pete’) – will join Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli for the 38th America’s Cup cycle.

Burling announced he was departing Team New Zealand back in early April this year, after he and team boss Grant Dalton were unable to come to agreement on key terms.

Exactly what they were were never disclosed, but there was plenty of speculation that it was to do with the level of all-in commitment Dalton sought from his key team members. Burling is also skipper of the Black Foils New Zealand SailGP team.

Burling’s SailGP team racing in front of an adoring home crowd earlier in 2025. Photo: Felix Diemer for SailGP

Exactly what capacity Burling will join the Italian team in is unclear, in part due to wording in a draft protocol released by Team New Zealand in late May 2025

That draft Protocol currently forbids sailors who competed in the last Cup for one nation representing another in AC38 stating:

‘…up to two non-nationals may participate as crew on a Competitor’s yacht in a race in the AC38 Events, provided such non-nationals did not participate as crew in any races of the following AC37 Events – the AC37 Final Preliminary Regatta, the Challenger Selection Series or the AC37 Match.’

This rule was known to be one of the sticking points among several Challengers – including the Challenger of Record, Ben Ainslie’s Athena Racing.

However, the Italian challengers have been notably quiet following the recent dissent voiced by the British, American and Swiss teams.

This does raise the question of whether the Italians intend to have Burling on the water for AC38 at all, or if that rule is no longer set to be included in the Protocol.

Peter Burling has signed for the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team for the 38th America’s Cup

“We’re thrilled to welcome Peter Burling to Luna Rossa,” said Max Sirena, CEO of Luna Rossa. “Peter has been a long-time rival, and over the years we’ve come to deeply respect both his exceptional sailing talent and his sportsmanship on the racecourse.

“Even though his exact role has yet to be defined, he will certainly be part of the sailing team, reinforcing Luna Rossa’s core leadership group and contributing to key areas of our development program.

“Peter brings tremendous sporting, technical, and personal value. We are confident his presence will give the team a significant boost, bringing renewed energy, expertise, and determination as we look ahead to the challenge before us.”

Luna Rossa competing in the 37th America’s Cup. Photo: Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup

“I’m incredibly proud to be joining Luna Rossa for the 38th America’s Cup,” said Peter Burling.

“I’ve always loved racing against Luna Rossa and now to join this iconic team is a real honour. The innovation and competitiveness they bring to the Cup has always inspired me. I’m grateful for the warm welcome and I’m looking forward to working hard alongside a world-class team, doing my part to help win Luna Rossa’s first America’s Cup.”

Article continues below…

America’s Cup: Team New Zealand hits back at ‘unreasonable’ Challengers – and releases draft Protocol

America’s Cup defenders Team New Zealand have returned fire in the America’s Cup war of words – by unveiling the…

The America’s Cup is going to Naples, but what will sailing conditions be? We get an insider’s guide 

When it was confirmed last week that the 38th America’s Cup would be held in Naples, Italy, the announcement was…

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The post 3 time America’s Cup winner, Peter Burling, swaps New Zealand for Italy in shock move appeared first on Yachting World.

Following a statement from Alinghi and co-ordinated statements of support from Athena Racing and NYYC American Magic yesterday, Thursday 29 May, Team New Zealand have responded with their own statement on the 38th America’s Cup venue late Thursday UK time.

Alinghi accused Team New Zealand of selling ‘something they do not own the rights to’ after the Kiwis announced the venue for the 38th America’s Cup apparently without approval of Athena Racing, the Challenger of Record.

However, Team New Zealand claims that the Challenger of Record (CoR) signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ when they signed up to be the Challenger of Record for the next America’s Cup at the conclusion of the last event in 2024.

The statement from Team New Zealand came in two parts. The first read:

‘The Defender, as per the Deed of Gift has the right and responsibility to choose the venue and the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Challenger of Record at the conclusion of the 37th America’s Cup also gives that full right and obligation to the Defender.

Article continues below…

‘Team New Zealand have sold something they do not own the rights to. This is not acceptable.’ Alinghi issues strong America’s Cup statement

Swiss America’s Cup team Alinghi Red Bull Racing issued a statement today, Thursday 29th May, as the latest war of…

America’s Cup: Team New Zealand hits back at ‘unreasonable’ Challengers – and releases draft Protocol

America’s Cup defenders Team New Zealand have returned fire in the America’s Cup war of words – by unveiling the…

‘The Defender remains committed to work with the teams to create a partnership for the future America’s Cups.’

This was followed some hours later by a second statement which read:

‘Further clarification on today’s earlier statement from Emirates Team New Zealand regarding the agreed responsibility of the Defender on selecting the Host Venue of the 38th America’s Cup across all events including the Challenger Selection Series. The MOU with the Challenger of Record also says:

“The Venue for the Match and for the preceding CSS will be determined and announced by the AC38 Defender within eight months of the AC37 Final Race. The final dates for the Match and the preceding CSS will be announced within a further two months of the Venue announcement.”’

As the back-and-forth continues the wording of these tit-for-tat statements is starting to look increasingly legal.

The America’s Cup has long been a home to legal battles and quite how this ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ apparently signed by British Challenger of Record squares with the famous America’s Cup Deed of Gift – the 1882 primary document that governs the rules to challenge for the America’s Cup – could well be one for the lawyers to decide.

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The post Team New Zealand claims it has the ‘right and responsibility to choose the [America’s Cup] venue’ as war of words escalates appeared first on Yachting World.

Swiss America’s Cup team Alinghi Red Bull Racing issued a statement today, Thursday 29th May, as the latest war of words among various interested America’s Cup teams escalates.

That statement was followed by another from the official America’s Cup Challenger of Record, the Royal Yacht Squadron’s Athena Racing.

The first indication that something was (once again) amiss in the world of the America’s Cup came when Team New Zealand announced Naples as the venue for the 38th America’s Cup, seemingly out of the blue – though rumours of an announcement had been circulating.

That venue announcement was followed days later by Ben Ainslie’s Athena Racing, and US team NYYC American Magic, both issuing co-ordinated team statements. The Athena Racing statement revealed the British frustration that six months of negotiation with Team New Zealand, headed up by Grant Dalton, had failed to result in a Protocol agreement stating that:

‘For seven months Athena Racing has been in negotiations on a protocol for the 38th America’s Cup with the Defender, Team New Zealand, on behalf of all the Challengers – with the aim to deliver a fair sporting framework and commercially viable event for all America’s Cup stakeholders. Despite recent progress being made, significant barriers remain.

‘Typically, a host agreement has only followed the publication of an agreed protocol. In the absence of an agreed protocol, it is therefore difficult to understand what exactly has been agreed between Team New Zealand and the Government of Italy as the sporting framework and details of the event do not yet exist.’

Ben Ainslie. Photo: INEOS Britannia

These opening salvoes then saw Team New Zealand biting back against charges of a lack of transparency, calling the challengers ‘unreasonable’ and taking the unprecedented step of releasing the America’s Cup Protocol draft apparently without full consultation with Challenger of Record Athena Racing.

Gloves-off America’s Cup statement from Alinghi

The statement released today by Alinghi takes aim squarely at Team New Zealand and goes as far as claiming that ‘Team New Zealand have sold something they do not own the rights to.’ And additionally reveals they have contacted the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron ‘raising questions about the administration of the competition by Team New Zealand.’

In what was another clearly co-ordinated effort from the Challengers, the Alinghi statement was quickly followed by another from both Athena Racing and NYYC American Magic, both giving full-throated support to the sentiments expressed by the Swiss team.

Alinghi Red Bull Racing had previously announced that they would not compete in the 38th America’s Cup. Photo: America’s Cup

In full the Alinghi statement reads:

‘When Alinghi Red Bull Racing withdrew in April from consideration for the 38th America’s Cup, we did so because we had serious concerns about the administration and governance of the Cup by the Defender, Team New Zealand.

‘While we wholeheartedly welcome the choice of Naples as a perfect host venue for the Cup in 2027, our concerns were deepened yesterday when Team New Zealand celebrated the announcement of the host venue at an event in the city.

‘They had no right to do so without first having agreed a protocol with the Challenger of Record, Athena Racing, who were not consulted on the host venue arrangements which critically impact all challenging teams with regards to cost and logistics.

‘In signing a commercial deal with the host city that includes the Challenger Selection Series of races for the Louis Vuitton Cup, Team New Zealand have sold something they do not own the rights to. This is not acceptable.

‘Additionally, the lack of transparency over the terms of the venue deal struck by Team New Zealand begs the question: How can a venue be agreed without either the host city or any of the challenger teams knowing what form of regatta will take place?

‘This is just the latest demonstration of the Defender’s failure to live up to its fiduciary duties as the Trustee of the America’s Cup.

‘These growing concerns about the governance of the Cup is why Société Nautique de Genève has written to the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron raising questions about the administration of the competition by Team New Zealand and requesting information relating to RNZYS’s responsibilities and duties as Trustee.

‘As a two-time winner of the Cup and a former Trustee ourselves, Alinghi will always feel a responsibility to the America’s Cup and believe that those who organize and run the event should always seek to put the collective interest of the Cup above all else.

‘Like Athena Racing and American Magic, we believe that a successful America’s Cup hinges on openness, trust, and a shared understanding among all participants. We remain hopeful that a protocol between the Defender and the Challenger of Record can be agreed that establishes an equitable sporting framework for the racing and a commercially viable event for all America’s Cup stakeholders.

‘If this can be achieved, then Alinghi is ready to explore ways that we can be part of that future, especially in the wonderful city of Naples in 2027, a truly fitting setting for the world’s greatest sailing competition.’

Alinghi are no strangers to Cup controversy themselves having been taken to court by Larry Ellison’s BMW Oracle after their succesfull defence of the America’s Cup. the resultant fall out saw several years of battle in the courts before a Deed of Gift match between the two teams in 2010.

Could the Cup be heading back to the courts once again?

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The post ‘Team New Zealand have sold something they do not own the rights to. This is not acceptable.’ Alinghi issues strong America’s Cup statement appeared first on Yachting World.

America’s Cup defenders Team New Zealand have returned fire in the America’s Cup war of words – by unveiling the draft Protocol.

The battle was initiated in public this afternoon with statements issued by both the Challenger of Record Athena Racing and American Magic, who accused the defender of a lack of transparency.

A statement issued from Emirates Team New Zealand read:

“The Defender has been working closely and positively with all teams on moving the America’s Cup to a new collaborative Partnership and structure to strengthen the future of the America’s Cup for the benefit of the event and all current and future teams.”

It continues regarding the Protocol: “In an unprecedented move, the Defender in conjunction with the Challenger of Record has been working with all teams on the development of the Protocol for the 38th America’s Cup over the past few months. This has resulted in the current Protocol incorporating many ideas and positions of the teams. As a result of the significant teams input the completion of the Protocol has been prolonged.

“The latest version of the Protocol went back to the Challenger of Record Athena Racing, 10 days ago, prior to the announcement of Naples. The Defender has not had any feedback back from the Challenger of Record on the latest version other than acknowledgement it had been well received by the teams.”

Grant Dalton of Emirates Team New Zealand has been holding onto the America’s Cup since Bermuda 2017. Photo: ACE

Protocol draft released

In what can only be described as a ‘hold my beer’ move, ENTZ continued: “However, the Defender now feels due to the unreasonable allegations that have been levelled at it by Athena Racing and American Magic, that it is appropriate to publicly release the latest draft version of the 38th America’s Cup Protocol today as an illustration of complete transparency.”

If the aim of Athena Racing and American Magic’s statement was to flush Protocol discussions into the open, it has certainly achieved that. That Protocol is now available for all to see here

New Cup organisation?

One of the most striking elements in the Protocol draft includes the previously leaked idea of a new structure behind the America’s Cup organisation. It reads:

“The Defender, COR and other prospective AC38 Competitors have reached agreement for the establishment of a partnership of founding teams (“Founding Teams”) to be responsible for the management of AC38 and future cycles of the America’s Cup (“AC Partnership” or “ACP”). It is agreed that ACP or its designated entity will be appointed as the Event Authority for AC38 and commence operation as soon as practicable after 30 June 2025.

“ACP shall be bound by all pre-existing commitments in respect of AC38 matters which are contracted or otherwise agreed by ACE in the course of negotiation prior to ACP’s commencement of operation.”

Some of the sweeping responsibilities of the ACP are listed, including management of timing and format, commercial and media rights and ‘endeavouring to raise funds, to meet its costs of AC38.’

There are also structural changes proposed to how the Challenger of Record can be selected: “If the Challenger of Record withdraws its challenge, then the Defender shall promptly appoint one of the other remaining Challengers as the new Challenger of Record, such appointment to be at the sole discretion of the Defender.”

And a deeply complicated clause which bonds competitors to agree to using the AC75 class for AC39, or risk forfeiting  $20 million (yes, that’s USD20m).

INEOS Britannia battling it out with Emirates Team New Zealand off Barcelona during Race 7 of the 37th America’s Cup. ETNZ went on to win the Cup 7-2. Photo: Ricardo Pinto/America’s Cup

Six crew, 1 woman, no cyclors

Other big changes drafted include a requirement under the AC75 rule that boats will have six crew members, including one youth (under 25) and one female.

The Protocol continues: “Manual power input will not be permitted, except in steering, and the AC75 Class Rule will allow power equivalent to that generated by four cyclors to be supplied to control sail functions with a supplied battery-powered system.

“It is envisaged that this supplied power system will mimic the capability of human cyclors in terms of average power output, peak power, fatigue, and other relevant data enabling crews to determine how best to use the power available during a race. Sailing data from AC37 will be used to quantify such power requirement.”

The Protocol notes that the above two points “have been included in response to COR feedback for the purposes of further discussion only, not yet agreed to by the Defender”.

Guest slots will also be created onboard.

The AC75s will have just six crew under the draft Protocol proposal. Photo: LUNA ROSSA PRADA PIRELLI TEAM

Key dates for 38th America’s Cup

Other key dates in the draft Protocol include the rule that nobody can sail an AC75 until 15 January 2026.

The intention is to run up to three Initial Preliminary Regattas during 2026 and one possibly in early 2027, with a final Preliminary Regatta at the Match Venue.

These Preliminary events will be raced in AC40s in 2026 (with each Competitor able to enter two AC40s). In 2027 the Preliminary Regattas will be raced in AC75s ‘competing in the same AC75 Yacht hull in which Competitors shall compete during the Challenger Selection Series (CSS) and the Match’.

The Defender will again be eligible to compete in the early stage of the challenger series, but not the Semi-Final or Final.

The women’s and youth America’s Cups are also to return.

Crew rules for AC38

The rumoured ‘Burling clause’ is included, and reads: “up to two non-nationals may participate as crew on a Competitor’s yacht in a race in the AC38 Events, provided such non-nationals did not participate as crew in any races of the following AC37 Events – the AC37 Final Preliminary Regatta, the Challenger Selection Series or the AC37 Match.”

The nationality rule can also be waived, on agreement by the Defender and Challenger of Record, “for a particular crew member who they are satisfied was unable to fully comply with those requirements only due to circumstances outside his/her control such as the COVID 19 pandemic”.

Peter Burling has left Emirates Team New Zealand, but under the draft Protocol would not be able to move to another team.

The 75-page draft Protocol document also lists many, many other rules and changes, such as country of build, the recon system, and so on, plus intellectual property and media rights (a likely significant area of change with the formation of the ACP)

Perhaps key to Naples, it notes that “the TWS range referred to is between 6.5 knots and 23 knots.”

And, perhaps key to some skippers more than others, there’s a ‘profanity’ clause in case any non-PC language is caught on the live broadcast.

However, this Protocol document is still a draft, that has not been signed off with full agreement, and there are likely to be changes still to be made and details thrashed out further.

Venue transparency

ETNZ’s statement concluded by disputing the claim in the Athena Racing statement that the host venue of Naples had been signed without due transparency. It reads:

“It is the responsibility of the Defender and has been an obligation of an agreement with the Challenger of Record, to secure the Host Venue by June 19th 2025 so all teams have clarity on one of the most important foundations of any America’s Cup.

“Ahead of time, the teams now have that knowledge and understanding with the exciting announcement of Naples, Italy in 2027.

It was recently announced that the Cup is headed to Naples, Italy for AC38.

“In contrast to the statement by Athena Racing, all teams have already been offered full access and transparency to the Host Venue Agreement (HVA), which was signed just last week, upon their signing of a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Such a requirement is standard practice in any contract that contains commercial sensitivities.”

“The Defender is yet to receive the returned NDA’s from Athena Racing as Challenger of Record.”

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The post America’s Cup: Team New Zealand hits back at ‘unreasonable’ Challengers – and releases draft Protocol appeared first on Yachting World.

The statements, released Thursday 22 May, follow last week’s announcement by the America’s Cup defenders Team New Zealand that the next America’s Cup will be held in Naples, Italy. They apparently reflect frustration that six months of negotiation with Team New Zealand, headed up by Grant Dalton, have failed to result in a Protocol agreement.

First to be released was British Athena Racing. It reads:

“Athena Racing, representing Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd. as Challenger of Record for the 38th America’s Cup, is concerned by the ongoing lack of transparency around the recent announcement of a Host City for the Cup in 2027 and the impact this is having on the main goal of negotiating a fair sporting protocol.

“For seven months Athena Racing has been in negotiations on a protocol for the 38th America’s Cup with the Defender, Team New Zealand, on behalf of all the Challengers – with the aim to deliver a fair sporting framework and commercially viable event for all America’s Cup stakeholders. Despite recent progress being made, significant barriers remain.

“Typically, a host agreement has only followed the publication of an agreed protocol. In the absence of an agreed protocol, it is therefore difficult to understand what exactly has been agreed between Team New Zealand and the Government of Italy as the sporting framework and details of the event do not yet exist.

“Any hosting agreement will bind challengers to financial and organisational obligations, as well as potential liabilities, making its disclosure fundamental to teams’ participation and commitment to the 38th America’s Cup.

“While we have every confidence that Naples can be a magnificent host for the America’s Cup, we believe that transparency and cooperation between the Defender and all Challengers is vital for the Cup’s future and therefore the recent announcements from the Defender are premature, at best.”

The Protocol is due to be released in the next few weeks, though some details of a draft Protocol were leaked, it’s clear from today’s statements that those suggested terms were a long way from being unanimously agreed.

American Magic about to get the better of INEOS in the first start of the 2024 AC Preliminary Regatta. Photo: Photo: Ian Roman | America’s Cup

NYYC American Magic statement

The Athena statement was swiftly followed by one from NYYC American Magic, who were expected to challenge for the 38th Cup.

Their statement read: “Over the past seven years, we’ve competed with pride, purpose, and perseverance in two editions of the America’s Cup. It has been an honor to represent the New York Yacht Club and the United States on the global stage in one of the most storied competitions in sport.

“As we look ahead to the 38th America’s Cup, we find ourselves at a crossroads and feel that we must provide an update to our teammates, partners, donors, and supporters.

“Despite the best efforts of the Challengers – led by the Challenger of Record – to negotiate in good faith, the Defender has been unwilling to commit to the transparency and cooperation necessary to secure a fair Protocol. Without the structural framework necessary for challengers to pursue viable campaigns, it will remain extremely difficult to unlock the America’s Cup’s potential as a modern, globally relevant sports property.

“We continue to support the Challenger of Record in their efforts to secure an open and balanced Protocol, as without the meaningful changes they are advocating, it is difficult to see how NYYC American Magic can participate in the 38th America’s Cup.

“While we remain committed to the America’s Cup and would welcome the opportunity to compete under a fair protocol, we are equally committed to integrity, transparency, and the long-term health of the institution that is the America’s Cup. We urge the Defender, as Trustee, to work in good faith with the Challenger of Record to restore the elements of fair competition, transparency, and respect for all sailors, globally, who are ultimately the beneficiaries of this time-honored trust.”

It was recently announced that the Cup is headed to Naples, Italy

America’s Cup Protocol disputes

Neither team has specified which elements of the Protocol are in disagreement.

Areas that could potentially be sticking points include sailor nationality, particularly the widely leaked ‘non-compete’ clause which suggests that sailors who have competed in the previous America’s Cup could not compete for a different team in AC38. Such a rule change would have particular relevance now three-times Cup winning helmsman Pete Burling has parted ways with Team New Zealand.

Other areas that have been reported to be under discussion include a change to the ‘in country’ build rule, data sharing– and the future governance of the America’s Cup itself.

Although the Italian host city itself has been widely welcomed, key details surrounding race dates, team bases etc are also yet to be shared – and the clock is now running.

With less than two years until AC38 all teams will be in a race against time. For teams such as Athena Racing, who are also in a race to secure funding following the acrimonious split with previous backers INEOS, the lack of clarity about the shape of the next event will be particularly acute.

There has yet to be a response from the French team, who welcomed the Naples announcement as a positive in their bid to raise funding to challenge for AC38.

Nor from the Swiss Alinghi, who announced that they had withdrawn from the Cup and winding down operations – although Dalton recently hinted to a New Zealand news outlet that he believed the team were in fact recruiting.

The key response the statements are clearly intended to elicit, however, is from Team New Zealand – we’ll report more when we have it

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The post Frustration boils over in America’s Cup: Challengers demand Team New Zealand restore ‘fair competition’ appeared first on Yachting World.

When it was confirmed last week that the 38th America’s Cup would be held in Naples, Italy, the announcement was widely welcomed. The Italians’ enduring passion for the Cup – demonstrated by Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli’s involvement – would, many hope, translate into a vibrant and well-supported event. A European time zone should hopefully boost the event’s broadcast appeal and perhaps help entice more teams to return from AC37.

What’s more, it means the America’s Cup is not going to be a generously funded but potentially very light airs event in the Middle East.

Conditions in Barcelona last summer were tricky, to say the least. Teams and fans spent many hours waiting for the breeze to fill in and for Race Committee announcer Melanie Roberts to utter her famous phrase “We have met the wind limit, and this race is live.” 

So what sailing conditions can we expect in Naples?

The first clues came very quickly after the announcement with images from the Regata dei Tre Golfi – an annual regatta that includes inshore racing for ORC classes and a 170-mile offshore for Maxis. And photos of the big boats powered up as the set off from the Bay of Naples under spinnaker in 15 knots certainly look promising.

Naples has also previously hosted two America’s Cup World Series events in 2012 and 2013. Reporting from the 2012 event, Matthew Sheahan described the location: “The venue here in Naples is superb, both for spectators and sailors. Open to the sea, the westerly breeze is clean and the sailing area free from obstructions.”

Racing in the Gulf of Naples for the Regata dei Tre Golfi 2025. Photo: Studio Borlenghi

But the Cup Challenger series and match won’t be decided over a single week, so what are the prevailing conditions over the summer?

Paola Desiderio, a Yacht Club Officer for the Naples and Salerno area, chatted to Naples sailing legend and highly respected Race Officer Luciano Cosentino for Yachting World about what to expect:

America’s Cup sailing area

“Traditionally regattas in Naples take place in the area in front of Castel dell’Ovo and Posillipo, in the Gulf Of Naples,” explains Consentino.

“The official [Cup] communication says the regattas will take place in that traditional area opposite Castel dell’Ovo, where the majority of Naples’ sailing clubs are based. It makes perfect sense as this area would offer the most picturesque image of the city, in view of Vesuvius and Castel dell’Ovo, with Capri visible in the distance..

“The problem is that, according to reports, the boats will be based in Bagnoli, north of Posillipo in the Gulf of Pozzuoli, that is a six-mile distance from the regatta field. The boats would have to be possibly towed from there, or sail to the regatta area in the Gulf of Naples. So being based in Bagnoli is not the most practical solution.

Teams sail in front of Castel dell’Ovo during a practice race of the America’s Cup World Series Naples in April 2013. Photo: Jacopo Raule/Getty Images

Naples sailing conditions

“Assuming that the regatta will take place 1 nautical mile or so out at sea, in the area directly in front of Castel dell’ Ovo in the Gulf of Naples, where it will be visible by the public from the Lungomare, the best conditions in my experience are typically between mid-May and mid June,” says Consentino.

“In these months typically the thermal breeze blowing onshore settles between 1230 and 1430 and typically reaches speeds of 10-15 knots, which is an ideal scenario for the AC75s. It is enough to ‘take off’ on the foils, but not enough to risk causing damage.

“Typically between 1230-1400 the thermal breeze comes in from 200-210 degrees, straight from the visible islands of Capri or Ischia. Unless it rains or there is a lot of humidity in the air on the day of the races – or or in the days before – these kinds of conditions are what we normally get.

“Generally by the time we get to mid-May, up to mid-June, we get this typical thermal onshore breeze, which moves like a sunflower with the sun to 220, 230, 240 degrees, as we go into the afternoon. Until, occasionally, the Mistral comes in and that is when things get more complicated for the organisers. If this happens the racing area might have to be moved further out at sea.

“When the Mistral comes in, from 270, up to 300 degrees, in other words from north-west, it is hard to place the top mark upwind in the typical racing area, at a distance of 1nm from the coast. This is because there is no space to place the windward mark opposite Posillipo. The coastline under Posillipo creates a rotation, which changes the direction of the wind.

“So with the Mistral blowing on shore, the whole racing area will have to be moved further out at sea. This would create a headache for the organisers, media operation, commercial traffic etc.”

Aerial view of the Bay of Naples, with Castel dell’Ovo in the foreground and Vesuvius in the background. The Cup racing area is likely to be further north of Ovo castle or directly in front of it out at sea. Photo: Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images

Current in Gulf of Naples

“In Naples, it is rare to find currents that are not in line with the direction of the wind. The only exception is when a strong offshore wind has been blowing for the preceding days. In that case it takes time for the current to align with the direction of the new wind.

“During the America’s Cup this could happen, but it would only affect the first start or so. It is not a condition that lasts long, once the prevailing wind becomes established.”

Late summer in Naples

“I would exclude racing in August, as it is Italy’s holiday month and the traffic at sea in the area is impossible to control, with hundreds of commercial ferries and private yachts and boats heading towards the regatta area on their way to Capri.

“September is a month of light winds. Potentially more unstable, with typically thermal breezes between 8-12 knots. October is as unstable as April.”

The commercial harbour of Naples. Photo: Ivan Romano/Getty Images

Local politics

Consentino also notes that there is some complex local politics involved – with something of a stalemate at the Italian Sailing Federation regional ‘V Zone’ in Naples, which is currently led by a temporary administration after recent elections didn’t lead to a consensus over a new president.

“Rivalry among the clubs and internal political strife are not conducive towards a working administration. This is certainly a problem that requires a solution before an event of such magnitude can take place,” he points out.

AC45s racing during the America’s Cup World Series Naples in 2013 in Naples, Italy. Photo: Jacopo Raule/Getty Images

Luciano Cosentino

Luciano Cosentino, now in his 80s, is a revered figure in Italian competitive sailing. The Cosentino family is synonymous with sailing excellence: his father Roberto and uncle Antonio took Olympic bronze medals in the Dragon class. As a Senior Race Officer, Luciano is widely respected for his deep knowledge of racing rules and conditions in the Bay of Naples.

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The 38th America’s Cup is heading to Italy: this morning, Thursday 15 May 2025 defenders Team New Zealand announced today that Naples will host the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup in the spring and summer of 2027.

This is the first time the America’s Cup has headed to Italy, though Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli has been one of the most committed and ever-present challengers in the modern America’s Cup.

The opportunity to host the event will not only reward the team backers and its loyal supporters with a home event, but potentially also gift a rare ‘home advantage’ to a Challenger who has not earned the right to host through winning the event.

America’s Cup Defender Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton said Naples was chosen after a ‘very efficient venue selection process’. It was well known that previous Cup host cities Barcelona and Valencia in Spain, as well as Team New Zealand’s home port of Auckland, were not able to financially support hosting the event for AC38.

The selection of Italy as the venue for the next America’s Cup will likely do little to quell the anger from some quarters in New Zealand – who have only seen the Cup contested on home soil on one occasion in the last three wins by the Kiwis – but it will, however, be a relief for the wider sailing community who had feared the event could may go to the highest bidder and end up being contested in an unsuitable venue.

“I couldn’t be more excited to announce Naples, Italy as the Host Venue of the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup. There is a raw spirit and absolute pride in Italy that seems so appropriate to have the next America’s Cup here,” said Dalton.

“By bringing the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup to this country, it feels like we are bringing it to the people, in our ambition to continually grow the audience of the America’s Cup and sport of sailing.

“Italians are the most passionate and engaged America’s Cup audience and obviously it is the home of Luna Rossa who are such an amazing team and strong competitor. So, from the Defender’s position it certainly feels like we are entering the lion’s den competitively, but from an event perspective it feels like the perfect venue to host the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup.”

The iconic Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli branding has been a key presence in recent America’s Cups.

Italy in America’s Cup

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli’s track record in the America’s Cup is highly distinguished: they made it to the final of the 37th Louis Vuitton Challenger Series (eventually defeated by INEOS Britannia), but were winners of the 2021 Challenger series to face New Zealand in the Cup match in Auckland for AC36.

They were also – rather ominously for the Defenders – winners of both the Women’s America’s Cup and Youth America’s Cup in Barcelona last summer.

Commodore David Blakey of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron confirmed that both events will be returning for AC 38, saying: “Italy promises to be a spectacular setting for the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup, as well as the Youth and Women’s regattas”.

Italy won both the Puig Women’s America’s Cup and Youth America’s Cup events in 2024.

Naples redevelopment for the Cup

Naples has previously hosted two America’s Cup World Series events in 2012 and 2013. Reporting from the 2012 event for Yachting World, Matthew Sheahan described the location: “The venue here in Naples is superb, both for spectators and sailors. Open to the sea, the westerly breeze is clean and the sailing area free from obstructions.”

The racing area for the America’s Cup will be in the Gulf of Naples, between Castel dell’Ovo and Posillipo.

The city bid also hinges on a plan to use the America’s Cup as a means to modernise the city’s infrastructure. Andrea Abodi, Minister for Sport and Youth for Italy, added: “Hosting the America’s Cup in Naples also represents a strategic opportunity to accelerate the environmental rehabilitation and urban regeneration program of Bagnoli, the area that will host the teams’ bases.

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Nathan Outteridge has become a name synonymous with excellence in competitive sailing and he is now gearing up for one of the biggest challenges of his storied career: leading the Kiwi team, Emirates Team New Zealand, as skipper in the 38th America’s Cup.

Outteridge, an Olympic gold medalist and world champion, brought a wealth of experience and a competitive edge that made him a key figure when he was signed by the team as Peter Burling‘s co-skipper in the 2024 America’s Cup.

Following that successful defence Burling stepped away from the team and in May 2025 it was Nathan Outteridge named Emirates Team New Zealand skipper for the team’s defence of the 38th America’s Cup.

Who is Nathan Outteridge?

Born in 1986 in Newcastle, Australia, Outteridge’s affinity for the water was apparent from a young age. He first began sailing at the age of five, and it quickly became clear that he had a natural talent for the sport. His early years were marked by rapid progression through the junior ranks, setting the stage for what would become an extraordinary career.

Nathan Outteridge first made waves on the international stage as a teenager when he won the 2003 World Championship in the 29er class. His career continued on an upward trajectory when he transitioned to the 49er class, where he formed a formidable partnership with Iain Jensen.

Nathan Outteridge competing in the foiling Moth. Photo: Thierry Martinez

Together, Outteridge and Jensen became a dominant force in the 49er class, culminating in winning the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics (with his New Zealand America’s Cup co-skipper Peter Burling and Blair Tuke picking up silver) and silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics (where Burling and Tuke took gold). These accolades cemented Outteridge’s status as one of the premier sailors of his generation.

Beyond the Olympic arena, Outteridge has been a constant presence in the highest echelons of sailing. His expertise in foiling, in particular the foiling Moth, and multihulls made him a natural fit for the modern America’s Cup, where innovation and speed are paramount.

Article continues below…

Peter Burling: New Zealand’s 2024 America’s Cup skipper

In the high-octane, highly competitive world of professional sailing, few names resonate as powerfully as Peter Burling. As the skipper…

Paul Goodison: The British skipper looking to win the America’s Cup… for the USA

British sailing dominance in Olympic Sailing has long been fabled: from 2000 until the Tokyo Games Team GB were an unstoppable force, winning 28 medals.…

He made his debut in the 35th America’s Cup in 2017 as skipper for Artemis Racing. Despite falling short of the ultimate prize, Outteridge’s leadership and skill were widely recognised, and he left a lasting impression on the competition.

Outteridge’s versatility as a sailor is one of his greatest strengths. Whether it’s steering a foiling catamaran in the SailGP series, where he’s demonstrating his talent time and again, or mastering the intricate tactics of match racing in the America’s Cup, Outteridge has consistently demonstrated an ability to adapt and excel in any sailing discipline.

Skipper Nathan Outteridge gets the Japan SailGP Team airborne in Cadiz, Spain, in October 2021. Photo: Felix Diemer/SailGP

As the co-skipper of Emirates Team New Zealand, Nathan Outteridge faced a unique set of challenges in the 2024 America’s Cup and it was fascinating to watch how he worked alongside long-term friend, training partner and competitor Peter Burling.

Known for his analytical approach and calm demeanour under pressure, Outteridge is a leader who thrives in high-stakes environments. His ability to inspire confidence and bring out the best in his crew was a crucial factor in the team’s victory in the intense competition in Barcelona.

Emirares Team New Zealand’s Core Team announced in May 2025. Photo: Hamish Hooper / Emirates Team New Zealand

Now Outteridge is stepping up the lead the sailing team for the Kiwis and he has very big shoes to fill. Burling has been at the head of this team – in one form or other – for their win in 2017, successful defence in 2021 and the most recent defence in 2024.

As the next America’s Cup draws closer, Nathan Outteridge stands as a key figure to watch. His journey from a young sailor in Australia to the skipper of one of the most iconic teams in sailing is a testament to his dedication, skill, and love for the sport. With the Cup on the line, Outteridge’s leadership and expertise will be pivotal in determining whether Emirates Team New Zealand can reclaim the Auld Mug for the fourth consecutive event and thus re-write America’s Cup history.

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The current holder of the America’s Cup, Emirates Team New Zealand, have named Nathan Outteridge as the skipper of their team and the man who will head up their Defence of the 38th America’s Cup.

The news comes after the team was unable to come to an agreement with 3 time winning skipper, Pete Burling earlier this year. It’s thought that Burling was not able to commit to demands surrounding how much of his time should be focused solely on America’s Cup racing in the build up to the next event.

The announcement was simply presented in social media posts by the team with the same short message on their website which reads:

The America’s Cup always ends on the water, but it always begins with a meeting of minds. This week the Emirates Team New Zealand core sailing team began plotting the strategy to defending the America’s Cup again in 2027.

Meet the core team so far:

Nathan Outteridge (Skipper)
Andy Maloney
Blair Tuke
Sam Meech
Chris Draper
More sailors to be announced in due course…

Emirares Team New Zealand’s Core Team. Photo: Hamish Hooper / Emirates Team New Zealand

Outteirdge was bought into the team ahead of the 2024 America’s Cup, with he and Burling sharing helming duties on the AC75 on the team’s march to victory. So he is far from a surprise selection to step up to the role of skipper.

Indeed consistency appears to be the key in most of the rest of the ‘core team’ announcement with long term and trusted Emirates Team New Zealand sailors, Blair Tuke, Andy Maloney, and Sam Meech all core members of the team for several cycles.

However, the final member of the core team – and a brand new signing for the Kiwis – is British sailor Chris Draper. Draper has a long history at the very top of the sport and in many ways his sailing resume is not dissimilar to that of Outteridge.

Draper was a formidable Olympic 49er sailor picking up a bronze and silver medal. He has plenty of America’s Cup experience too, albeit always with teams who were unlikely to challenge for the trophy itself.

In 2013 he was a key member of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli’s late challenge and then in 2017 he was the tactiacian onboard the Dean Barker skippered Softbank Team Japan. Since then he has headed up and been a key member of a number of SailGP teams.

The inclusion of a British sailor on the key sailing group could well signal a relaxation of the strict nationality rules of the previous cycle, which are said to disliked by a number of the smaller and newer teams, preventing them buying up talent to accelerate their learnings.

We will not know if that is the case until the 38th America’s Cup protocol is officially released, which is currently under discussion between Cup Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand and challenger of Record, Ben Ainslie’s Athena Racing.

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Kiwis are hacked off. Even enthusiasts of the America’s Cup have strong opinions on whether the country should be spending large sums of money on hosting a sport for some of the wealthiest people in the world.

It’s a fair point, so some are pleased the country isn’t going to host the 38th America’s Cup. Having just spent a month in Auckland it’s clear to me that using taxpayers money to help run a Cup project is a contentious topic.

Businesses are being hit hard, the cost of living is going up and there are big financial pressures on a government that knows it has some serious domestic issues to tackle. It’s no different to many other countries where there’s real apprehension about where the world is heading.

Yet, the thing that really riles many Kiwis is the fact they feel they’ve been denied the opportunity to reap the rewards of a phenomenal and long-term sporting success. Theirs is a track record which makes them the most successful America’s Cup team in the modern age and the second most successful country ever.

New Zealand has won the Cup five times, yet only hosted it three times – and only twice have they been able to enjoy the commercial benefits (the global pandemic pulled the rug from under their feet in 2020/21, which was seriously bad luck). ‘What more do we have to do?’ they ask.

Article continues below…

“We’re in a holding pattern” – why uncertainty in the America’s Cup is hurting women’s sailing

The Puig Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona last autumn was a game changer: there had never before been a dedicated…

INEOS Britannia pulls out of America’s Cup – but what next for the Cup – and British hopes?

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS Britannia will not compete in the next America’s Cup. The release issued last night stated: “INEOS…

The week in which the news broke that Auckland would not be hosting the next Cup was a busy one. Ahead of that bombshell came the announcement that the city would be a stopover in the 2027 Ocean Race. This is big for both the event and for the city.

If there’s one other area of the sport in which New Zealand has left a huge mark, it’s in this round the world race. A second announcement days later confirmed a new Kiwi Ocean Race team led by indefatigable Vendée Globe skipper Conrad Colman.

The Kiwi legacy in the Whitbread/Volvo/Ocean Race harks back to the dominant success of Steinlager 2 in 1989/90. I was able to join Colman aboard the mighty red Maxi, sailing Steinlager up the coast to meet a group of 25 teenagers (most of them non-sailors), who were on a 21-day outward bound-style course.

They’d hiked for several days to get to a beach, from where they swam out to the anchored boat before spending five days offshore. An incredible adventure for them – and seeing one of the most famous boats in the history of ocean racing being used for this while maintaining the spirit and layout of an ocean racer was a great illustration to me of what legacy is all about.

Bringing The Ocean Race back to a city that has hosted a stopover 10 times in almost 50 years will be a boost for sure, and having a local team to support will help too.

SailGP drew decent crowds for the Auckland 2025 event. Photo: Bob Martin for SailGP

Following on from the sold-out SailGP event earlier this year and the prospect of its return next year, the City of Sails will have two major events passing through. Both cost considerably less than hosting the Cup – the government is said to have ‘invested up to NZ$4million’ on hosting The Ocean Race (by comparison, the Cup estimate was NZ$40million).

The flip side is that neither will give the same financial return. It’s difficult to imagine supporters flying from Europe for the weekend to watch quick-fire SailGP racing from the stands or wait for Ocean Race boats to arrive.

Whilst in town I had a tour of Southern Spars’ facility – along with a nose aboard the world’s biggest privately owned ketch, Aquijo, which has two of Southern’s 92m (300ft) masts. Both were great illustrations of how big an influence the Cup has on New Zealand’s marine industry.

Southern Spars was born out of the Cup and has since become the biggest carbon mast manufacturer in the world. Taking Auckland off the table, while not surprising, will have implications.

While I’d love the Cup to return to this amazing sailing venue for AC38, in the current climate it’s probably the right decision. The Kiwis are a deeply resourceful bunch; as small, sparsely populated islands at the bottom of the world they’ve needed to be and this has been at the heart of their Cup success.

There’s an argument that says that for the promotion of ‘New Zealand Inc’ they’re better off taking the Cup to wealthier, more populated markets and using their expertise on the water to showcase what they do so well.

But for now, news that the America’s Cup is not coming home to Auckland will be a bitter pill to swallow.

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The Puig Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona last autumn was a game changer: there had never before been a dedicated women’s competition, or even a dedicated female athlete role, in the America’s Cup.

Forty-eight female sailors took part in the Women’s America’s Cup, while well over 100 were involved across the 12 Women’s and Youth sailing squads and shore teams.

But after that last race in Barcelona on October 12, when Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli defeated Britain’s Athena Pathway in a single match-race shoot out, what has changed for the female sailors who represented their country in Barcelona?

October 12, 2024. Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup, Race Day 1, Mixed Zone. Athena Pathway – Women, Hannah Diamond

I sat down with Athena trimmers Saskia Clark and Hannah Diamond at an event hosted by Musto at their head offices in St Katherine’s Dock, London. It was unusual in that the panel of athletes was nearly all-female – besides Clark and Diamond, there was Vendée Globe skipper Justine Mettraux, the first female and international skipper to finish the 2024/25 edition, and 49er FX Olympic Gold Medallist Odile van Aarnholt (NED). They were joined by fellow Vendée Globe skipper Jérémie Beyou (Vendée winner Charlie Dalin was understandably committed elsewhere).

Immediately after the Cup wrapped up, some teams, including Athena, announced that they were planning to retain bases in Barcelona, and there was chatter about getting the AC40s back on the water.

However, the current uncertainly about the future of both the America’s Cup – with venue and time scale yet to be announced – and any potential British entry, following the schism between Sir Ben Ainslie and backers INEOS, means that future plans for the Women’s and Youth racing are also in doubt.

Momentum lost

“There were some awesome initial plans when we left – well, kind of over Christmas – when we were going to get kick started again, which was really exciting. I guess, born of the leadership of Hannah [Mills] and Ben [Ainslie] together, really driving the project forward and not letting it go into that holding pattern,” explains Saskia Clark.

August 27, 2024. Youth & Women portraits. ATHENA PATHWAY, Saskia Clark, trimmer – Puig Women’s America’s Cup

“Sadly, because of what’s happening, we are in a holding pattern.”

“But I think, hopefully, because under Ben sort of moving into that next phase of his career, thinking about his legacy, and then alongside Han [Hannah Mills], who’s obviously high performance in the woman’s field, hopefully, we’re in a good place so that when a button can be pushed, it will be.”

But the loss of momentum is a potential wasted opportunity to capitalise on the gains made by the Women’s teams.

“When we were there, it was amazing,” says Hannah Diamond. “There was so much buzz around the event, and it seemed like the sailors really enjoyed it. And also there was quite a big fan base behind it as well.

“I think for the America’s Cup, it was a successful event. And I guess now it feels like a few months on, we’re a little bit unsure where it’s going next.

“And one of the big issues with women’s sailing has been that there’s always a gap between these events. We’ve seen it before. And exposure to those kind of boats racing at that level, the gap gets bigger when you have a big time period.

“I think it’s a shame because the feeling around the event at the end of last year was really positive. It really felt like a step forward was taken. But until there’s something to back it up, the most important step was always that it was followed by something.

“And we still don’t know what that looks like.”

Weight of expectation

Before the event, Saskia Clark felt it was important the Women’s America’s Cup delivered a high standard.

“Lots of people thought it was some of the best racing of the summer. But don’t get me wrong, we were nervous the whole summer.

“I think probably one of the biggest weights on my shoulders that I felt, was as a whole collective group of women, all 12 teams, that we didn’t have a total disaster and basically put the project [women’s sailing] back for 10 years. I think all 12 teams stepped up and delivered a really good event.

Hannah Diamond racing at the Puig Women’s America’s Cup with Athena Pathway

“It was really interesting having it the week after the Youth event, which set a benchmark. I think it’s fair to say we surpassed that, and that was really cool.

“But I still maintain that probably the biggest shift that needs to happen, is the cultural bit of the sport. So that those awesome, amazing athletes, when they go into the big Cup teams, they’re set up to thrive.

“Rather than feeling the weight of the world is on their shoulder and they’re carrying the hopes and dreams of 50% of the population. That’s too much to ask of one woman, a generation.

“We need to build the numbers so that if for whatever reason it’s not possible for them to carry on – or, say, carry on for maybe a two-year period because of where you might be in your cycle of life – that there’s another person to step in and take over.

“Because at the moment, we just don’t have the volume of people at that level to be able to just throw someone in there. Hopefully, they thrive. Maybe they crash and burn, and then it’s a dead end. You’re waiting for the next generation superstar to come forward and for the whole cycle to start again.”

Putting the hours in

So while the Cup is in stasis, where else can female athletes break through? SailGP has the highest profile, currently mandating one female athlete on each boat.

“[SailGP is] 100% the right place to do it because of the regular racing,” points out Diamond. “And with the women’s events being so few and far between, one of Sail GP’s goals is to offer that consistency throughout the calendar year and back-to-back seasons where people can make a proper living – well, a very decent living – from racing.

“But there needs to be a training facility because currently just the exposure to the equipment is so small and it’s all racing. So I think it is the right environment for that to happen, but there needs to be a training facility, a training boat to be able to up-skill.

“I think Martine [Grael, Team Brazil ‘driver’ and sole female skipper in the league] is doing an amazing job. She nearly won a race at the last weekend, and no doubt she’ll win a lot of races this season. But she’s got a really experienced team with her, and she’s quite an exceptional sailor herself. For that momentum to keep building, the access to equipment needs to be a lot more.”

“To actually make the changes that need to be made, [women sailors need] to get the hours in, because I think it’s widely acknowledged that the F50 is not an easy boat to step into and then put you in a short boundary race course.

“We need to give the boats and the racing the respect that it deserves to give people the time to up-skill to actually make that change.”

Martine Grael, driver of Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team, tries out the role of wing trimmer as she works with Anne-Marie Rindom, strategist of ROCKWOOL Denmark SailGP Team, onboard Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team F50 catamaran during the SailGP Womens Performance Camp Delivered by DP World in Dubai, UAE. Tuesday 26 November 2024. Photo: Simon Bruty for SailGP. Handout image supplied by SailGP

Elite group of women sailors

The other problem with SailGP is that with one woman racing on each boat, the numbers remain very small.

“If you think about SailGP, it’s 12 women right now. I get it’s shifting minds and all that thing, but it’s not enough,” says Clark.

“The Olympic scene is slightly the same. If you think we’ve got 10 classes going to Games, five of them are women. But I did three Olympics, so I took up that [slot].

“It closes out the pathway or the pyramid for a period of time. Trying to keep that pyramid broad and get people in is important.”

Saskia Clark and Hannah Mills on their way to Olympic Gold in the 470 class

Inshore racing route

Both Clark and Diamond see the pro-am keelboat and inshore fleets as areas where women sailors can make a real impact.

“I felt like the 48 women in Barcelona made a good show for themselves and everyone put their best foot forward to get those [future] opportunities – whether they’re coming through or not, I don’t know,” says Clark.

“One of the really key areas to get more women involved in is that pro owner-driver side of our sport.

“If you think of men in our sport, that is where 70% of the men are working. Through to things like J/70 inshore racing, where you’re paid a day rate to go sailing. Whether it’s in the Solent or the Med or Garda or wherever.

“The America’s Cup, SailGP, Volvo, Vendee etc – that’s a very elite section of our sport that are earning a living. The lion’s share of people are earning their living in the owner-pro side. That’s where you make a lot of networks, a lot of connections.

“I guess for the younger ones, that’s also where you can earn some money to buy a foiling boat, buy a Moth or whatever it might be, to upskill yourself, to then have some skills to transfer maybe into the super-elite side of our sport.

“And there’s a whole load of roles that are really not strength-specific. Obviously, on the decision-making side, but also trimming or mid-bow or bow. Really in terms of strength and skill requirements, it’s accessible.

“We just need to get in there because that’s where you build up your network of recommendations for jobs.”

Diamond agrees. “I live in Warsash. And in classes like the Cape 31, there’s a lot more female sailors. There’s female sailors on pretty much every boat; people from a strong dinghy background.

“There’s a total weight limit, so having a range of weights can be really useful. That’s organically become like that. It doesn’t need a [women sailors] rule.

“At that pro-am level, I think that’s really positive because the professional end of the sport is still only a small percentage globally of the people that are taking part. It’s really important that the opportunities filter down as well.

“The way those small keelboat classes are allowing those opportunities to come about organically is really important. Those sailors are there on merit and they’re a really valuable member of the crew. Those people will stay involved in the sport.

“But it’s hard when we want things to change really, really fast.

“Actually, it’s going to take a generation to come through before you see people who plan for their career. I still don’t think that many female sailors think of a career outside of Olympic sailing as a viable option – when I can vouch that it is.”

Leg 4, Melbourne to Hong Kong, day 18, Hannah Diamond grinding in the lively conditions with Tom Johnson on board Vestas 11th Hour. Photo by Amory Ross/Volvo Ocean Race. 19 January, 2018.

Offering value

Diamond’s career and skillset is particularly divers: from Olympic campaigning, to short-handed offshore racing, fully crewed ocean racing in the Volvo Ocean Race, through to SailGP – both as a sailor and coach, and the Women’s America’s Cup.

She pointed out that they were not contractually obliged to be at the Musto press event, but she sees sponsor relationships as part of that important skillset.

“100% we’re seeing a lot more sponsors want to be involved with female sailors and seeing the value of what we bring.

“One of the things we don’t speak about a lot as female sailors is actually you have to have so many additional skills more than just being a sailor, because in the back of your mind, you’ve got the fact that actually not a lot of people before me have done this.

“I look at some of my male counterparts, they wouldn’t maybe engage so much in the feedback, whereas to me, that’s a connection that I can make.

“To see the product development, that’s been quite personal to me because I’ve seen such a difference in the kit that’s come back, which is made for me. That’s a really cool process to be involved with. Whereas when I started, it was a lot more ‘one-size-fits all’.

“I think we see a lot in other sports where [female] athletes are using their voice or their feedback to say, actually, I’ve got this knowledge and this skillset. I can give this back to you and it’s worth something to you. It’s worth something to me.

“So you’ve got that exchange of knowledge and you add value to the industry in that way as well.”

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Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS Britannia will not compete in the next America’s Cup.

The release issued last night stated: “INEOS Britannia announces that it has withdrawn its intention to challenge for the next America’s Cup.

“The decision has been taken after a protracted negotiation with Athena Racing Ltd following the conclusion of 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona.”

This follows the dramatic split between team boss and skipper Sir Ben Ainslie, and twice Cup title sponsors INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe in January. INEOS Britannia became the first British team to reach a Cup final in 60 years, but lost 7-2 to Emirates Team New Zealand in Barcelona last October.

INEOS Britannia and Emirares Team New Zealand race in the Louis Vuitton Round Robin Series in 2024. Photo: Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup

The release went on to place the blame with Ainslie’s team for the fact that INEOS would not be competing in the 38th America’s Cup:

“The agreement that had been reached with Athena would have allowed both parties to compete in the next Cup, but it depended on a rapid resolution. INEOS Britannia had agreed the substantive terms very quickly, but Athena failed to bring the agreement to a timely conclusion. INEOS Britannia is of the opinion that this six-month delay has undermined its ability to prepare for the next Cup and so has reluctantly withdrawn its challenge.”

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman of INEOS, commented, “This was a very difficult decision to have taken following our challenge at the last two America’s Cups.

“We were the most successful British challenger in modern times with an exceptionally quick boat and we felt with the very effective input from the Mercedes F1 engineers that we had a real chance to win at the next Cup. Unfortunately, the opportunity has slipped away.”

This is a major reversal since INEOS’s first communication in January, which stated that the team “already have 100 scientists and engineers working on the design of our AC38 yacht” and had appointed Dave Endean as CEO.

As recently as early March, Sir Jim Ratcliffe told the BBC – in a long-form interview that addressed the many tribulations of his sporting investments – that: “We will be at the next America’s Cup and I think we will be there with a very quick boat.”

Grant Dalton congratulates INEOS Britannia backer Sir Jim Ratcliffe on winning the Louis Vuitton Cup Final. Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

Ainslie’s Athena Challenger of Record

Ainslie’s side has remained tight-lipped on the subject, after an initial release stating that they were “astounded” by INEOS’s announcement in January.

The Challenger of Record remains the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes, UK. Shortly after the split, Ainslie quietly laid down a line in the sand with the team, now known as Athena Racing, describing itself as ‘the British Challenger for the 38th America’s Cup’ on the Athena team website.

This fact was equally discreetly confirmed by the Royal Yacht Squadron on its own website, with an update in February that: “Athena Racing represents Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd, the British entry for the 38th America’s Cup lead [sic] by Sir Ben Ainslie.

It went on to add: “Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd is honoured to be the Challenging Club for the British Challenger of Record Athena Racing for the 38th America’s Cup. We will work alongside The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron to deliver the protocol for the oldest trophy in modern sport.”

So far, so British.

Sir Ben Ainslie was skipper and team boss for INEOS Britannia in the 37th America’s Cup but has since split from the title sponsors. Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

Ainslie’s funding challenge

But the big question British supporters have been asking since the very public break up is: can Sir Ben get the funding he needs to build a competitive entry?

There are many with deep loyalties to Ainslie in the sailing world – from his early Olympic successes Ainslie was the figurehead of a wave of British Sailing Team successes that in turn attracted world-class funding and personnel, developing Team GBR into a ‘medal factory’ that was the envy of almost every sailing nation.

His successive Olympic victories, America’s Cup challenges, and most lately SailGP team ownership, have brought yet more sponsorship funding and employment opportunities for those good enough and lucky enough to join his squads. Off the water, many have also worked with him for decades – including his CMO Jo Grindley and others on the commercial side who, of course, got a British America’s Cup team to Bermuda long before the INEOS partnership .

Ainslie is also, as anyone who’s even remotely followed sailing will know, not a man to be underestimated, particularly when backed into a corner.

One good indication of the team feeling came after Ainslie’s Emirates Team Great Britain won the Sydney Sail GP, with plenty of posts on social media from key players praising Ainslie’s leadership.

Ainslie’s Emirates Great Britain team won the Sydney Sail GP event. Photo: Ricardo Pinto for SailGP

Of course, loyalty alone won’t pay the very substantial bills for an America’s Cup team, but both new backers and some of the original team founders were being courted in Barcelona.

Interestingly, the British SailGP F50 now carries branding for both JPMorgan and Howdens. JPMorgan has been associated with Ainslie since his Olympic campaigns, while Howdens insurance has now added sailing to a sporting portfolio that includes rugby (British and Irish Lions) and horse racing (Ascot Racecourse and the Bahrain Turf Club, among others).

Where next for America’s Cup?

Another challenge for Ainslie – or any other team looking to secure additional financial backing right now – is the uncertainty about where the next Cup might be.

It won’t be in Auckland, that much we know. It wasn’t an April’s fool, but Emirates Team New Zealand’s announcement – dropping into inboxes in the northern hemisphere just hours before April 1, certainly had plenty of us checking the date.

The statement read: “It would take a combination of private backing, local government as well as central government support to make it happen, but not at the expense of funding other priorities in the tough economic climate.

“In this time, the team have had comfort in the level of private support and have been working with Tātaki Auckland Unlimited who have been proactively spearheading the bid. So, it is with both disappointment and understanding to hear MBIE and central government have decided not to back the 38th America’s Cup in Auckland in 2027.

“While the significant economic benefits of hosting the America’s Cup and other major events are well proven, such as €1.034b (NZ$1.9b) of economic benefits in Barcelona in 2024, we understand there are other priorities for the New Zealand government right now.”

Auckland hosted a spectacular 36th America’s Cup – despite Covid restrictions – in 2020/21. Photo: ACEA

Other European options?

And so far, when it comes to the 38th America’s Cup venue, that’s all we’ve got.

Interestingly, at a few events recently both former team sailors and sponsors have quietly asked me ‘What do you know?’ And while I’m sure some of that is trying to figure out where any leaks are springing from, there’s also a genuine sense that no real information is forthcoming, so pretty much everything else is speculation.

Last year’s host city of Barcelona is known to not want to re-host. A play from Valencia, hosts of the hugely successful 32nd Cup in Spain in 2007, and the 2010 Deed of Gift Match, went understandably quiet after devastating floods hit the region.

The rumour mill is currently in overdrive suggesting alternative European venues. Naples is reported to be a forerunner, which would reward the longest standing entrants in the modern day Cup, with Italian syndicate Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. Although it would be unusual, to say the least, for a defeated Challenger to have the Cup held in their home country despite not having won it – and therefore not be hosting it.

Naples hosted a dramatic America’s Cup World Series event in 2012.

Italy would no doubt appeal to the luxury brands associated with the Cup – Prada from Luna Rossa, event partners Louis Vuitton, 37th Women’s America’s Cup partners Puig. And remaining in a European time zone would presumably help with negotiations when it comes to all-important TV rights. (Though to really build continuity of audience from Barcelona, what the Cup needs is some racing soon, which is looking increasingly unlikely…)

New Zealand news outlet Stuff – who always have their ears to the ground on the Cup, even if it’s hard to know who to listen to – are reporting that Greek shipping tycoon George Prokopiou is behind a bid for the country to host, with Athens a forerunner. It would be a spectacular venue for sure, but Greece has never entered the America’s Cup – it has no fan base nor physical base.

And though there is much less chatter about Jeddah or Abu Dhabi these days, the option of the event going to the Middle East – with all the financial and political ramifications that brings – still looms over the Cup.

Where next for the 38th America’s Cup?

Lost momentum?

For fans, it’s hard not to feel disappointment that the momentum of the 37th America’s Cup has faded – for British fans in particular, it’s a bitter disappointment that the opportunity to build on the best Cup result in 60 years has been lost.

There has long been sufficient depth of talent at the very top end of British sailing to support more than one Cup bid – between Ainslie, Dylan Fletcher, Giles Scott, Paul Goodison, Hannah Mills and others – but funding one viable and competitive team is yet again going to be the biggest challenge.

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“For 23 years I have had the privilege to call myself an America’s Cup sailor, but today is the last day of that for me. The body says it’s time to stop. I am done,” wrote David Carr – or Freddie, as everyone knows him – on 19 October this year.

The day INEOS Britannia bowed out of the 37th America’s Cup as Emirates Team New Zealand took victory marked the end of the third consecutive British campaign, and almost 10 years of trying (the British team did vow to continue on, though a recent high profile split has called into question the future of the British challenge).

Though for Freddie, and many others in Barcelona last summer, it has been a much longer process even that that.

Carr did not come from the Olympic pathway, as many Cup sailors do, but from crewing in dinghies he moved to match racing, and began a livelong love affair with the America’s Cup. “I was a reasonable Laser sailor, but never going to set the world on fire,” he recalls.

“When I was 15, I started sailing with Mark Campbell-James in First Class 8s, doing the match racing circuit around Europe. I just loved the teamwork aspect.

“From there, we won the Youth Match Racing Nationals. That year, in 2000, the Youth Match Racing Worlds were in Auckland. We won, and our coach was Bill Edgerton. A week later, he was umpiring in the America’s Cup. So we went out in the umpire RIB with him, and watched the Louis Vuitton final between America One and Prada, which just blew my mind.

“I remember they went downwind, overlapped the whole way, and [Paul] Cayard was screaming at his trimmer, trying to gybe to break and re-establish overlaps. I was only 17 at the time, and I just thought, ‘This is the coolest thing ever.’”

‘The collective effort that had to be put in every day to get faster, I’m just so proud of that’. Photo: Ricardo Pinto/America’s Cup

Nipper’s induction

Following the 2000 Cup, Sir Peter Harrison launched his GBR Challenge, with Ian Walker as team boss.

“I called him up and said, ‘Look, I just want to come and help. I’ve got a year off, I don’t want to get paid.’ I went there as the absolute nipper, the lowest of the low. I had the worst jobs you could imagine,” he recalls, including painstaking hours peeling stickers from sails inherited from other teams.

“But eventually, I got on the RIB, then I got on the boat. That summer, it was the America’s Cup Jubilee. We raced Prada and Team New Zealand, and that was me hooked.

“Then we travelled down to Auckland for 2003. I was learning from the very best British yachtsmen, guys who were probably on the forefront of professional sailing.

“I was getting NZ$500 a month, which at the time was about £180. I was working seven days a week, 14 hours a day, but I just didn’t care.

“When people ask ‘What set you up to be where you are today?’ That was it. Those two years working with Simon Fry, James Stagg, Ian Walker, Ado Stead… all of them. I’m so grateful to that generation for teaching me so well.”

GBR Challenge, Britain’s entry for the 2002 America’s Cup. Photo: Clive Mason/Allsport/Getty

Freddie’s apprenticeship wasn’t only in sailing. As the youngest and, by his own admission, one of the most annoying members of the team, he also got a thorough induction into British sporting culture.

“I’ve always had a bit of a sharp wit on me. But I definitely over-stepped the mark and wound up the old guys. If I was particularly cheeky, they’d put me in a spinnaker bag and hoist me up into the roof and then hit me with inflatable battens like I was a pinata!

“Every time I was walking down the dock at the end of the day, I would get pushed in the water. I was the team whipping boy, but there is a really fun Mickey-taking culture in all sports teams.

“I’ve always said to the new lads [in INEOS Britannia], it’s when I’m not taking the p*ss out of you is when you’re in trouble. When British people are taking the Mickey out of you, you’re loved and liked.”

Britain’s proposed Challenge for the 33rd Cup, Team Origin. Photo: Kos Picture Source/Getty

Band back together

The GBR Challenge disbanded, scattering into the 11 other teams in Valencia in 2007 – Carr to the Swedish Victory Challenge.

The net result: key GBR players were learning from other team’s approaches and banking valuable information. Ainslie was part of Team New Zealand, gaining insight into that squad – and them into him – both referred back to during the 2024 Cup.

Briefly, it looked as if the British Olympic sailing powerhouse, combined with improved Cup experience, could combine to make a seriously competitive challenge.

“On the back of the ‘07 Cup was when Sir Keith Mills started Team Origin, for the 33rd America’s Cup.

“I genuinely think that was the best team I ever sailed with,” says Carr. “We took core talent out of Alinghi and Team New Zealand.

“We had a sailing squad of 20 guys, six of which were America’s Cup Hall of Famers. We had this incredible afterguard with Ben [Ainslie] driving, Iain [Percy] doing tactics, and Bart [Andrew Simpson] doing strategy.

“When Team Origin folded, because it was clear that we were going to go to a Deed of Gift match, I actually had a little cry because I knew that group would disband and not sail together again. So whenever I look back at my America’s Cup career, that’s the one that got away.”

Winning the iShares Cup with Oman Sail’s Extreme 40 catamaran Masira – and gaining invaluable experience for when the America’s Cup turned to multihulls. Photo: Thierry Martinez/Sea&Co

Multihull experiment

With the prospect of another British Cup bid faltering, Carr was among the diverse group of sailors who jumped into the Extreme Sailing Series. Carr recalls the stadium-style racing in multihulls seemed like an enjoyable distraction at the time.

“I’d never sailed a catamaran, but it sounded great fun. I joined it as a break away from traditional keel boat sailing. Then, six years later, it turned into what the America’s Cup was.

“Luckily, I teamed up with Chris Draper on Oman Sail, and we went on to win the series in ‘09. A year later, all the Cup teams joined, and we were right in the thick of it.”

With the Cup hurtling into its multihull era, good Extreme 40 crews found themselves in demand. “At the beginning of 2011, Prada announced they were going to [challenge for] the 34th America’s Cup. Myself and Chris joined Prada on the back of our Extreme Sailing Series win, to go and sail their World Series catamarans in 2012-13.

“We ended up – amazingly – winning the America’s Cup World Series, which was my first taste of winning stuff in the Cup. And then we went on to sail the big catamarans in San Fran.”

Team Luna Rossa’s AC72 in San Francisco in 2013. Photo: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty

But Cup sailing suffered a huge loss in San Francisco, with the death of Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson when the Artemis Racing catamaran capsized and broke up in an accident while training in 2013. For many, the Cup lost some of its allure after the tragedy.

“Bart was [central] throughout my career so far,” recalls Carr. “He was the guy that said to me, ‘Look, you’re good, but you’re not going to be an Olympic sailor. You should look at match racing because I think you could be an amazing crew and team player.’

“His death was a huge pivotal moment in safety around sailing. Sadly, it took that accident for us to wake up and see that we were miles behind in terms of safety protocols because the boats were just getting fast for the first time.

“Whenever Ben and I have a beer we often reminisce about Bart, still. The day we won the Louis Vuitton final, afterwards a few of us were telling Bart stories. That’s how he sits with us all on the big days.”

Racing in the America’s Cup World Series at Gothenburg, Sweden. Photo: Mark Lloyd/Lloyd Images

Flying the flag

After Oracle Team USA’s astonishing comeback win in San Francisco, with Ainslie calling tactics, the door reopened for a British bid for the 35th Cup.

“I had a conversation with Ben where he said, ‘Look, Freds, there’s a chance that we could get a British Challenger off the ground here.’ But I’d re-signed to go with Luna Rossa, I’d be giving up a guaranteed thing.

“I ummed and ahhed about it for a while. Something [my wife] Bianca said stuck with me was ‘How would you feel if there was a British challenge, and they went on to win it?’ That was it. I spent the next year in a tiny office in Whiteley Business Park.

“We had a sailing team of six that sailed this small test boat, T1, out of a tent in Southampton. Ben and Jo Grindley spent the best part of 2014 stomping the pavements of London, trying to drum up sponsorship, which they did unbelievably well. And by the end of 2015, we were fully funded in our big base in Portsmouth.”

For Carr, the beginning of the 35th Cup also signalled the beginning of a brutal physical training regime, a workload he maintained for 10 years. It began with shedding 10kg in six months to join the BAR squad.

He went on to compete in two Cup cycles as a grinder, endlessly spinning a pedestal winch to produce hydraulic power, before pivoting to become a cyclor. It required a total shift from the old-school ‘big boat’ mentality.

INEOS winter training in Cagliari, Italy. Photo: Mark Lloyd/Lloyd Images

“In the last 15 years I’ve been on a total fitness and health journey, and I really value what it’s done to my mental and physical well-being. I’ve loved setting myself targets outside sailing that give me a bit of motivation to go the extra mile.

“We get fitness tested every quarter within the Cup world, so that’s my job. But I decided to make fitness my hobby as well, to run ultra-duathlons and marathons. I rowed at the British Indoor Rowing Championship. I did bike races as soon as the Cup went into cycling.

“The way I’ve always looked at it is how lucky am I to be getting paid to be fit and healthy?”

“But my God, it’s hard,” he admits. “In the last two years, I was so glad we moved away from grinding into a hydraulic pump, because my shoulders and my wrists would not stop clicking. My shoulders had given up the ghost after 20 years.”

With the 37th Cup came a shift to hours instead on a bike, but Carr was also working hard to hold back the years. He pledged to team boss Ainslie that he’d hit the team’s fitness benchmark on his 40th birthday.

“I gave myself four months to get that number. I trained like a pro cyclist, and I was a misery to live with! But I got the number.

Cyclor training required hours on static and road bikes. Photo: Cameron Gregory/INEOS Britannia

“It’s certainly been harder training for this cycle than the previous ones. When I was with BAR, I could do hard session after hard session. I was the fittest lad back then, and I would really enjoy beating the others. Now I’m at the other end of the scale where I was just so happy to be hanging onto these lads’ coats tails for this last cycle.

“I’ve had to really adjust my psyche. I’ve gone from trying to be an alpha male, to just trying to beat myself every day.”

The training regime was just the start. In the heat of battle – literally – the cyclors had one of the toughest physical challenges in sailing. “The environment that we’re operating in is not pleasant,” Carr said with some understatement.

Racing over the sweltering Barcelona summer, the cyclors deliberately lowered their core body temperature by wearing ice vests, drinking frozen slushies and dousing their skin with alcoholic sprays. “You want to get onto the boat shivering,” explained Carr. Their core temperature would rise by 4 degrees to over 40°C over the course of a race.

“We’re loaded into a little carbon box with no airflow and have to maintain clarity of thought to help get this boat around the course, while getting shaken around.”

Riding with the INEOS Grenadiers cycling team. Photo: Chris Auld Photography

To make it even harder, each grinder is operating in near isolation. “Even in the first version of the AC75s, we were in a trench with human contact.

“I could look down my line of grinders and get a head nod, or I could see where Ben was turning the wheel. You can take all of these visual clues, and that human interaction where you can build energy. In Version 2 of the 75s, we’re each in our individual pods. And that’s been hard for me.

“But actually the skill in being a cyclor is knowing when not to max out. It’s about recognising that you’ve just tacked off on the right-hand boundary, and you’re on a right shift. So you’re going to be on that daggerboard for 90 seconds. You trim back down, settle the boat. You’ve then got 45 seconds where we can return to baseline and suck up some oxygen.

“And that’s the skill. In recognising when not to be at max heart rate, so when you arrive at the windward mark, you can really put some watts down. That’s one of the biggest things we had to teach the rowers, because they’ve drilled their whole lives to go and rail it!”

Carr was one of two squads of cyclors which the INEOS Britannia team rotated, including switching out their custom-fit ‘bike’ seats and frames between races. The last race he took part in was on 16 October, the day Britain took two America’s Cup race wins against Emirates Team New Zealand. It was a moment he says 17 year-old teenage Carr in Auckland would never have believed.

INEOS Britannia battling it out with Emirates Team New Zealand off Barcelona during Race 7 of the 37th America’s Cup. ETNZ went on to win the Cup 7-2. Photo: Ricardo Pinto/America’s Cup

“Of this campaign, I’m honestly just so proud. From the end of the prelims to the end of the Louis Vuitton final, the collective effort that close to 150 people had to put in every day to get faster, I’m just so proud of that.

“And it was harder than I ever thought it would be. I still don’t think I’ve quite got my head around the effort that was required to get us to the Match.”

In the immediate future, Carr will be swapping clip-in cycling shoes for more conventional sailing boots. “I’m going to go actual sailing – TP sailing, Mini Maxi sailing. I’m not going to go cycling on a boat at 55 knots!

“But I’m still going to stay involved in the Cup. What that looks like, I don’t quite know yet. I would love to stay involved with the British Challenge and help bring on the next generation of sailors into this world because I think I’ve got a pretty unique set of skills that can help that.

“There’s absolutely no way I can walk away from this thing that has been my life for 20 years.”

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What the eye couldn’t see was a big topic of conversation in Barcelona during the America’s Cup. With crews huddled down below the sheerline inside their individual cockpits, the only sign there were humans aboard was the tops of a few helmets.

In the images from the onboard cameras facing back at the largely expressionless helmsmen and flight controllers, we could only see below their goggles. Rarely did their facial features give anything away. Indeed, they frequently looked more like they were waiting for a bus rather than handling the fastest and most advanced sailing yachts in the world.

Even when we could see a cyclor putting in a herculean effort to provide power to keep the beast blasting along, the image did little to take us into their world of pain. It looked more like they were riding an exercise bike in the shower. So, despite this being the most extreme and technologically advanced America’s Cup to date it was the most difficult to relate to.

But there was one area that was quite the opposite. Seeing the invisible was now possible, at least for spectators who could now visualise what the sailors couldn’t: the wind.

Providing a live, visual map of the breeze as it flowed across the course brought the race track alive. Using a sophisticated LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) array that was beamed out across the course from three transmitters on the shore, CapGemini’s WindSight IQ technology revealed gusts and lulls across the entire course in real time.

The Emirates Team New Zealand sailing team congratulate each other. Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

In simple terms, the colour map of the breeze replicated what you might see with your naked eye from above if you were looking for the darker and lighter patches on the water. But when the breeze was below 10 knots seeing this level of detail was hard if not impossible. And even if you were on the water, spotting the difference in pressure across the course was not possible for most.

“When we started discussions with America’s Cup about sponsorship we wanted to bring some technology to the event and we asked what kind of issues they had,” explained WindSight IQ’s chief engineer Keith Williams.

“And the one that team CEO Grant Dalton mentioned straightaway was that he wanted to make the wind visible in the broadcast. The idea was to make the experience more understandable for spectators, so when a boat went left or right, the commentators could explain more easily why the skipper had made that particular decision.

“This had never been done before. Emirates Team New Zealand gave us the results of some initial work they’d carried out with University of Canterbury in New Zealand and we started from there.

“We use long range meteorological LiDARs – essentially laser beams that reflect back off objects – to allow you to measure distance and speed. In this case the LiDARs are emitting 10,000 beams/second which are reflecting back from particles that are present in the air at a range of 6-12km. The LiDARs we used are typically used for wind turbine planning where they’ll run for months to collect wind data over a large area.

“The system then works on a combination of measurement and prediction. The racecourse is divided into just under a quarter of a million cells and each of those cells is either doing a forecast of what the wind’s going to do, or it has received a measurement. So, where a cell has not received a LiDAR measurement we do a prediction.”

Article continues below…

Total domination: How Emirates Team New Zealand won the 37th America’s Cup

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From here the detail of how the system operates gets complex, especially when it comes to accounting for the different types and quantities of particles in the air. For example, a rain shower flushes out these particles making it harder to get good measurements.

But the reality was that throughout the Cup viewers had never seen a race course in such detail. When I was first shown the system I wondered whether it would be counterproductive and highlight how wrong teams were getting it. There’s no doubt the start line, layline and ladder line graphics now common on America’s Cup and Sail GP broadcasts have made us all armchair experts. Surely this threatened to exacerbate this?

But instead, the most fascinating thing about WindSight IQ was that it frequently did the opposite and showed us just how good these crews are.

The technology frequently showed us what sailors – travelling at 40 knots, insulated from the elements with a helmet and goggles and only seeing one side of the race track at a time – could indeed pick out with their naked eyes.

I’ve tried identifying the true wind speed and direction while riding my motorbike along the seafront and I remain in awe as to how they do it. Seeing 1-2 knots more breeze on the other side of the course while riding a runaway bus is a phenomenal skill.

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“The AC45F foiler was the one design boat we raced in 2016, leading up into the America’s Cup in Bermuda,” says Freddie Carr.

“The reason it’s my favourite is it hit a real sweet spot in the sport where we were sailing foiling catamarans – so we were going fast, close to the shore with a boundary race course, but we still had ropes and winches. Everything was human-powered, but we were foiling and doing stadium racing. You had to be a really good sailor to sail that boat mechanically. But it looked spectacular and fast.

“The top speed we did in one was 41 knots. We were out training before the World Series event in Portsmouth. It was reaching starts back then, and it was blowing 20-25 knots. We bore away at Mark 1 to go from a reach to downwind, and we were all drop-hiking. So it’s not like we were in the pods like we are now in the AC75s.

“We were hanging on a toe strap, drop-hiking, doing 41 knots. It was ridiculous. And I’ve never felt more vulnerable in my life on a boat!”

Photo: Lloyd Images/Getty

Make sure you check out our full list of Coolest Yachts.

AC45F stats rating

Top speed: 41 knots
LOA: 13.45m/44ft 1in
Launched: 2016
Crew: 5
Price: €675,000
Adrenalin factor: 90%

David ‘Freddie’ Carr

Freddie Carr was a cyclor in the INEOS Britannia America’s Cup team, which won the Louis Vuitton Cup. Prior to that he was part of Ainslie’s BAR Racing, as well as Team Origin, GBR Challenge, and other campaigns over 20 years of crewing in the Cup. He has also raced TP52s, Mini Maxis and Extreme 40s. See our full feature on page 40.

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Given that this was the second America’s Cup cycle for the AC75 design rule it seemed fair to assume ahead of the event that the racing would be closer than last time, as teams’ designers focussed on a similar area of the rule. We saw this trend back in 1995 with the second generation of the IACC monohulls, in a class that ultimately saw 100 boats built over a 15-year period.

Since 2007 America’s Cup design has been bouncing off the walls with giant cats, foiling cats, and wing-masted cats, before heading to foiling monohulls. Each iteration of the Cup has seen radically different designs leaving no opportunity for refinement.

But now there’s been some stability in the rule, albeit just for two cycles, we are starting to see what the future could look like. While few people predicted the result of the Challengers series, as the Louis Vuitton Cup played out it became easier to know where to look for clues.

To see the Italian Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli lose out in the Challenger selection finals was a surprise given that many had them down as the favourites. This was their seventh campaign, and they seemed to be more settled, more confident – and as a result more dangerous than ever before.

Having got through to the Cup Match twice before, they knew what it felt like to win and lose. Yet even with all this experience, the way in which they exited the competition provided interesting clues as to both weaknesses within their own team and hints of where the Cup had now moved to.

In short, they started the event fast but didn’t develop their boat or their racing sufficiently to keep up with the changing pace among the Challengers.

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There was a view among some observers and designers that, for all their complexity, the range of craft we saw in this Cup were in a much closer design space than individual appearances suggested. Righting moments were pretty much the same and the one-design foil arms and other components restricted teams’ ability to stray too far.

This meant crew work and reliability were the two main areas on which the racing would be decided.

At one end of the scale on the reliability front, Alinghi suffered the biggest failures with two broken masts, mainsail track problems and a major structural failure in the foiling cant arm area when it broke away from the hull.

American Magic had the most hours on the water but their performance seemed to lack consistency – especially when it came to flight control.

At the other end, INEOS Britannia made the most progress from mid-August to October and appeared to have a boat that was pretty robust and reliable. Ben Ainslie kept telling us that they hadn’t changed anything but that they were just learning to sail the boat better.

INEOS Britannia made some of the best progress in the last Cup

Whatever they did, it certainly made a difference.

Part of Britannia’s reliability may have stemmed from Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 at Brackley. Having spoken to some of the engineers, their ability to build complex, high quality, reliable components could well have been one of the biggest contributions.

Before the boat was trucked to Barcelona it spent time up at Turweston Airport, near the Mercedes base, where it was fully stress tested. Part of the process involved turning it upside down and putting it under huge loads to simulate worst-case loadings on the water. As far as I’m aware this level of detail is not common practice in the Cup world.

It may be that the number of breakdowns and lost time the team suffered with its LEQ12 test boat in Palma also meant they learned hard lessons which provided a sharper focus on reliability for the big boat.

So, if the next Cup is played out in AC75s chances are the boats will be even more closely matched, more reliable and able to deliver consistently close racing.

If you’ve read clause 23.2(d) in the 37th Cup Protocol you’ll know that those who signed up to this one undertook to continue in the next with AC75s if they were to win. If they decide not to, they’ll need to pay $20 million into a Challenger of Record bank account to be distributed equally among the ‘non-breaching parties to the Deed of Participation’.

And while that might only represent 10-20% of a campaign cost, it’s still quite an incentive and a sign that we might get to see some stability in the Cup. It’s been a while.

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“I think one of the coolest boats was the AC72,” says Davies who nominates the wingsail catamarans sailed in the 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco. “Building one of those now would be terrifying – the speeds you could get!

“It was at the infancy of foiling and a very radical stage because no one had done any foiling on a race boat. There’d been some straight line foiling boats, but nothing that tried to go around a windward/leeward course. So that was a very special campaign where we were basically inventing foiling at scale. The innovation in that campaign probably hasn’t been rivalled yet.

“The AC75s are very, very cool, but we know a lot about foiling now. Back then, it was a bit of a cowboy show doing it for the first time. Early in that campaign we were down on lakes, towing craft around and capsizing and nose diving, pitch poling and all sorts of things, but then to commit to foiling at an early stage was very exciting.”

Photo: Abner Kingman /ACEA

Make sure you check out our full list of Coolest Yachts.

AC72 stats rating

Top speed: 44.15 knots
LOA: 22m/72.2ft
Launched: 2012
Berths: 0
Price: $8-10million
Adrenalin factor: 98%

Ray Davies

Ray Davies is a seven-time America’s Cup campaigner, helmsman, strategist, and Kiwi sailing legend. He has won the Cup both on the boat with Emirates Team New Zealand and in his current coaching role. He won the 2001 Volvo Ocean Race, finished 2nd in the 1997 round the world race, and has a clutch of other trophies including TP52 MedCup wins.

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The strict America’s Cup nationality rules and limited crew numbers on board the AC75 may create something of a bind for team managers and require the sailors to do some careful planning of where to call home, but it has a fantastic side effect for the viewing public: talented, knowledgable sailors who aren’t on the boat but can jump into the commentary booth and provide added insight.

Back in the 36th America’s Cup in Auckland we were treated to the wisdom of Nathan Outteridge, and his remarkable prospicience when it comes to wind shifts and tactical considerations. This time around Outteridge was famously called up to take the helm of Emirates Team New Zealand opposite Pete Burling, going on to win the 37th America’s Cup.

This year, joining double Olympic Gold medallist and broadcasting legend Shirley Robertson and Kiwi commentator Stephen McIvor in the booth was Australian record breaking sailor and former Emirates Team New Zealand trimmer Glenn Ashby.

Ashby was an integral part of Team New Zealand’s 2017 America’s Cup win. Photo: Richard Hodder / Emirates Team New Zealand

Glenn Ashby multiple world champion

Ashby’s sailing CV reflects much of what has been cutting edge and slightly crazy in the world of high performance racing over the past two decades.

Having grown up far from the sea in the Australian town of Bendigo, Victoria, he got the bug early and was racing by the age of 10. His first boat was a humble dinghy called the Northbridge Junior – an 8ft timber scow with a shallow profile, similar to a windsurfing board, that cost just AUD$150.

After beginning his career as a sailmaker after school he began competing internationally in the A-Class catamaran, winning the World Championships in 1996 aged just 18. He went on to win the A-Class worlds another nine times.

He also raced in the Tornado catamaran – at the time the fastest Olympic class – winning a Silver medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 with Darren Bundock, and has won three Formula 18 catamaran World Championships.

In 2013 he was wing trimmer for Team New Zealand in the dramatic 2013 America’s Cup in which Oracle Team USA comeback to overhaul New Zealand’s lead, something he described in an interview with Andy Rice as ‘One of the most disappointing periods of my life’.

He returned in a skipper/trimmer role for the 2017 America’s Cup, with a very young Peter Burling helming to win in Bermuda, and was mainsail trimmer for their successful defence in Auckland at the 2021 America’s Cup.

Ashby piloting Horonuku at 222.4kph over the Australian sand flats. Photo: Emirates Team New Zealand

After 2021 Ashby returned home to Australia. However, the self confessed speed freak, who has also raced BMX and motorcross bikes, then led a unique special project for Emirates Team New Zealand, with a wind-powered land speed record attempt that saw a unique wing-powered vessel Horonuku flying at 222.4kph over the Australian sand flats. He also worked as a consultant for Orient Express Team France in the 37th America’s Cup.

Commentary gems

For the Barcelona America’s Cup, Ashby’s insights into how the AC75s operate were unrivalled, giving knowledgable and pithy explanations of how ventilation and cavitation affects the foils. He also quickly identified some of the subtleties of boat handling differences between the team, or how the sheet loads varied depending on whether they had opted for a pin head or square headed jib shape.

As someone who has been deeply entrenched within the Kiwis’ camp for many years, it was notable that when Ashby said they were ‘DEFINITELY not sandbagging’, they probably weren’t. More than anyone else, he would have known what the Emirates Team New Zealand AC75 was capable of – and we’re sure there was plenty of insight that Ashby chose not to reveal of his team’s processes and potential.

But his straight-talking Aussie delivery also delivered some true commentary gems. Early in the regatta, after American Magic had submarined their AC75 the previous day, he got a chuckle out of helmsman Tom Slingsby by saying he was “sure the shore team appreciated you giving the boat back without the jacuzzi jets on”

“You could barefoot waterski behind these boats”. Photo: Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup

He described sailing the notoriously twitchy AC75s in cross seas and big wave state as “like riding in a tea pot through moguls down a steep ski slope”, while on a smooth and slick day he noted “You could barefoot waterski behind these boats going upwind at the moment.”

Attempting to get ahead on a one-sided course day left Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli “As frustrated as a mosquito in a shop full of mannequins”. And when INEOS Britannia had only to complete the course after Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli broke their mainsheet Ashby described as: “Foot off the gas, cruising down the highway on cruise control eating a hamburger.”

When the onboard data shared included some of the huge wattage outputs from the cyclors, Ashby noted on the windy first day of the Louis Vuitton Cup finals that “You could probably run a couple of toasters, a fridge and microwave off what the cyclors are putting out at the moment.”

Close to the bone

Sometimes Ashby’s comments got a little close to the edge. When Athena Pathway skipper and British double Olympic Gold medallist Hannah Mills joined the commentary team for a day he said: “I definitely feel like a thorn between two roses here – I can hear the chime of the gold medals… And it’s not the first time I’ve made a prick of myself either!”

But that was nothing compared to his Kiwi counterpart Stephen McIvor, whose questions led to a post-race interview with INEOS Britannia skipper, Ben Ainslie being referred to the Arbitration Panel.

Some choice words were picked up on Ainslie’s hot mic. Photo: America’s Cup

After Day 2 of racing, when the British team were 3-0 down to Emirates Team New Zealand, McIvor finished his live link to Ainslie with the question: “Are you still believing that you’re as close to performance [to New Zealand]? As I get that feeling coming off your boat.”

While the meaning of the question wasn’t totally clear, Ainslie clearly saw it as bias, firing back: “Maybe that’s the Kiwi commentator in you, mate” before the interview ended.

Then as Ainslie climbed out of his cockpit, with the live link still a ‘hot mic’, he could be heard to say something we can’t print here, but begins with F, ends with R, and has W in the middle.

An anonymous party made a complaint to the Arbitration Panel for the America’s Cup Regatta, citing Rule 69 Misconduct – though it was noted that Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Burling also let out a four-letter word in the heat of the moment, saying “****, we crossed swords there” when the two boats came together in the pre-start.

Sensibly, the Arbitration Panel ruled that “neither Ben nor Peter committed misconduct under Racing Rules AC Rule 69. The broadcast has not caused widespread offence and has not brought the sport into disrepute.”

It wouldn’t be the America’s Cup without a bit of friction, and we’re definitely missing the intrigue, entertainment and insight of the past two months.

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It was one of the less well kept secrets in sailing, but yesterday it was confirmed that – fresh from their biggest success in the event in 90 years – Britain will again compete in the next America’s Cup.

As the victorious Emirates Team New Zealand team began their media rounds, Chief Operating Officer Kevin Shoebridge confirmed that a challenge had been accepted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

“We’ve accepted a Challenge this afternoon but we’ll leave that for a separate announcement,” he said initially.

However, shortly afterwards INEOS Britannia skipper and team boss Ben Ainslie confirmed that the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes had indeed challenged for the 38th America’s Cup, and their Challenge had been accepted. The British are now Challenger of Record for the second consecutive event.

Grant Dalton congratulates INEOS Britannia backer Sir Jim Ratcliffe on winning the Louis Vuitton Cup Final. Both teams’ yacht clubs, the RNZYS and RYS, will be represented in the 38th America’s Cup. Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

“Yeah, well, the Royal Yacht Squadron have signed up again to be the Challenger of Record for the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron,” he told the waiting press.

“We had a great partnership through this last Cup. I think you saw with the Protocol – such a progressive protocol this time around, particularly with the Women’s America’s Cup.

“And there’s so much more we can do with the event. I think this has been a huge success, but there’s so much more potential in the America’s Cup. So it’s on us now to work with the Kiwis and try and help them as a Defender to promote that.”

Bertie Bicket, chairman of Royal Yacht Squadron Racing, being interviewed as the Royal Yacht Squadron is confirmed as Challenger of Record for the 38th America’s Cup. Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

Host venue for the 38th America’s Cup?

As ever, due to the unique structure of the America’s Cup, there are now many questions about what the event’s future might look like.

While the decision makers are all in Barcelona, the question of host venue is among the most pressing.

The Spanish city created a genuine spectacle for the final of the America’s Cup, with phenomenal crowds – including a truly impressive number of black shirted Emirates Team New Zealand supporters – lining Port Vell, a fleet of superyachts racked half a dozen deep and sparking sunshine yesterday setting up an event finale that will last long in the memory.

Superyachts and spectator boats accompany Emirates Team New Zealand, the winners of the 37th America’s Cup, back into Barcelona port. Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

As a location, Barcelona also delivered handsomely with the team bases set around the port alongside comprehensive superyacht infrastructure (plus Palma is just a short hop away). Onshore, multiple event villages – all free to enter – generated a real sporting atmosphere, and the Mediterranean climate and ‘promenade’ tradition guaranteed good footfall. Though there were also protests at the event’s presence in the city, part of a wider discontent with Barcelona’s very high tourism numbers.

The acknowledged major negative of Barcelona as a venue – primarily the light, unpredictable winds at the close of season, combined with a challenging sea state – proved to be not as much of a problem as anticipated.

The spectator support for the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona has been impressive. Photo: Ana Ponce / America’s Cup

The AC75 rule changes, which were designed to ensure the boats could foil in lighter breezes, meant that we saw far fewer races decided by boats crawling along in painful displacement mode than in AC36. For much of the competition race days the breeze was, in fact, actually stronger than the worst case scenarios modelled by teams’ meteorologists.

There’s certainly been no confirmation that it will be Barcelona once again – though there are lots of positive noises being made about the venue.

When asked whether Barcelona would play a part in the event’s future, Kevin Shoebridge said “As a venue? I hope so, but no decisions about that stage. Hopefully in the next week or two we’ll put out a timetable when decisions like that will get made.”

Defenders Emirates Team New Zealand wouldn’t immediately be drawn on whether the event would return to Barcelona for the 38th America’s Cup. Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

Potential other venues for AC38?

Other venues which have been variously rumoured include Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which would be a fundamental change of tone for the event, but would likely come with significant financial support for the event.

And, of course, the Defenders could choose to take it home.

Auckland, home of the 36th America’s Cup, still has the infrastructure to support a return of the Cup, though it would be unlikely to generate the same level of funding that the notoriously parsimonious Kiwi team would need to lodge a fourth successful campaign.

But one thing was striking in Barcelona this autumn: the narrative from outside New Zealand in recent years might’ve been that public support for America’s Cup at home had waned due to bigger-picture issues. The global cost of living crisis makes sourcing public funding for a multimillionaires’ yacht race challenging in any country, but particularly in a nation as small as New Zealand.

Barcelona’s Port Vell, home of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup. Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

Yet even the briefest walk around Barcelona revealed the passion and commitment of thousands of Kiwi supporters to back their team – flying tens of thousands of miles to do so. Perhaps there is pressure to honour that loyalty and commitment with a home event – a Preliminary event, if not the Cup Match itself?

In terms of time frame, Emirates Team New Zealand team boss Grant Dalton has dropped heavy hints that he would like to see a quick turnaround for the next Cup – telling New Zealand outlet Stuff back in September that he could “possibly foresee, very likely, a new edition of the Cup in 2026.” The timing would also depend on which hemisphere the Cup is set to be in.

Boat or crew changes for the 38th America’s Cup ?

It’s widely understood that there is an agreement in existence that the AC75s will continue as the class for the future Cup (though, as with all elements of America’s Cup, everything can theoretically be subject to renegotiation. The Cup is certainly no stranger to legal wranglings).

It’s definitely too early to speculate whether that would likely involve a refinement or a more comprehensive overall of the AC75 rule. But there have been some intriguing hints dropped by key players from both the Defender and Challenger of Record.

When asked about the development of the class in the pre-America’s Cup Match press conference INEOS Britannia skipper Ben Ainslie said: “It’s really interesting the technical development of these AC75 yachts, and the automation of how the yachts are sailed. And at what point does automation become too much and the human interface is not as relevant as it should be?

“I think we’re probably getting close to this line, but it’s been a fascinating development.”

Emirates Team New Zealand lead designer Dan Bernasconi – who will be pivotal in any rule change – also said yesterday: “We wouldn’t want to make changes that make the existing boats obsolete.

“We could probably look at the crew configuration again. and look again at the rules around how the controls work.

“There’s a lot of automation on these boats. In some ways that means there’s less need for as many sailors doing sailing roles. Personally I’d be keen to maybe remove a bit of that automation and have a need for more sailors actually sailing the boat.”

Emirates Team New Zealand lead designer Dan Bernasconi speaking after the team won the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona. Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

Future of women in the America’s Cup?

So, there may be a drive to remove some of the automation of the AC75s, potentially increase the number of sailors on the boat, and to build on the momentum of the Women’s and Youth America’s Cups.

If that’s the case, then one possible avenue could be to create an additional ‘sailor’ role that would mandated as female (and/or youth) crew position within the America’s Cup crews.

“There’s no reason now with these boats not to have women on board,” Stephane Kandler, CEO of Orient Express Team France told me yesterday.

“And if we could put more sailors on board, we should have women on board for sure.

“We talked about it as challengers. And I think everybody’s quite keen, which is a big change.”

The first ever Puig Women’s America’s Cup has been widely heralded as a success, with the all-female crews using matched AC40s. But is there an opportunity to see women onboard the AC75s in the 38th America’s Cup? Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

One solution that’s been mooted would be to replace one of the ‘cyclor’ positions and use more stored power. “In reality, you don’t really need [the cyclors]. If you want, you could put two women on board – as a minimum or whatsoever. I think this would be amazing,” added Kandler.

Co-CEO of Orient Express Team France Bruno Dubois echoed the sentiment, saying: “I really hope there are some rules coming into place for that: on the 75 for Women and Youth. But for youth probably older than 25, so I would say under 30 like the Ocean Race would be better.”

In the interview linked above, however, Dalton has said: “We would never mandate a woman on the (AC75) boat, ever.”

Stephan Kandler of Orient Express Racing Team is among those who believe a women’s position on the AC75 would be a positive move. Photo: Ian Roman

We’ll have an in-depth look at the 37th America’s Cup and the future of the 38th in the next issue of Yachting World magazine, plus follow for all of our 2024 America’s Cup coverage.

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As America’s Cup Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand came into this competition as clear favourites and the team to beat.

But the Kiwi camp has far more than just the structural advantage of being the ones that wrote the Protocol for the 37th America’s Cup, and the originators of the AC75 concept.

The most successful America’s Cup team in modern history demonstrated from the very first events in this Cup cycle that they were looking for nothing less than absolute dominance. To win in 2024, having defended in 2021 and won in 2017, would be a truly historic ‘three-peat’.

It was the American Magic team that took the overall win at the first Preliminary Regatta, the teams’ first outings in their one-design AC40s in Vilanova just along the coast from Barcelona, last September. But the Kiwi response was forceful, and at the next event in Jeddah they won five of the eight races.

Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

Winning AC75 Taihoro

When their second generation AC75 Taihoro was launched, it appeared – very briefly – deceptively similar to Te Rehutai, their winning AC75 from 2021. But the Kiwis signalled their confidence in the design straight out of the box – literally, launching and flying their AC75 within hours of the brand new boat touching water in Auckland.

Once Taihoro was shipped to Barcelona, some of the Defenders’ developments began to become evident, with early footage of the team rigging and testing the yacht hinting that they had developed a highly sophisticated mainsheet system, and potentially automated controls that linked foil lift/drop, rig rotation and headsail trim.

On the water, the boat’s high, fast mode, tight tacking angles and speed out of manoeuvres pointed to impressive finger-tip control for the trim and flight control team.

The Emirates Team New Zealand sailing team congratulate each other. Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

Burling and Outteridge

The previous two Cup victories had seen the emergence of ‘Pistol Pete’, the laser-focussed helmsman Peter Burling and his partnership with 49er Gold Medal-winning crew Blair Tuke as trimmer (together with Australian Glenn Ashby in a skipper/trimmer/flight controller role).

But following the clear advantages of the twin helms setup that Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni demonstrated on Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in 2021, for 2024 the Emirates Team New Zealand AC75 needed a second helmsman.

Enter Nathan Outteridge, one of the greatest high performance and foiling helmsmen of his generation. And, happily, a New Zealand resident (though an Australian by birth).

Burling and Outteridge’s relaxed onboard chat belied a razor-sharp partnership that has been honed since the beginning of their 37th America’s Cup campaign, the pair driving with incredible precision.

Together with experienced trimmers Blair Tuke and Andy Maloney returning, the four-way communication onboard Emirates Team New Zealand was impressive to listen to – and truly came into its own on some of the shiftiest days of the America’s Cup.

Taihoro is by some margin the quickest AC75

Together, boat and crew proved a near unbeatable package. Emirates Team New Zealand dropped a single point in the AC75 Preliminary Regattas, being beaten only by American Magic.

There was just one moment that might have drastically altered their path to victory, when Taihoro dramtically slipped while being craned back ashore after racing in the Preliminary Regatta, crashing onto her cradle with force. So great was the impact, the sound reverberated around Barcelona’s Port Vell like an explosion.

It could, team boss Grant Dalton admitted, have been a campaign ending moment. But the boat escaped relatively undamaged, apparently requiring only some minor work to their foils (which were ultimately upgraded for the Match anyway).

In the Round Robin, there were a few early clues as to how this Cup might shake down, with both INEOS Britannia and Luna Rossa taking a single race from the Defenders.

October 12, 2024. Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup, Race Day 1.

Emirates Team New Zealand dominance

But once the America’s Cup match got underway, the Kiwi performance levels were frankly ominous, easily winning the first four races on the bounce.

Barcelona filled with a tide of black shirts, the country’s fanatical sports fans descending on the Spanish city in huge numbers to will their team to victory.

Day four of the America’s Cup saw a shift of gears, with Emirates Team New Zealand making a couple of uncharacteristic errors, while INEOS Britannia found favourable conditions in the bigger waves. The Kiwis may have appeared relaxed, but they were surely at least slightly rattled.

The Brits picked up two wins on Day 4. Photo: Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup

Whatever was said by the no-nonsense team boss Dalton and his hugely experienced coaching team that night, next day the Kiwi crew came out fighting, and Day 5 was a display of total dominance – the Emirates Team New Zealand team demonstrating speed, tactical confidence, and a calm ruthlessness to easily win two significant races and go 6-2 up.

With the British team fighting for their lives, the final day’s racing was a light winds, flat seas affair: exactly the conditions Taihoro revelled in. There were also some tricky shifts – the conditions Burling and ‘wind whisperer’ Outteridge excel in.

The British took the challenge to them – throwing everything at the red and black boat to try and shut them out at the start, and at one point climbing to within 30 metres of them on the penultimate upwind. But the Kiwi’s calm demeanour never cracked under pressure, and they controlled the final stages to take their seventh win and third America’ Cup.

“Beautiful, boys,” said Burling as they crossed the line, a master of understatement.

Defeated Challenger Ainslie paid tribute to the win, saying: “They’re the best team ever in the America’s Cup.” Few would disagree.

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Emirates Team New Zealand have, today Saturday 19 October 2024, won their third straight America’s Cup and so become the first team in modern America’s Cup history to win three America’s Cups in a row.

Race Day 6 of the 37th America’s Cup dawned as last chance saloon for the British INEOS Britannia squad, with Emirates Team New Zealand leading the Brits 6-2 in the first-to-seven series.

The question for all onlookers was whether the British could win two straight races – as they did on day three of the event – to force the racing to continue for at least one more day.
“I’ve been in far too many sh*t fights in my career,” Britain’s Ben Ainslie had told us yesterday. “There were many scenarios, situations similar to this where it might appear pretty helpless, but actually you just never know what can happen.”

Once again the forecast was for extremely light winds in Barcelona and it was clear from early on that there would be a delay to racing as the breeze shifted. However by the time of the start, the sun was out and the wind had swung toward the sea breeze direction which implied there could be a thermal enhancement during the afternoon. But, at this time of year with the land also fairly hot, thermal enhancement is limited so wind in the double figures never looked particularly likely.

After a delay of just under an hour, the thermal breeze had built to provide almost 10 knots at the startline, but the windward end of the course was still overing just over the minimum 6.5 knots. To add to the pressure the wind also looked pretty unstable and pretty gusty too.

Race 9 INEOS Britannia Vs Emirates Team New Zealand

Skippers
INEOS Britannia: Ben Ainslie & Dylan Fletcher
Emirates Team New Zealand: Peter Burling & Nathan Outteridge 

In the pre-start it was the turn of New Zealand to enter first on port and the Brits gybed around to follow.

The Kiwis gybed at the right hand boundary and INEOS Britannia gybed inside of them to set up ahead and therefore to leeward. The Kiwis immediately tacked away and quickly tacked back, with the Brits following them and then tacking in front of them to lead back.

The Brits did a great job to control the situation and get a commanding position just below the New Zealanders out of the start, forcing the Kiwis to tack away straight after the gun.

So it was first blood to the Brits, who immediately tacked over to follow the Kiwis to the right of the course.

But the New Zealanders looked quick and when they tacked back onto starboard the port-tacked Brits were forced to duck them.

Consistently the New Zealand boat has looked fast in light winds and flat water and they have been the better boat through their tacks. Added to this, they also managed to get over into a bit of a puff on the left of the course and by the second cross Burling and Outteridge’s team were up to a 100m lead as they crossed the Brits on port.

Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

Emirates Team New Zealand continued to extend throughout the whole of the first beat to lead by 19 seconds around the first windward gate. It was only moments after the start, but the British team were already going to be looking for something of a miracle to get back into this vital, match-point race.

But for those who thought the race was gone, the Brits picked up some decent breeze up the middle of the second beat and as the two came together again INEOS had taken some decent chunks out of the Kiwis, who tacked right in from of INEOS Britannia.

Ainslie and Fletcher immediately tacked away to the right again and by the time they came back on starboard they had gained once again. Again the Kiwis tacked in front of them and again the Brits tacked away.

When they met again, the Kiwis were forced to tack underneath the bow of the starboard INEOS. It was edge of the seat stuff as the Brits looked to have wrested control.

However, with both boats over lay, the Kiwis still had a small advantage and were able to lead the two boars into the windward gate taking the left hand mark looking upwind. INEOS tacked to round the opposite gate dead even.

But Burling and Outteridge had done a good job to pick the favoured mark and they eked back into the lead on the favoured side of the downwind, a lead they held to round the leeward gate 12 seconds up.

Emirates Team New Zealand rounded the right hand mark, while the Brits chose the left mark to force a split. But by the first cross the starboard tacked Kiwis were leading and tacked in front of INEOS to protect the right, which had worked so well for the Brits on the previous lap.

But the wind was looking a little stronger on the left for INEOS and for a time they were looking solid, but a port tack header as they came back across saw the Kiwis with a solid lead and once again they tacked to cover and protect the right at the top of the course.

Emirates Team New Zealand managed to step away on the final part of the beat and, having seen off the attack from the Brits, they rounded the last windward gate, 17 seconds ahead and set off on their last downwind.

It was, essentially, a victory lap (leg) for Emirates Team New Zealand who crossed the finish line over half a minute ahead to claim their third consecutive Americas Cup.

You have to hand it to Ainslie’s team, they won the start and caught the Kiwis napping on the second upwind. There isn’t much more that could have been asked of them in this race.

As for the Kiwis, they have once again shown themselves to be the best Americas Cup team. Their boat, in these conditions, was clearly quicker around the course and she was sailed well to make the best of their advantages.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Burling. “It’s been a tough week, but I’m proud of how the team just kept battling today. To be honest it’s still sinking in. This team has some bad memories from before my time of sitting on match point so it’s nice to get it done today.”

“It’s pretty special, its been a huge journey and I’ve loved every minute, it’s been a huge dream for quite some time,” said Outteridge for whom this was his first America’s Cup win.

“Firstly I have to say a huge well done to Team New Zealand. In my view, they are the best team ever in the America’s Cup,” said a crestfallen Ainslie. “To our team I can’t say enough thanks for all the effort they have put in to get us here. We had out moments but at the end of the day the better team won.”

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us back home and in Barcelona. The support we’ve has has been amazing. We set out 10 years ago to win the Americas Cup and we’re getting closer each time, so we’ll get it next time,” Ainslie concluded.

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Nobody pours 10 years of their life – and millions of pounds of backers’ money – into a project that they don’t believe in. But right now, Ben Ainslie and his INEOS Britannia team will be digging deep into their reserves of self-belief.

The British America’s Cup Challengers are facing their final, most critical fight, with Emirates Team New Zealand driving home two dominant wins today to go 6-2 up. In the first to seven series, this is Match Point.

How the two teams respond to this final act will be fascinating. Both Ainslie and Burling are talking in the same terms of taking each race as it comes – but in reality, that means very different things for each of them. Racing is scheduled to resume tomorrow, though very light winds are forecast.

Brits making history

Ainslie, who told me before the regatta started that he was “quite happy being an underdog”, in truth would not have gone into this third Cup campaign without total confidence in his team’s potential.

History weighs heavily in the America’s Cup and the British had to achieve a greatness that has not been achieved in a century of sailing in order to take their place on the starting line alongside Emirates Team New Zealand this week. They were the first British team to qualify for the America’s Cup match in 60 years, and Wednesday’s double race wins were the first points scored by a British America’s Cup boat in 90 years.

But whilst what they have achieved is already exceptional, right now, they need to do something truly extraordinary in order to keep Emirates Team New Zealand, the most successful America’s Cup team in modern history, at bay.

INEOS Britannia racing on Day 5 of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup. Photo: Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup

Both before and during this America’s Cup, Ainslie and the whole team have been utterly consistent in their view that they just need to keep improving, chipping away, making gains. But tonight they undeniably have their backs against the wall. Does this final act need them to find something beyond process and percentage gains – something more visceral, perhaps?

“I don’t think so. We’re not going to pull a rabbit out of the hat here. I don’t think anyone is,” Ainslie told me.

“It’s about this constant development. And I think we can sail faster tomorrow from what we learned so far through these finals, even though it’s very different conditions.

“We know the Kiwis are developing as well, and they got so much experience in the Cup and in these boats. And also we’ve got to go out and execute.”

Siege mentality for INEOS Britannia

Let’s not forget, Ainslie has been here before. He made his name in two epic dogfights against another Goliath of the sport – the legendary Brazilian Laser sailor Robert Scheidt in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, famously getting the better of Scheidt in 2000.

He faced losing at his home Games to Danish Finn sailor Jonas Hogh-Christensen, at one stage lagging by 10 points, before surging back on a wave of outrage following an on-water protest call to take a record fifth Olympic medal, and fourth gold.

And he famously joined the afterguard of Oracle Team USA when they were 8-1 down in the 2013 America’s Cup before performing one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history.

“I’ve been in far too many sh*t fights in my career,” Ainslie observed today. “There were many scenarios, situations similar to this where it might appear pretty helpless, but actually you just never know what can happen.

“And what you’ve got to do is just keep digging and keep fighting. Like I said, you just never know what might happen.”

INEOS Britannia trailing Emirates Team New Zealand on Day 5 of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup. Photo: Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup

What would have to happen, of course, is for the British team to not drop a single point, and stage a comeback equal to that in 2013.

“Yeah, it’s going to need to be something like that,” Ainslie said after racing today. “It’s 6-2 down. We’re on the back foot, we don’t have any second chances, but that’s the nature of the game.

“We need perfection from here on in. We don’t have any second chances, but in some ways that’s easy. You know what you’ve got to do.

“We’ve come a long way through this competition and improved a massive amount. You’ve just got to keep that going, it’s different conditions tomorrow. Why not come out, get a couple of bullets on the board?”

Casting back to the conversation we had in the weeks before the Cup, Ainslie had described the team as having “a bit of a siege mentality, which is never a bad place to be.”

Right now, INEOS Britannia are truly besieged. It’s a place he may be more comfortable than most – but can he and his team fight their way out one final time?

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Today’s forecast was always going to be challenging and the first race of the day was held on a snakes and ladders course with big variations in both wind speed and direction across the course for Day 5 of the America’s Cup.

In the first race of the day Emirates Team New Zealand showed both confidence and fluid communication in their decision making to win the favoured side and go 5-2 ahead.

The Kiwi team then demonstrated that it was no single fluky shift which put them ahead, by again reading the wind conditions best to easily dominate the second race.

Key takeaways from the America’s Cup Day 5

• Emirates Team New Zealand halt INEOS Britannia‘s advance by dominating Day 5 in shifty conditions
• INEOS Britannia demonstrated both speed and manoeuvrability in Race 7 start – but the race was won by ETNZ picking the right lane on the first beat
• Emirates Team New Zealand sounding confident, with constant communication across the whole boat, slick boat handling, faster boat speed, and flawless decision making.
• British Challenge now in the last chance saloon. With light winds forecast tomorrow – potentially no racing possible – what can Ainslie and crew do to regroup?

Shifty conditions on Day 5 of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup. Photo: Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup

Race 7 INEOS Britannia Vs Emirates Team New Zealand

Skippers
INEOS Britannia: Ben Ainslie & Dylan Fletcher
Emirates Team New Zealand: Peter Burling & Nathan Outteridge 

It was a stripey, snakes and ladders course for Race 7, with a 6-16 knot breeze that was extremely patchy across the racing area.

INEOS Britannia executed a slick and confident start, entering the box and swiftly throwing their AC75 through a tight gybe and circling, perhaps demonstrating some improved manoeuvrability, to keep clear of the Kiwis. The British boat then hit the line a nose ahead and at full speed, over 40 knots.

Emirates Team New Zealand tacked off right, immediately hooking into a favoured right-hand shift which saw them make early gains to take lead at the first cross.

Burling and Outteridge tacked immediately on top of the British boat, bouncing them back off to less favoured left, and were able to bank the gains of a 40-degree wind shift up the first beat. As the winds flicked across the course the lead varied from 200m down to 50m, but with each further shift the Emirates New Zealand Team were able to increase their overall advantage.

Downwind INEOS Britannia initially showed a click more speed, but ETNZ were better in phase with the shifts and quickly restored their lead to over 300m.

From there, there was nothing the British team could do – while the breeze was puffy and shifty across the course, there were no significant opportunities to pull back the Kiwis’ advantage, and by the final leg there was over 1km between them.

Huge crowds in Barcelona as the 37th America’s Cup nears its conclusion
Photo: Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup

Peter Burling said after racing: “Obviously a completely different day, it’s really shifty tricky dynamics.

“We probably didn’t expect to do quite that many circles [in the pre-start], but they were obviously obsessed by trying to follow out to the boundary. We feel like we did a pretty nice job. We really liked that right-hand side and went back on some aggressive late times and that’s what gave us the early lead, and nice to be able to capitalise on that.”

Nathan Outteridge added: “It’s a very different day out here today, super dynamic, there’s a big hill upwind of us. Just got this gust-lull situation, where one minute you’ve got 8 knots, the next 13 or 14 and big shifts. but we were pretty switched on to what was going on.

“I think it kind of caught everyone a bit off guard how dynamic that start got. But it was great to get off the line nicely above and defend the right-hand side. But I’m sure the next race is going to be pretty different.”

British skipper Ben Ainslie commented: “Tough race for us, we looked like we were potentially going to be in good shape on the startline but the breeze just kicked in hard on the right.

“That was kind of it really.”

Race 8 Emirates Team New Zealand Vs INEOS Britannia

Skippers
Emirates Team New Zealand: Peter Burling & Nathan Outteridge 
INEOS Britannia: Ben Ainslie & Dylan Fletcher

Despite regatta director Iain Murray’s warnings that the breeze might fade this afternoon, instead it had built slightly for the second race of the day with puffs of 15 knots. Both boats downsized their headsails accordingly.

In the pre-start, rather than the dizzying circles of Race 7, Emirates Team New Zealand looked to have held INEOS Britannia up above the line. However, with enough separation between the two boats, the two started fairly evenly, ETNZ a click ahead and quicker, just 1m back from the line.

The British boat then tacked off to the right-hand side which had paid so handsomely on the previous race, but Burling and Outteridge confirmed their preference to each other to initially carry on.

When the two boats tacked and crossed, Emirates was easily ahead, and the Kiwis went on to pick up better pressure on the right-hand side of the course in the second half of the top leg. They rode a significant lift and around 3 knots more pressure into the top mark, and their lead quickly became unassailable.

EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALAND win the start of Race 8 in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup. Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

A slight touch down for INEOS Britannia on the first downwind leg sacrificed another handful of metres, and with the two boats out of phase there was no coming back for the Brits. Emirates Team New Zealand near doubled their advantage on the penultimate leg, and crossed 1km and 55 seconds ahead.

This moves Emirates Team New Zealand to ‘match point’ on 6-2, with just one win needed to secure their third successive America’s Cup victory.

“It’s not over yet,” Ben Ainslie told his crew on INEOS Britannia as they crossed the line.

Skippers reactions on America’s Cup Day 5

Emirates Team New Zealand helmsman Peter Burling said after racing: “It was nice to bounce back from a few small mistakes the other day and put a couple of solid races on the board. Obviously completely different conditions to anything we’ve race in so far.

“It was just awesome. We were loving it, it feels like a south-wester at [home]. Super shifty, you had to use the modes a lot, and the team behind me on both sides of the yacht put in a huge amount of watts to give us heaps.

“Really proud of the way the team executed today. Obviously when you get a couple of losses it really puts you under pressure and the way the team responded to that today was awesome.”

Nathan Outteridge added: “Today you needed to get off the line, and if you got off the line well and you got your first choice of the first bit of pressure life gets pretty easy.”

Outteridge, who’s facing the possibility of winning his first America’s Cup said he was “Really stoked to be in this position,” but added, “I”m feeling like it’s not done til it’s done!”

INEOS Britannia skipper Ben Ainslie commented: “It wasn’t a good day for us. Hats off to the Kiwis they just sailed two really really strong races it that shifty stuff. They managed to pick the right side, do a nice job of defending, and put us in a bad spot.

“But we’ll take that on the chin. It’s still not over yet, so we’ll keep fighting.”

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Day 5 of the America’s Cup looks set to be a tricky and tense day for both Emirates Team New Zealand and INEOS Britannia.

As the teams docked out ahead of Races 7 and 8 in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup, regatta director Iain Murray gave a summary briefing on conditions expected for the day.

“It’s a sailor’s day of opportunity today,” Murray said.

The breeze is forecast to shift from the north-west and west to the south-west, and potentially ease over the course of the afternoon.

“We’re expecting sort of 9-10 knots. Some of the models, the Arome model, have that fading down to 8 or 6 knots as time goes on. And there’s also the possibility that none of this could be right and the breeze could stay in the NW, try to go to the NE and dissipate completely.”

He outlined three possible scenarios for today’s weather:

“If it stays cold and stays in the west I think we’ll be just fine. If it starts to move through the left into the south-west it’ll get lighter, and if it goes into the NE we’ll probably come home.”

The race course for Day 5 of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup in Barcelona

The race course will be laid a new axis direction for the AC75s, although some Women’s and Youth racing was held in a similar wind direction. 

“With the windward marks up by the shore that presents probably the lightest and trickiest part of the racecourse next to the land, and we’re expecting it to be both up and down and left and right in terms of wind,” said Murray. “So that’s why we say it’s a sailors’ day of opportunity, but we’ll see.”

Today could be a day for some old-fashioned wind-spotting. It’s worth remembering that Emirates Team New Zealand’s co-helm Nathan Outteridge has the nickname of the ‘Wind Whisperer’ – but INEOS Britannia demonstrated on Wednesday that they can use light wind ‘holes’ to their advantage. It’s going to be tense.

A packed dock-out for INEOS Britannia ahead of Day 5 of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup. Photo: Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup

First to seven wins

With some understatement, he added that “Saturday doesn’t look too good.” Currently all the weather models are forecasting 0-2 knots for tomorrow.

Although race organisers had made it clear that they were hoping to finish the regatta this weekend – and would not have raced today if ETNZ had won on Wednesday, rather than INEOS Britannia’s two victories – from hereon there will be no further laydays. Race organisers will race the AC75s every day they can until the first team has secured seven wins.

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