Naples to host second AC38 prelim in September

Naples, the host city for the 38th America’s Cup next year, will be the venue for a second Preliminary Regatta in 2026.

The event will be held on September 24 to 26, as a curtain-raiser for the first America’s Cup to be held in Italy.

The announcement was made in Cagliari, which hosts the opening prelim of AC38 this weekend. To allow for completion of redevelopment work in the Bagnoli area, the teams that choose to enter the regatta will be hosted at the Navy Logistics Command in Nisida. The crews will then move on to Bagnoli, where they will remain until 2027 and AC38 itself which takes place next July.

The race course will be set in the Bay of Naples, allowing both the crews and the organisers to gain a preview of what to expect, when all eyes are trained on the city when it hosts the world’s most illustrious sailing event.

Andrea Abodi, Italy’s minister for sport and youth, described the regatta as a “dress rehearsal”, adding that it will be “a baptism that holds many meanings, embodying the spirit of collaboration among institutions and the rebirth of a place, Bagnoli, which has been left to its own devices for over 30 years. 

“The city’s readiness – and that of its institutions – to showcase not only what the sea offers but also what this event represents, brings to life what was initially a dream, an idea, which then became a project in which the government has invested with the awareness that it will generate value, development, appeal, investment, tourism, social interaction, and new opportunities for everyone, starting with young people.”

Meanwhile on the water, the five of seven teams competing in Cagliari this weekend turned out for practice racing on Thursday – and the Luna Rossa Women and Youth team stole the early thunder.

Marco Gradoni, 22, sailed with Women’s America’s Cup winner Margherita Porro on co-helm, Maria Giubilei and newcomer Giovanni Santi on trim – and claimed a start-to-finish win in the opener.

The French La Roche-Posay Racing Team loomed after Luna Rossa 1 made a poor rounding of the leeward mark, but cool heads kept the young Italian team out of reach to claim a comfortable win. Emirates Team New Zealand finished third behind the French.

At the start of race two, Luna Rossa 1 overcame an initial 75-metre penalty and found clean air out of the first gate by taking the far boundary. They left the pack, including Luna Rossa’s senior squad led by Pete Burling, in their wake.

The two Italian boats then engaged in their own private match race, but Gradoni’s aggression proved decisive. Two races, two wins for Luna Rossa 1.

Then in the final race of the day, Dylan Fletcher and GB1 called their tactics correctly to establish a lead they would not lose. As for Burling and Ruggi Tita, they faced the ignominy of disaqualification for not taking a boundary penalty in time. That left GB1 to lead the sensational Luna Rossa 1 across the line for a British win.

Racing proper kicks off on Friday, at 15.13 local time.