Australia’s mission to win America’s Cup

Few sailors have seen highs as high, and lows as low, as Grant Simmer. He was just 26 when John Bertrand, the Olympian yachtsman, asked him to navigate in the 1983 America’s Cup at Newport, Rhode Island. He hadn’t navigated before, but the young engineer was good with programmable calculators and had developed some rudimentary boat positioning and wind prediction programs. So he was shipped Stateside as part of the Australian crew.

It didn’t start well; Australia II was down three-one in a best of seven. But everyone knows what happened next. The Australian boat with the revolutionary winged keel took the last three races straight, shocking the American defenders and breaking their 132-year hold on the cup, the longest winning streak in international sport.

“I remember John being slumped over the wheel and I was thinking ‘that’s a bit unnecessary’,” says Simmer of the moment they crossed the line. “I was young. I guess I hadn’t really realized the magnitude of what had just happened, because what happened changed everybody’s lives.” – Full report

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.

For the 38th America’s Cup, the AC75 has a helm and trimmer on each side of the boat along with a fifth crew position and a sixth passenger position.

38th America’s Cup: https://www.americascup.com/

38th America’s Cup 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 is May 22 to July 4 before the 38th Match on July 10-19. Full details.

Preliminary Regattas:*
May 22-24, 2026 – Cagliari, Italy
September 24-27 – Naples, Italy

* The Protocol noted how there would be as many Preliminary Regattas as possible, with the intent to have three during 2026 and one possibly in early 2027, and a final event at the Match Venue immediately prior to the challenger series. Only two have been thus far revealed.