AC38

The Seismic Shift in Sardinia The Cagliari Preliminary Regatta represents far more than a mere warm-up event; it is the official firing of the starter's pistol for AC38. We are witnessing a generational changing of the guard. Historically, the America's Cup was the domain of the "old guard"—veterans who spent decades mastering displacement hulls before the foiling revolution. Today, that hierarchy is collapsing. A staggering statistic defines this event: only 11 sailors from the previous AC75 cycle are returning to the racecourse. In their place stands a battalion of Gen Z athletes who have never known a world where boats didn't fly. These sailors didn't adapt to foiling; they were born into it, cutting their teeth in high-performance classes like the Moth and the 49er from the moment they left the Optimist ranks. This regatta serves as a ruthless evaluation ground. For the first time, syndicates are deploying two-boat programs where the "B-boat" sailors—comprising youth and women's teams—are actively hunting for seats on the primary AC75 platform. The arbitrary walls that once separated the youth pathways from the senior squads have been dismantled. Every maneuver in Sardinia is a job interview performed at 40 knots. If you want to understand the future of professional sailing, you look at Cagliari. Team New Zealand and the Menzies Gamble Emirates Team New Zealand remains the benchmark for preparation. While other teams are still calibrating their communications, the Kiwis have been logging relentless hours in Auckland, refining a lineup that balances extreme experience with raw, untapped potential. The headline move is the inclusion of Seb Menzies on the port helm of the A-boat. Menzies, fresh off a 49er World Championship victory, is the embodiment of the new era. His elevation suggests that the Defenders are willing to bypass veteran reliability in favor of high-fidelity foiling instincts. However, this aggressive promotion leaves the youth team in a state of flux. The absence of Blair Tuke from the active roster is the elephant in the room. While Tuke is officially listed in a coaching and mentorship capacity, his transition away from the primary flight control role creates a vacuum of leadership that Nathan Outteridge must now fill. The strategy here is clear: integrate youth talent like Jacob Pie and Josh Armit directly into the senior ecosystem, forcing the established stars to defend their positions while ensuring the "Kiwis" culture remains intact through linchpins like Andy Maloney. The High-Stakes Complexity of GB1 and Athena GB1 is taking a radically different approach, one that prioritizes internal chemistry over external star power. The decision to pair Dylan Fletcher with Ben Cornish on the helm is a calculated risk. Cornish is a fascinating case study; a former Finn sailor who transformed into a powerhouse Cyclor, he has quietly logged more simulator hours at the wheel of an AC75 than almost anyone in the world. He is the "workhorse" choice—a safe set of hands whose communication with Fletcher has been honed through thousands of training reps. Parallel to the senior squad, Athena Racing is making a bold statement with an all-female helming duo consisting of Hannah Mills and Ellie Aldridge. This isn't just about optics; it's a strategic play for AC38. If Mills performs at the top of the fleet in Cagliari, she effectively throws her hat in the ring for a seat on the big boat. The GB1 camp has opted for a segmented identity, allowing Athena to develop its own momentum rather than simply serving as a shadow team. Whether this lack of total integration will hinder their top-end speed remains the critical question. Luna Rossa and the Curse of Talent Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli faces the most enviable, yet dangerous, problem in the sport: they are over-stacked. The signing of Pete Burling—originally thought to be an IP transfer move due to nationality restrictions—has upended the team's hierarchy. Now that foreign nationals are permitted to sail, Burling finds himself competing for a helm spot against Ruggero Tita, Marco Gradoni, and Gigi Ugolini. These are all world champions in their own right, and managing the egos of five elite helmsmen across only four available seats is a managerial nightmare for CEO Max Sirena. In Cagliari, the Italians plan to swap crew members between boats and sessions, a fluid strategy that maximizes data collection but potentially sacrifices the "dialed-in" partnership stability seen in the New Zealand or French camps. The Luna Rossa youth program is undeniably the most successful in the world, having nearly toppled the Kiwis in Jeddah last cycle. However, if the path to the AC75 is blocked by a three-time America's Cup winner like Burling, the internal friction could derail their momentum. Dark Horses and Future Implications Orient Express Racing Team from France has emerged as the dark horse for the Cagliari podium. By pairing Diego Botin and Florian Trittel—the gold-medal winning 49er duo and SailGP champions—on a single side of the boat, they have created the most synchronized port-side crew in the fleet. Their micro-movements are instinctive, forged in the fires of Olympic competition. While they lack the overall boat hours of the defenders, their peak performance capability is arguably higher than anyone's. Tudor Alinghi, meanwhile, is betting on the veteran leadership of Paul Goodison and Phil Robertson. Both are aggressive, world-class match racers with a point to prove. However, they suffer from the opposite problem of the French; they are brilliant individuals who have yet to solidify their partnerships. In a sport where a fraction of a second in trim-adjustment determines whether you stay on the foils or crash into the sea, those hours together are the only currency that matters. Ultimately, Cagliari is the first filter. We will see who has the mental resilience to handle the pressure of the America's Cup spotlight and who will be left behind as the tech and the talent pool continue to evolve. The age of the specialist is over; the age of the versatile, foiling-native athlete has begun.