The Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club confirmed that their challenge for the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup, Naples, the sixth in strict line of entry, has been accepted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.
The fleet contesting the America’s Cup in Naples is now confirmed as seven – the largest number of entries since the 2007 America’s Cup in Valencia.
Representing the Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club will be Team Australia with backing from John Winning and family who so fantastically supported the Australian entries in the Youth & Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona in 2024.
In a further announcement, the team confirmed:
- Chief Executive Officer – Grant Simmer
- Head of Sailing – Tom Slingsby
- Head of Performance & Design – Glenn Ashby
Team Australia will also accept a place on the America’s Cup Partnership (ACP) board.
Australia famously won the America’s Cup in 1983 with John Bertrand’s Australia II beating American defender, Dennis Connor’s Liberty 4-3 . . . ending the longest winning streak in sports history (132 years).
Team Australia is reported to have purchased the Emirates Team NZ AC75, the boat used by the Kiwi AC team to win the 2021 America’s Cup.
It will need to be modified to the latest version of the AC75 rule to be able to compete in the 38th America’s Cup in Naples in 2027.
AC38 Teams:
Defender: Emirates Team New Zealand
Challengers: GB1 (GBR), Luna Rossa (ITA), Tudor Team Alinghi (SUI), La Roche-Posay Racing Team (FRA), American Racing Challenge Team USA and Team Australia.
