The Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Sardinia,is now just one month away, the talking and speculation stops and it’s all eyes on who can take it to the established stars.
The America’s Cup Partnership AC40 event in Naples will mark the first time the five founding teams – Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), GB1 (GBR), Luna Rossa (ITA), Tudor Team Alinghi (SUI), and K-Challenge (FRA) – come together.
Sardinia will also be the first time in official America’s Cup racing where Women & Youth teams will compete on an equal footing against the senior squad sailors.
Reputations are on the line, and for the three 50/50 split Women & Youth teams from Emirates Team New Zealand, GB1 and Luna Rossa, it’s a big moment. Exact team line-ups will only be announced before midday on the first day of racing.
GB1 have been relatively settled in the senior team with Dylan Fletcher and Ben Cornish taking the helm regularly against the Athena Pathway team of CEO Hannah Mills.
As reported by the team, in recent in-house racing in Cagliari it has been very close between the two and it seems likely that International Moth superstar Ryan Littlechild, will get the nod to helm alongside Mills for Sardinia.
Interestingly, GB1 has serious talent in their ranks with the likes of Olympic gold medallist Ellie Aldridge and Women’s International Moth World Champion Hattie Rogers to select from, alongside a host of new, exciting talent such as Finn Dickinson, Finn Morris and Sam Webb.
Luna Rossa is the team that has done the most AC40 training in the lead-up to Sardinia and as the sessions have gone on, the helms have been rotating and the rivalry fierce.
The likely helming line-up on the senior team is a combination of three-time Cup winner Peter Burling and double Olympic gold medallist Ruggero Tita.
Meanwhile, the obvious leader for the Women & Youth team is 22-year-old Marco Gradoni and it’s highly likely that he will be joined by Women’s America’s Cup winner, Margherita Porro. Marco and Margherita are both eyeing a position on the AC75 in Naples.
Emirates Team New Zealand have concentrated a lot of time on the water recently to sailing their newly reconfigured AC75 ‘Taihoro’.
It seems likely Skipper Nathan Outteridge and newcomer Seb Menzies will form the nucleus of the senior team, whilst Jake Pye and Jo Aleh could helm as a duo in the Women & Youth team. Jo skippered the Kiwi team at the last Women’s America’s Cup. Jake Pye meanwhile, is a rapid former International Moth World Champion.
However, the Kiwis have considerable options and could well put 22 year old Menzies into the Women & Youth team and promote Chris Draper to helm spot on the senior team. Equally they have the talents of Olympian Josh Armit who also just qualifies for the Youth team (under 25).
Elsewhere, the France La Roche-Posay team will more than certainly field Quentin Delapierre and Diego Botín as helms for Sardinia, but if results don’t come, they do have the mercurial talents of Enzo Balanger to call upon and under the regatta rules they have the possibility to make a change mid-regatta.
The Swiss Tudor Team Alinghi will be looking at Nicolas Rolaz to deliver a good result, and although the full sailing team team is yet to be announced, rumours are that an Olympic gold medallist and former International Moth World Champion could be onboard.
That sort of firepower would mean that Tudor Team Alinghi can not be under-estimated, and recent two boat training in Barcelona, in private, has been both fast and furious as new sailing combinations come together and the team start to gel.
The actual 38th America’s Cup Match is not until July 2027, but they will have to be ready for the Preliminary events: the 2027 Final Preliminary event (sailed in AC75s) and the Louis Vuitton Challenger’s Selection Series (CSS) for the Louis Vuitton Cup) that precede the actual America’s Cup.
