GB1 back on the water and wasting no time in Cagliari

GB1, the rebranded British Challenger of Record, hit the water for the first time since AC37 last week – and there was nothing tentative about the return.

The team took their AC40 out in Cagliari in conditions that would test any crew – gusts topping 25 knots and a building sea state. Boat speeds touched nearly 50 knots.

New CEO Ian Walker was watching from the chase boat on what he described as a spectacular first day up close to the foiling machines.

“We had up to 25 knots in the gusts… it put a lot of pressure,” Walker said. “We had a capsize and, whilst that sounds a bad thing, in many ways it's quite a good thing for us because we spent a lot of time going through safety protocols.”

The tip-over came late in the session on Saturday as the team pushed harder in the freshening breeze. No injuries, minimal damage, and a textbook recovery.

“For me there, as a casual observer trying not to get too involved, I was delighted to see that the team handled it really professionally and minimised any damage to the boat and, most importantly, absolutely no problems for any of the people out there,” Walker added.

For helm Dylan Fletcher, the week’s training camp delivered exactly what the team needed.

“The shore team and the whole team have done such a great job of getting this far,” Fletcher said. “We've been pushing hard every day. Had some fresh faces in, which has been good.”

This week the Athena Pathway squad joins the programme in Cagliari, ramping up activity ahead of the first AC40 preliminary regatta there from 21-24 May. GB1 will field two AC40s for the fleet racing that weekend: one with their main crew, another with their youth and women mixed squad.

With the Kiwis now out on their AC75, Luna Rossa running regular two-boat AC40 sessions, the French revealing their full squad and crew lists crystallising across the board, AC38 is well and truly underway.