Jo Aleh steps into Emirates Team New Zealand as the new Cup cycle kicks into gear. Her arrival lines up with fresh talent, new systems, and a team already shifting into 2027 mode.
Jo Aleh’s move into Emirates Team New Zealand comes at a moment when the whole operation is shifting out of its post-Barcelona quiet phase and back into full campaign mode. In her Radio New Zealand interview, she laughs about being “thrown in the deep end” on the AC40, but the timing could hardly be better. The team has returned to the water, the simulator bay is running long hours, and the squad around her is evolving fast.
ETNZ’s announcement last month of Aleh, Seb Menzies, Josh Armit, and Jake Pye joining the sailing team wasn’t just a personnel update; it marked the point where the defenders moved from planning to practice. Almost a year after lifting the Auld Mug in Barcelona, the sailors are back on the Waitematā with their AC40, rotating through every station on board, sharpening instincts, and building familiarity before the AC75 work begins. For Aleh, who last sailed the AC40 during the Women’s America’s Cup in 2024, the step up is obvious: more complexity, more speed, and a constant flow of new information to absorb.
But what she notices most is the energy around the base. As she said in the RNZ interview, the steep learning curve is easier when the whole squad is climbing together; and this season, five of the eight sailors in the senior group are new to their roles. Maloney, Tuke, Outteridge, Draper and Meech bring stability and depth, but the newcomers are already influencing how training runs. Simulator sessions now include fresh eyes and different Olympic skill-sets, and the early feedback loop is richer than it has been in years.
That influx of talent sits neatly alongside the public recognition ETNZ has collected in recent weeks. The team was named World Sailing’s 2025 Team of the Year, a nod not only to their third consecutive America’s Cup win but to the culture that has kept the programme resilient and competitive. At the New Zealand Yachting Excellence Awards the following week, ETNZ also received the Sir Bernard Fergusson Trophy as Sailor of the Year. It is rare for a team to claim both honours at once, but it reflects what Aleh describes from the inside: a group that treats success as a shared job rather than an individual one.
Her own arrival is tied to the sport’s changing landscape. The new AC75 rule requiring at least one woman in the five-person crew, combined with the move to battery-powered hydraulics, has created opportunities that never existed before. In the RNZ interview, Aleh is quick to acknowledge the awkwardness of a quota, yet equally quick to accept that without structural changes, the pathway for women into the Cup would never open. ETNZ has already responded with a strengthened internship programme bringing in Youth and Women’s America’s Cup sailors early in the cycle, including Serena Woodall and Stella Bilger. Aleh’s presence alongside them bridges the gap between promise and profession.
There is also the practical rhythm of a new Cup cycle to contend with. After a long stretch focused on design rules and preliminary work, the team has now completed its first two-boat testing day of the season, a significant milestone that forces every department to stretch. For the sailing team, running two boats at once means tighter communication, more disciplined rotations, and a clearer understanding of who does what under load. For Aleh, it is another layer of the learning process she describes: understanding not just how to sail her position, but how every role slots into the bigger picture.
Shoebridge summed up the mood best when the team relaunched its AC40 programme: “Sailing is the reason you do it.” Aleh echoes that sentiment in her interview. She’s spent hours in front of screens and simulators, but it’s being out on the Waitematā; finding the rhythm of the boat, reacting to pressure, getting comfortable with unfamiliar controls that brings the job into focus.
The path ahead is clear and demanding. There will be more simulator work, more multi-boat days, and the beginning of AC75 operations once design decisions settle. ETNZ plans to be sailing in Naples next year to familiarise themselves with the venue. Aleh will be at the centre of that preparation, her experience widening the team’s depth at a time when every small edge matters.
She didn’t expect this chance, and she’s blunt about that. But the timing, for her and for the team, feels right. Emirates Team New Zealand is building momentum again, and Aleh has stepped in just as the cycle heats up.
For the full conversation with Jo Aleh, including audio, see the Radio New Zealand interview:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2019014978/jo-aleh-first-woman-to-join-team-nz-amercia-s-cup-defence
