Sir Ben Ainslie, Team Principal of GB1, has shared how the team is building towards the 38th America’s Cup in the first episode of the State of Play series this campaign.
GB1 is Britain’s America’s Cup Challenger and representative of the Challenger of Record, the Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd, for the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup.
Following the launch of the new identity of his British America’s Cup challenge, GB1 has made several significant additions both on and off the water and is preparing to return to training.
Among the key signings is Dylan Fletcher as helm for 38th America’s Cup and Ian Walker as CEO.
Alongside AC40 training and racing, the design, development, and build of the AC75 race boat is well underway, as the team looks ahead to competition in Naples next year.
GB1 will return to the water in March, training in Cagliari alongside the Athena Pathway Women’s and Youth America’s Cup teams as both prepare for the first racing event of the new cycle: the preliminary regatta from 21–24 May.
During the camp, the Athena Pathway programme will continue to trial youth sailors as part of its mission to create a clear pathway for young British high-performance talent.
The goals for the camp are really about getting operations on the water in the AC40s and testing different crew combinations. And GB1 will train alongside the Athena Pathway Youth and Women’s Team with Hannah Mills as they continue their trials.
Ainsie added . . . “We’re very much a dark horse for this next Cup. I’d say don’t count us out — we haven’t been running at full capacity like some of the other teams. We haven’t been on the water anywhere near as much as some of the other teams.
The new era for GB1 is taking all of those learnings over the last 12 years, consolidating that and then making sure that we’ve got those those fundamentals in place so that next time we get to the final, we actually win it.”
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