Who’s at the helm of the six teams competing in the 37th America’s Cup?

Pete Burling

Emirates Team New Zealand
New Zealand

Our very own homegrown hero, Peter Burling is one of New Zealand’s — and in fact, the world’s — greatest sailors. A triple Olympic medallist in the 49er class, and a double America’s Cup winner, Pete Burling is gearing up to once again lead Emirates Team New Zealand to victory.

Sir Ben Ainslie

Ineos Britannia 
Great Britain 

The most successful Olympic sailor of all time, Sir Ben Ainslie was charged with turning Oracle Team USA’s seven-race deficit around. Last Cup, he stepped into a new role at the helm of his homeland’s team, a position he remains in for the 2024 racing, vying with all his might to bring the Cup to England.

Ernesto Bertarelli

Alinghi Red Bull Racing
Switzerland

Bertarelli created Alinghi to achieve his dream of bringing the America’s Cup back to Europe for the first time since 1851. His team memorably won the America’s Cup in 2003 in Auckland, and successfully defended it in 2007 in Valencia. Now, with a new team, the Swiss sailor is back in the Cup with his sights set on winning.

Max Sirena

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team
Italy

Sirena is at his eighth America’s Cup challenge, two of which were winning campaigns, including the 33rd America’s Cup with BMW Oracle Racing, and the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda in 2017 with Emirates Team New Zealand. Now, an ever-ambitious Sirena is at the helm of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team for the second consecutive Cup racing.

Terry Hutchinson

NYYC American Magic
America

Across his 40-year career, Hutchinson has done it all, including guiding Emirates Team New Zealand in the 32nd Cup. Now, after a few bumps in the road (including thatspectacular crash in the 36th Cup), the stalwart sailor is back at the helm of the American team, resolute in achieving a lifelong goal of securing the Auld Mug.

Quentin Delapierre

Orient Express Racing Team
France

A rising star on the international sailing scene, Frenchman Quentin Delapierre will lead the Orient Express Racing Team in the 37th America’s Cup, bringing vast experience at
both an Olympic and international level, with skills forged more recently in the intense heat of the SailGP racing circuit.

While the universal Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) are applied to the technical aspects of the America’s Cup match, a defining aspect of the competition is that everything about it is more or less decided by the defender (the team currently in possession of the cup). This is due to the ‘Deed of Gift’ terms which make the Cup available for perpetual international competition. With the power to dictate where, when and on what boats the racing will occur, it can take some time after the competition’s end for the next location and set of protocols to be decided. However, if another yacht club presents a challenge for the Cup — at any time — it must be met by the defenders, hence the relatively unstructured nature of the competition. 

The Protocol and Class Rule is determined by the Defender, in this case, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and Emirates Team New Zealand, and the Challenger of Record, this case the Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd and their representative team INEOS Britannia, with the 37th America’s Cup’s Protocol and Class Rule balancing the traditions of the Deed of Gift while continuing to push the boundaries of innovation, technology and design in the boats, the event, the broadcast and the commercial aspects of the Cup. 

As such, for the 37th America’s Cup, an emphasis has been placed on driving sustainability through innovation, spotlighting inclusivity through the addition of women’s and youth races, and reducing team operating costs without compromising any of the technical development which the Cup is so famous for. 

Updated Rules

01.

Women’s and youth events have been added to the America’s Cup schedule. 

02.

Teams are only permitted to build one new AC75.

03.

There are limitations on the quantity of foils and componentry that can be built for the AC75s.

04.

This year sees the introduction of the multi-purpose One Design AC40 class, which teams have been able to convert and use for testing, component development and Match Race training.

05.

The AC40 class is to then be converted back to the measured One Design AC40 class for use in the women’s and youth events.

06.

The number of race crew onboard the AC75 has been reduced from 11 to eight sailors.

07.

As part of the ongoing drive for innovation and clean technology, it’s now a mandate to create two hydrogen-powered foiling chase boats. It’s hoped showcasing proven hydrogen tech in the marine sector will help create a game-changing pathway for the wider industry and lead to a significant reduction in its carbon footprint. 

08.

 A shared team recon programme has been implemented which, whilst reducing costs, is also aimed to give America’s Cup fans the inside track on the testing and development on the water by all the teams. 

09.

A condition of entry is that all teams must partake in a behind-the-scenes documentary series, bringing the secrecy, drama and all the teams’ personalities into the limelight.

10.

The AC75 class of boat will be maintained for the next two events.

From the gigantic trimarans of the 2010 Cup to the radically different, 72-foot, wing-sailed foiling catamarans of 2013, to 2024’s 75-foot foiling monohull masterpiece, the evolution of the America’s Cup boat has been anything but smooth sailing.

Fly Time
The amount of time the boat spends foiling. The ideal situation would be for a team to make it around the entire course with 100% fly time, which means their hull never touches the water.

Wingwash
When sailboats sail close to each other, one can affect the other’s quality of wind. The resulting lack of wind is referred to as a “wingwash.”

Stuffing It or Splash Down
When the boat drops off the foils and the hulls hit the water, usually in a very dramatic fashion that soaks the sailors.