Emirates Team New Zealand has named its two AC40 crews for next week's Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta in Naples, retaining the combinations that raced at the opening event in Cagliari but introducing a planned positional switch in its Women & Youth team.
Nathan Outteridge and Seb Menzies will share the helm of the senior New Zealand entry, with Andy Maloney and Iain Jensen on trim for the September 24th-27th regatta. The second boat will again be raced by the Emirates Team New Zealand Women & Youth crew of skipper Jake Pye, Erica Dawson, Serena Woodall and Josh Armit.
As Afloat reported on Thursday, nine AC40s will assemble in Naples for the second Preliminary Regatta, following the eight-boat opener in Sardinia in May.
New Zealand Builds on Cagliari
The New Zealand selections maintain continuity from Cagliari, where the senior crew reached the winner-takes-all Match Race Final and finished runner-up.
The Women & Youth combination finished fifth in its first experience of racing the AC40 against the wider America's Cup fleet. Since then, both crews have been using their Naples training blocks to develop crew work and racecraft ahead of their return to competition.
Crew Call: Emirates Team New Zealand has confirmed its senior and Women & Youth combinations for the nine-boat AC40 Preliminary Regatta in Naples. Photo: Emirates Team New Zealand
Menzies said the focus has been on sharpening the AC40 programme before racing resumes.
"We are currently focussing on sharpening the AC40s ahead of the second Preliminary Regatta, and the whole team is super happy," he said.
Maloney believes consistency could be particularly important over the three days of racing.
"The conditions in Naples are really dynamic. So, we can expect different teams to be leading every race in the Preliminary Regatta," he said.
"There may be a lot of movement on the scoreboard and being consistent across the three days of racing will be the key to making it into the Match Race Final."
Planned Switch for Women & Youth Crew
While the four sailors remain unchanged, Emirates Team New Zealand has altered the sides on which its Women & Youth crew will race.
Pye and Woodall will sail on starboard in Naples, with Dawson and Armit on port, reversing their arrangement from Cagliari as part of a planned rotation between the first two Preliminary Regattas.
The crew has also accumulated considerably more experience of the Naples venue since May, including an extended training block in July.
"We've spent a lot of time over here in Naples over the past few months," Pye said. "We did a big block in July where we tried to take in as much as we can to learn about Naples itself."
"It has been really cool to have the core group here at the venue, and sailing alongside the 'A-team' has been really good for us."
Woodall said the crew was looking forward to returning to the racecourse against the Cup teams.
"It is such an awesome opportunity to be lining up against the best in the sport," she said. "It is great to be getting more time in the boat together and excited to see what we can do on the racecourse."
First Racing on 2027 Cup Waters
The Naples regatta has added significance for Emirates Team New Zealand as defender of the America's Cup, with the AC40 competition being staged on the waters selected for the 38th America's Cup in 2027.
American Racing Challenger Team USA joins the Preliminary Regatta fleet for the first time, while GB1 and Luna Rossa will also field two boats. La Roche-Posay Racing Team and Tudor Team Alinghi complete the nine-boat line-up.
Three days of racing will determine the leading two crews, who will meet in Sunday's Match Race Final.
