As they prepare for their first racing of the campaign, chief executive Ken Read confirmed to the Herald they would be announcing their core America’s Cup team line-up early this week.
“We’ve spent the summer evaluating talent across our senior, youth and women’s programmes, and we’re really pleased with where we’ve got to so far,” Read said.
“We’re announcing our initial AC75 sailing squad on Monday [UST], which includes five senior sailors plus one senior female sailor, and we expect to add another one or two sailors as the campaign develops. For our Youth and Women’s America’s Cup teams, the selection process is still ongoing.
“The group we’ve assembled is a really strong mix of experience and emerging talent. Several of the sailors already have experience racing the AC40, while a couple have sailed the AC75.
“It’s a talented, motivated group and we’re excited to keep building together.”
The American entry began their campaign having to play catch-up after being late to the party, but confirming their place on the starting line for the next preliminary regatta is a big step forward.
In the first preliminary regatta, held in Cagliari in May, Emirates Team New Zealand, Italy’s Luna Rossa and the United Kingdom’s GB1 entered two AC40s each – one crewed by the main America’s Cup team and the other by Youth and Women’s team sailors – while France’s La Roche Posay Racing Team and Switzerland’s Tudor Team Alinghi entered one team each.
That will be the same line-up in Naples, with the addition of the Americans.
With nine boats confirmed for the Naples regatta next month, Team Australia are the only entry yet to signal when they hope to be on the water and racing among the rest of the fleet.
For the Americans, the Naples preliminary regatta won’t be about winning and losing.
“Our expectations aren’t really measured by the result. Success for us is about gaining experience and maximising our time in the boat together,” Read said.
“One of the unique features of this America’s Cup cycle is just how little time teams actually spend sailing together in a competitive environment. That’s why opportunities like the preliminary regatta are so valuable. It allows us to put four of our five AC75 sailors in the same boat under genuine race pressure and see how we perform as a team.
“As long as we’re learning, improving and making progress every time we go on the water, I’ll be happy.”
The America’s Cup second preliminary regatta takes place in Naples, Italy from September 25-28 (NZT).
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.