The 38th America’s Cup remains without a confirmed protocol. However, despite the framework still being a work in progress, the campaign hasn’t been short of talking points.
Christopher Reive looks at the key moments from the past couple of months in a curious campaign.
About a month after confirming they would be going into the new campaign without Peter Burling, Team New Zealand announced their core group of sailors for the regatta in 2027.
Returning helmsman Nathan Outteridge was unsurprisingly named as Burling’s replacement as skipper, with Blair Tuke and Andy Maloney also returning after manning trimming and flight controlling roles in Barcelona last year.
Among the changes, Sam Meech was elevated to the core group after being with the team as a reserve sailor for the last campaign, manning several different roles on board in the development, testing and training phases.
But what most stood out was the confirmation that British sailor Chris Draper had joined the team. Draper, who is the wing trimmer for the Australian SailGP team, is an accomplished sailor with an Olympic bronze medal and previous America’s Cup campaigns with Luna Rossa and Team Japan. After a 100% nationality rule for the last two campaigns, Draper’s signing indicated that rule would be relaxed for the 38th edition.
A return to Europe for the next edition of the Cup was always likely, with suggestions that Naples in Italy and Athens in Greece were the main contenders after Auckland was ruled out. The confirmation of the venue was expected to come by late June, but that deadline was well beaten when Team NZ announced in mid-May that Naples had won hosting rights.
The regatta will be held in 2027 during the New Zealand autumn and winter – the Northern Hemisphere spring and summer – with the exact dates yet to be announced.
This means Luna Rossa will get a home regatta, with the Italian syndicate subsequently announcing they would be sailing the next campaign under the flag of Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia of Naples, after representing Circolo della Vela Sicilia for the last three editions.
The decision to announce the venue without a set protocol was met by mixed reactions from potential challengers, with Challenger of Record Athena Racing (UK) and American Magic criticising the Defender over a lack of transparency, about a week after the fact.
Team NZ responded by making a draft of the protocol public and noted all teams had been offered full access and transparency to the host venue agreement upon returning a signed non-disclosure agreement, given the commercially sensitive nature of the agreement.
The draft protocol showed some big changes being suggested for the new regatta. These included replacing cyclors with battery power and dropping the number of sailors on board from eight to six – including a female sailor and a youth sailor – and allowing two non-nationals who did not compete in the last edition to sail for the teams.
These changes were, however, simply part of a draft. The wait for a confirmed protocol goes on – meaning the Cup is essentially in a holding pattern and teams are losing valuable time.
After previously suggesting they would not be involved in the next edition of the Cup, Swiss syndicate Alinghi sprung back to life as Team NZ boss Grant Dalton was in Naples on a press tour following the host venue announcement.
Alinghi shared similar sentiments to those already voiced by Athena Racing and American Magic, suggesting Team NZ had no right to sign off on the hosting agreement without a set protocol, given it included the Challenger Selection Series.
In response, Team NZ said a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the defenders and the challengers of record agreed Team NZ’s responsibility to select a host venue across all events, including the CSS.
“The Defender, as per the Deed of Gift, has the right and responsibility to choose the venue and the memorandum of understanding signed with the challenger of record at the conclusion of the 37th America’s Cup also gives that full right and obligation to the defender,” Team NZ said in a statement.
“The Defender remains committed to work with the teams to create a partnership for the future America’s Cups.”
The teams have since been quiet, barring French syndicate K-Challenge, who early this month urged the Challenger of Record to sign off on the draft protocol released in May so they could begin to properly prepare their campaign.
After Burling was announced as a free agent and he confirmed he remained interested in being involved in the America’s Cup, it became simply a matter of who he would join. The question was answered in late June when Luna Rossa announced they had secured his services.
It is expected Burling won’t be able to race for the team, but he will be a core part of the leadership group and contribute to its development programme. A three-time America’s Cup-winning helmsman, Burling’s signing will no doubt boost a Luna Rossa team expected to welcome in a new era for the next campaign.
As it turned out, Burling was the second three-time America’s Cup-winning Kiwi sailor to join Luna Rossa from Team NZ following Barcelona. Josh Junior joined the Italians earlier in the year and has been working with them for the past few months.
Luna Rossa did not formally announce the acquisition of Junior, however, he appeared in a promotional video revealing Burling’s signing and they have since confirmed to the Herald that Junior is also part of their set-up.
In the most recent campaign, Junior was among the reserve sailors and was involved in a coaching role. He also played a key role in leading the Team NZ Youth and Women’s America’s Cup programmes.
Junior’s role with the Italians is also yet to be defined, with the protocol for the regatta not yet confirmed.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.