The Royal Prince Edward YC confirmed on May 14 that its challenge for the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup, Naples, had been accepted by the defenders of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. The fleet contesting the America’s Cup in Naples is now confirmed as seven – the largest number of entries since the 2007 America’s Cup in Valencia.
Representing the Royal Prince Edward YC will be Team Australia with backing from John Winning and family which supported the Australian entries in the Youth & Puig Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona in 2024.
The team also confirmed that Tom Slingsby, Olympic gold medalist, multiple foiling champion, and two-time World Sailor of the Year, will join the team as Head of Sailing. Three-time Cup winner Glenn Ashby joins the team as Head of Performance & Design. And adding veteran wisdom and campaign power, Grant Simmer, a member of the winning Australia II campaign in 1983 that ended the New York Yacht Club’s 132-year winning streak, is Team Australia’s Chief Executive Officer.
“For me, this campaign is both deeply personal and incredibly exciting,” Simmer said in a team announcement. “I first became involved in the America’s Cup in the early 1980s and was fortunate to be part of the legendary Australia II team that changed the course of the Cup forever. Since then, I’ve been involved in every America’s Cup edition, including Australia’s successful hosting of the event in Fremantle, still regarded as one of the greatest Cups in history. Over the decades, Australian talent has spread across teams all over the world. Thanks to John Winning and this new challenge, we now have the opportunity to bring that talent back together to compete again for Australia. What excites me most is helping build the next generation of Australian America’s Cup sailors, designers and engineers, while creating a long-term foundation for Australia in the modern era of the Cup.”
Slingsby, currently the skipper and leader of Australia’s SailGP team, said: “The opportunity to represent Australia in the America’s Cup with an Australian team is something that genuinely means a lot to me. It’s been a dream throughout my career to be part of bringing Australia back to the Cup in a meaningful way. To now have that opportunity alongside Herman Winning, a close friend of more than 30 years makes it even more special. There’s a huge sense of excitement around what we’re building together, and I’m incredibly proud to be part of the beginning of this new chapter for Australian sailing.”
Ashby, an incoming member to the America’s Cup Hall of Fame, further added: “For more than half my sailing career I have had a dream to see an Australian team return to the pinnacle event of our sport of sailing—The America’s Cup. As Aussies we love our sport, and the connectivity and camaraderie it brings. It is extremely humbling and a huge honor to help create and be part of a new and significant chapter in Australian sport, whilst honoring and respecting the legacy of those who have come before us. Team Australia aims to build on this legacy, combining expert Australian experience and knowledge with new talent to build into the future across multiple departments. This new team will leverage modern engineering and design tools, simulation and performance optimization to ensure we hit the ground running in Naples, Italy, early next year. This entry to sailing’s biggest stage was only possible with the desire, courage and belief of John Winning and family who have enabled the dream of so many, to become a reality.”
The Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup will mark a significant evolution for the event, with new AC75 rules requiring at least one female sailor to be included in each race crew for the first time in the competition’s history. The shift to battery-powered systems will also place greater emphasis on skill, strategy and flight control, while continuing to strengthen pathways between the Youth and Women’s America’s Cup programs and senior teams.
Team Australia Sailor, Tash Bryant, said the changes represented an important moment for the future of the sport: “This feels like an exciting new era for the America’s Cup. The evolution of the boats and the competition is opening the door to broader opportunities and visibility for women in elite sailing, while also creating clearer pathways for younger generations coming through the sport. For young Australian sailors watching this campaign launch today, that representation and ambition matters greatly.”
Following the initial challenge announcement, the team confirmed the purchase of Emirates Team New Zealand’s Te Rehutai, the AC75 of two cycles ago. It is expected that the hull would be heavily modified, and that the team will bring it to class compliance with new foil and aero packages as well as mechatronics and electronic components—the hull, essentially being a shell into which they can layer new technology for AC38.
