Ben Cornish

Australia ends its long-standing absence Australia has officially signaled its return to the pinnacle of competitive sailing, marking its first formal challenge for the America's Cup since the 2000 event. The Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club (RPYC) submitted a notice of challenge to the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, confirming the nation's participation in the upcoming 38th edition. This move ends decades of speculation and places a historic heavyweight back into the tactical arena of foiling yacht racing. The Winning family provides strategic backing Financial and organizational muscle behind this challenge comes from the Winning family. John Woody Winning and John Herman Winning, both veteran members of the RPYC, spearhead the initiative. Their involvement brings a legacy of performance and stability to a campaign that must compete against the highly refined technical programs of established incumbents. While the team will sit out the immediate preliminary regattas, their entry for AC38 shifts the long-term meta-game of the competition. GB1 recalibrates for Cagliari preliminary regatta As the Australian challenge looks toward the horizon, GB1 has finalized its roster for the Cagliari preliminary regatta. Dylan Fletcher takes the reins as skipper and co-helm, paired with Ben Cornish. The team has also integrated high-tier talent from rivals, signing Andrea Tesei from Luna Rossa to handle trimming alongside Bleddyn Mon. This personnel shift indicates a heavy focus on cross-team technical insights to gain a marginal edge in the AC40 class. Double Olympic medalist leads Athena Pathway expansion In a move toward broader talent development, GB1 will field a second AC40 under the Athena Pathway banner. Double Olympic gold medalist Hannah Mills helms this mixed women’s and youth squad. By running two teams in the May regatta, the British organization effectively doubles its data collection and stress-tests its developmental pipeline against a field of six other crews. This dual-pronged strategy ensures that while the primary race crew chases immediate victories, the next generation of foiling specialists gains high-stakes experience.