Our coverage tonight will tie in comments and information, as well as links to our developing articles, such as race results.
1:16am: right now, the race has just been confirmed, and committee has given the start instruction.
GB1 has retired. Repairs are underway—but will not be completed before the race starts.
1:11am: GB1 has played is delay card: it seems a technical problem has held them back from the start of the race. 5 minutes waiting now for GB1.
The tech team is on GB1 right now, laptop plugged into the vessel—diagnostics are underway.
12:49am: Race Day 1: Four Races, First Blood
Four fleet races get the 2026 AC38 season underway today on the Bay of Angels off Cagliari, Sardinia. First racing of the new Cup cycle, and no team will want to give an inch.
Eight AC40s on the water, with Emirates Team New Zealand, GB1, and Luna Rossa each fielding two boats, their second crewed by youth and women’s squad members. Tudor Team Alinghi and La Roche-Posay Racing Team field a single entry each.
Racing is on fully equalised one-design AC40s capable of nudging past 40 knots, so early battles will come down to tactics, starts, and boathandling. Points run from 10 for a race win down to 3 for last, with the two highest scorers across the three days meeting in a winner-takes-all match race final on Sunday in Cagliari, Monday morning here.
Three days. Eleven races. One winner. It starts tonight.
