In a recent sailing media on-line meeting with the the Challenger and Defender team CEOs – Ben Ainslie and Grant Dalton – Ainslie revealed that he has his old AC37 Cup boat, but it is currently still sitting in Barcelona.
The AC75 in question (RB3), formally known as ‘Ineos Britannia’ will be used by Ainslie’s Athena Racing team for the next America’s Cup (AC38) taking place in Naples in July 2027.
The problem now is that the regulations for that event require a considerable design and rebuild programme to conform to the amended AC75 rule, and Ainslie was unable/unwilling to say when or where that would take place. This lack of clarity puts the British entry on the back-foot from the get-go, while Dalton’s ETNZ team is beavering away improving an already dominant boat.
Time is of the essence if the Brits are to get anywhere close to competitive with the old hull.
These AC75 changes are not minimal tweaks. The new changes require rebuilding the deck and hull structure to remove the Cyclor fittings and incorporate battery packs, changes to control systems, hydraulics and electronics.
Old masts must be used, and a mix of old and new sails. Similarly with the foils and flaps, a mix of old and new allowed. The period for testing all this is restricted to a maximum of 45 days between 15 Jan 2026 and 14 Jan 2027, and then for a further 45 days in 2027 up to the first Preliminary Cup Regatta.
Grant Dalton repeated the claim that there was only a 1% difference between the hulls in AC37.
So after a hefty 7-2 defeat in the final, the Ainslie team have to make that 1% speed gain, plus whatever improvements the Kiwi defender can conjure up and incorporate in their already dominant hull.
Actually going by the poor British design record in the America’s Cup this might be their best chance . . . Improving the hull that gave them their best result in 60 years!
With the signing of the America’s Cup Partnership (ACP) the basis of the America’s Cup, as we know it, is changed from the Defender/challenger of record deciding how/where the event will be run, to a group comprising a representative from each entry deciding.
This is to try and set the AC on a rolling two-year cycle, without the constant major resets, although a new defender could apparently throw it all out and go back to the old rules.
So far only the Defender and Challenger are known to have signed up for AC38, as no other entries have been announced, and Grant Dalton did not wish to break ‘the code of silence’ in place.
Ainslie also stuck with the omerta but went so far as to guess at 4 to 7, including the defender. The initial entry date close is 31 Oct 2025, although there are late entry routes available.
