Image © Ian Roman / America’s Cup It’s what sailing fans around the world have been avidly waiting for since the AC40 foiling monohull concept was first announced. Although it’s been an interminably long time coming, finally today, on the second day of the America’s Cup preliminary regatta in Jeddah, the weather gods produced perfect racing conditions and the teams delivered a barnstorming day of racing out on the waters of the Red Sea. If you haven’t watched the day’s three incredible races that were sailed in 11 to 14 knots of breeze and a moderate chop then do yourself a favour and make s ..read more

Image © Ian Roman / America’s Cup Subscribe now Aside from the race committee – who managed to put three races on the board on what was reputedly the lightest wind day of the three-day event – it is the America’s Cup holders Emirates Team New Zealand who will be the happiest group in Jeddah tonight, having chalked up a 1,1,5 scoreline that sees them top the standings at the end of the first day. That said, the mood in the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team hotel will be far from glum after an unexpected performance from the Italian crew – led by the young gun helming duo Ruggero Tita and Marco Gr ..read more

Image © Ian Roman / America's Cup / AC37 Event Limited I’m writing this update from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia where the six international teams contesting the 37th America’s Cup have been preparing since Monday aboard their one-design AC40s for the second preliminary regatta of this Cup cycle. Banks of industrial grade air conditioning units are keeping the spectacular media centre pleasantly cool – but outside the window where the sun is setting spectacularly over the Red Sea the temperature is still above 30C (86F). Monday and Tuesday’s practice racing was sailed in solid breezes in the 12 to ..read more

Emirates Team New Zealand is set up and ready to race in Jeddah for the America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta presented by NEOM after a rip-roaring introduction to racing on the Red Sea with 13-15 knots from the NW which saw the fleet of AC40’s light up during an initial day of testing. The shore crew have been busy for the past week under the hot Arabian sun, setting up the team base and assembling Te Kakahi back into race mode in the Jeddah Yacht Club and Marina on Jeddah’s stunning foreshore. The sailing team have been eager to get back out on the racetrack after being on the wrong side of v ..read more

It has been a week under the spotlight for the next generation of potential Emirates Team New Zealand sailors at the team base in Auckland. The group of eight Youth Emirates Team New Zealand hopefuls undertook a busy four day schedule embarking on a steep learning curve encompassing the technical systems and software required to sail the AC40 as well as race training and simulation on the Emirates Team New Zealand simulator. The 8 trialling sailors at the base is an impressive line-up of world and national champions across a number of different classes. Annabelle Rennie-Younger Current 470 ..read more

Subscribe now The AC40 burst onto the sailing scene in late 2022, hot off the easels of the Emirates Team New Zealand Design Office and the Defender's significant investment in creating a class that will be the foundation to a pathway for Youth and Women into the America’s Cup. It has proven a sensation ever since, being adopted by all of the senior teams in the 37th America’s Cup as a training boat as well as being used in the first two Preliminary Regattas in Vilanova i La Geltrú and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The AC40 has also been designated as boat for the Youth America’s Cup and the inaugu ..read more

Subscribe now The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has drawn the attention of Marine sports enthusiasts around the world and especially the city of Jeddah which has been selected to host a leg of the 37th America’s Cup later this year. The world’s oldest and most prestigious sailing competition, dating all the way back to 1851, will be coming to the middle-east thanks to the Saudi Sailing Federation. It will be hosted at Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina, a state-of-the-art facility on the Red Sea that has already proven its ability to host world-class events, having accommodated the Saudi Arabian Gra ..read more

Subscribe now It has been a rapid turn around for the America’s Cup Defender to migrate south and get testing a range of new equipment in the two week window before heading to the second Preliminary Regatta in Jeddah later this month. “These things don’t just happen,” explained Kevin Shoebridge. "While the large majority of our sailing and shore team only arrived back into the country in the past few days, we have had a number of core guys fly back from Barcelona a few weeks early so they can be preparing our AC40 again to get back out on the water. So it is all part of the wider logistical ..read more

Subscribe now Image © Alex Carabi / America’s Cup With the arrival of Alinghi Red Bull Racing into their Jeddah base on the Obhur Creek, followed by their first sailing on Sunday November 5, the countdown to the second Preliminary Regatta of the 37th America’s Cup has well and truly begun. Sailing the AC40s on the Red Sea – a first for the America’s Cup – is a big moment for the sport and a significant moment for the activation of the Jeddah Yacht Club and the Saudi Sailing Federation’s investment in youth and women’s sailing in the Kingdom. Inspiring the next generation into sailing is a de ..read more

Subscribe now Emirates Team New Zealand has announced the launch of the Design Works, an offshoot that will focus on bringing America’s Cup technology to high-tech commercial projects. Emirates Team New Zealand has been at the leading edge of performance design for thirty years, and whilst best known as a sailing team, the technical capabilities within the design team are also well-recognised in a competition defined by technology and innovation. The team includes expertise across a wide range of engineering disciplines, with the ability to manage every aspect of design from concept thro ..read more