Australians to lead Australian challenge

The Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club will be the sixth challenge for the 38th America’s Cup, making the 2027 edition in Naples to have the largest number of entries since the 2007 America’s Cup in Valencia. Notably, the team has gathered prominent Australians to lead the effort.

Located along the southern shore of Sydney Harbour in Australia, the Club will be represented by Team Australia with backing from John Winning and family who had supported the Australian entries in the 2024 Youth and Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona, Spain.

Tom Slingsby – Olympic gold medalist, multiple foiling champion, and two-time World Sailor of the Year – has been appointed Head of Sailing while three-time Cup winner Glenn Ashby joins the team as Head of Performance and Design.

Grant Simmer, a member of the winning Australia II campaign in 1983 that ended the New York Yacht Club’s 132-year winning streak, will be Chief Executive Officer of Team Australia.

“For me, this campaign is both deeply personal and incredibly exciting,” shared Simmer. “I first became involved in the America’s Cup in the early 1980s and was fortunate to be part of the legendary Australia II team that changed the course of the Cup forever.

“Since then, I’ve been involved in every America’s Cup edition, including Australia’s successful hosting of the event in Fremantle, still regarded as one of the greatest Cups in history. Over the decades, Australian talent has spread across teams all over the world.

“Thanks to John Winning and this new challenge, we now have the opportunity to bring that talent back together to compete again for Australia. What excites me most is helping build the next generation of Australian America’s Cup sailors, designers and engineers, while creating a long-term foundation for Australia in the modern era of the Cup.”

The last time an official Australian team competed in the America’s Cup was in 2000 when the nation was represented by the Young Australia syndicate which featured a then-20-year-old Jimmy Spithill as skipper.

Slingsby has been involved with USA campaigns for the past three editions, notably as helm for American Magic in 2024. “The opportunity to represent Australia in the America’s Cup with an Australian team is something that genuinely means a lot to me. It’s been a dream throughout my career to be part of bringing Australia back to the Cup in a meaningful way.

“To now have that opportunity alongside Herman Winning, a close friend of more than 30 years, makes it even more special. There’s a huge sense of excitement around what we’re building together, and I’m incredibly proud to be part of the beginning of this new chapter for Australian sailing.”

For a new team to compete, they had to acquire an existing hull from AC36 or AC37, or build a new boat but to an AC37-launched hull design (which had to be bought from a past competitor). With racing to commence in just over a year, Team Australia has acquired New Zealand’s 2021 Cup boat Te Rehutai.

The boat is currently undergoing necessary upgrades with the help of Team New Zealand, with whom Team Australia is collaborating on design and construction. A new bow section is being built in Australia, while all of the electrics, hydraulics, foils, rigging, and sails will also be renewed.

Details: https://www.americascup.com/

Defender New Zealand and Challenger of Record from Great Britain confirmed the Protocol for the 38th America’s Cup on August 12, 2025. The close of the initial entry period was October 31, 2025, with late entries considered up to March 31, 2026.

Current entrants:
• Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) – Defender
• Athena Racing (GBR) – Challenger of Record
• Luna Rossa (ITA) – Challenger
• Tudor Team Alinghi (SUI) – Challenger
• La Roche-Posay Racing Team (FRA) – Challenger
• American Racing Challenger Team USA (USA) – Challenger
• Team Australia (AUS) – Challenger

After the 2024 event, Barcelona, Spain declined hosting another edition, with the venue moved to Naples, Italy. Challenger racing begins in the spring before the 38th Match on July 10-18, 2027.

Preliminary Regattas:*
May 21-24, 2026 – Cagliari, Sardinia

* More are to be announced.