Challenger reactions to Naples being named host city for the 38th America's Cup have been muted, but behind the scenes the politics are heating up—with rumours swirling, national rules in question, and commercial deals in play as teams weigh their next moves.
There has been some reaction from the challenger community to last week's announcement by Team New Zealand of Naples, Italy as the host venue for the 38th America’s Cup, however most of it is likely to have gone on behind the scenes.
Publicly, only the British Challenger of Record Athena Racing and the French Orient Express Racing Team have posted acknowledgements of the venue announcement...
Sailing’s Olympic classes, SailGP, the America’s Cup and the Vendée Globe, all showcase our sport at its highest level. But they rarely interconnect. Is sailing missing a chance to dramatically grow its audience by failing to align its biggest competitions?
Maybe it was the 07:30 start time in Europe. Maybe it was the light winds on Sydney Harbour turning racing into a driftathon. Or maybe it was that I was watching in between bingeing episodes of Drive to Survive. Whatever the reason, I found myself yawning my way through both days of SailGP Sydney.
This weekend’s third event of the 2026 SailGP season in Sydney, Australia will see the 11 foiling F50 catamarans race as a single fleet as the event organisers look to put the Auckland France/New Zealand crash in the rear-view mirror.
This weekend’s SailGP event in Sydney, Australia looks set for near-perfect wind conditions for F50 racing, with forecasts for the Sydney Harbour racecourse adjacent to Shark Island calling for easterly winds in the eight-to-13 knot range on Saturday and slightly stronger northeasterlies on Sunday.
Two big launches at opposite ends of the world. On top, the 32m Ultim trimaran Gitana 18 headed out from her base in Lorient on the west coast of France for her maiden sail. Down under the Kiwis slipped their dock lines in Auckland to take their newly reconfigured AC75 out for its first sail.
First outings for Gitana Edmond de Rothschild and Emirates Team New Zealand; Podcast: James Pleasance - World Match Racing Tour; Making sense of Grand Prix sailing’s fragmented landscape
Sailing’s Olympic classes, SailGP, the America’s Cup and the Vendée Globe, all showcase our sport at its highest level. But they rarely interconnect. Is sailing missing a chance to dramatically grow its audience by failing to align its biggest competitions?
On the latest episode of the Yacht Racing Life Podcast I'm joined by James Pleasance – executive director of the World Match Racing Tour, as we discuss the history, evolution, and future of one of sailing's most iconic competitions.
