Team New Zealand launch into important phase of America’s Cup cycle

The women's and youth America's Cup regattas will be contested on AC40 foiling monohulls. Photo / ETNZ

With their block of on-water testing aboard their AC75 set to come to an end in the coming weeks, Team New Zealand are putting plans into action around another vital element of their Barcelona campaign.

In 2024, the Youth America’s Cup will return, while the Women’s America’s Cup will be contested for the first time. Both will be sailing on AC40s - the scaled-down version of the AC75 foiling monohulls - and all six of the teams entered into the America’s Cup must field a team in the new additions as well.

For Team New Zealand, the process to find sailors to fill those teams is set to begin. The team has put out a call for applications for the two teams, hoping to encourage sailors from every corner of the country to throw their hats in the ring for the chance to compete in Barcelona.

The process is being led by two-time America’s Cup-winning sailor Josh Junior, working alongside a seven-strong panel to find the country’s best talent.

“We want to develop high-performing teams that can win and represent Team New Zealand with pride, passion, and professionalism on and off the water, traits the team always illustrates,” Junior said.

Team New Zealand has a strong history in the Youth America’s Cup, which features sailors between the ages of 18 and 25, finishing first and second in the regatta in 2013 and 2017 respectively. It was due to be held alongside the 36th America’s Cup in Auckland, however it was cancelled due to Government restrictions around immigration.

For the women’s regatta, New Zealand has a strong pool of talent to draw from, and Team New Zealand performance and simulator engineer Elise Beavis said that made for an exciting prospect, encouraging any female sailor over the age of 18 to apply.

“We are excited to see what applications come in,” Beavis said.

“Our objective is to create a pathway for the best female sailors into the America’s Cup, to create the strongest ‘team’ in every sense of the word, and through their performance and presence at the Women’s America’s Cup, inspire future generations of female sailors into professional sailing and to create wider industry opportunities also.

“That is the fundamental objective of this process.”

The first part of the selection process will see a shortlist of eight sailors named for each team, with those groups spending a week with Team New Zealand undergoing assessments later in the year, before two final five-strong teams are named.

The two regattas will be 12-team competitions. Half of the field will be made up of Team New Zealand, Ineos Britannia, Luna Rossa (Italy), American Magic, Alinghi Red Bull Racing (Switzerland) and Orient Express Racing Team (France), while entries from Australia, Canada, Spain, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands have been invited to fill the remaining spots in the lineup.