The Foil Weekly Roundup - 22 Dec '25

Three more teams pile into the America's Cup, Italy's youth sailors keep dominating, Thailand delivers a royal gold medal, and the Sydney-Hobart fleet is stacked – even if the breeze isn't.

It’s the news sailing fans have been waiting for. This morning brought confirmation that five teams will be competing at the 38th America's Cup in Naples, with Luna Rossa, K-Challenge and Tudor Team Alinghi joining defenders Emirates Team New Zealand and Challenger of Record Athena Racing. The Swiss return raised eyebrows – their newly-renamed Tudor Team Alinghi syndicate had been widely considered out of the picture. Not anymore.

All five teams are now founding members of the America's Cup Partnership Agreement, which promises a two-year racing cycle, budget caps and revenue sharing. Whether that framework delivers on its lofty ambitions of sustainability and accessibility remains to be seen. But for now, Naples 2027 suddenly looks like a proper fight.

The entry window remains open until 31 January 2026 for any additional challengers – American match racer Chris Poole's Riptide Racing is the only new syndicate to have broken cover so far, though rumours persist of a second Italian challenge and an Australian bid. Further details on scheduling and the AC38 format are expected at an event in Naples on 21 January.

Italy claimed a third consecutive Nations Trophy at the Youth Sailing World Championships in Portugal, with Lorenzo Sirena and Alice Dessy retaining their Nacra 15 crown, while 15-year-old Medea Falcioni went unbeaten in the female iQFOiL – capping a remarkable 2025 that also saw her claim World and European titles.

Britain secured two golds through Lila Edwards and Amelie Hiscocks in the female 29er and Sabine Potter with Merle Nieuwland in the female 420 – both decided by agonisingly tight margins. The male/mixed 29er was even closer: Poland's Szymon Kolka and Bartosz Zmudzinski overhauled overnight leaders France in the final race to win by a single point.

Switzerland's Gian Andrea Stragiotti and China's Suofeiya Li joined Falcioni in recording perfect weeks to claim Formula Kite honours, while Ukraine's Sviatoslav Madonich and Dmytro Karabadzhak timed their run perfectly to take male/mixed 420 gold. David Coates delivered for the USA in male ILCA 6, Spain's Irene de Tomas topped the female ILCA 6 podium, and Israel's Peleg Rajuan claimed male iQFOiL honours.

The future of the sport looks in pretty good hands.

World Sailing has opened bidding for the Continental Olympic Qualifiers and Last Chance Regatta ahead of Los Angeles 2028. Bids are also invited for the 2027-2029 Youth and Women's Match Racing World Championships.

For anyone with Olympic ambitions, these events are the gateway.

Thailand delivered a clinical performance to win SSL keelboat racing gold at the 33rd South East Asian Games in Pattaya – with Her Majesty Queen Suthida competing as navigator throughout.

The Thai crew controlled the regatta from the opening start, staying remarkably clean through four intense days as high-level mixed team racing kept the fleet locked together. Malaysia secured silver after pushing Thailand hard all week, while Myanmar edged out the Philippines by two points in what became near match racing through to the final leg.

The format represents grassroots development done right – nation-against-nation racing on identical SSL47 keelboats, creating accessible pathways into high-level sailing. The Gold Cup Asian Qualifier is already underway in Pattaya, with the second SSL Gold Cup set for Rio in November 2026.

The start of the 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart is just four days away, and this year's fleet looks set to deliver. Seven boats at or near the 100-foot maximum will contest line honours, including two-time defending champion LawConnect, Master Lock Comanche and Palm Beach 11 (formerly Wild Oats XI).

The 628-nautical-mile slog to Tasmania typically takes three to four days for most of the fleet – though Comanche's 2017 record of 1 day, 9 hours shows what’s possible when conditions align.

They probably won’t this year. Early forecasts point to light and variable winds at the start, with just 5-10 knots expected as the fleet exits Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day. This could be a race won on patience and precision rather than raw power.

The race kicks off at 1pm local time on 26 December. You can follow the fleet at rolexsydneyhobart.com.