The Protocol that governs the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup was created between the Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, and the Challenger of Record, GB1, after lengthy consultation.
One of the key tenets of those discussions was to contain costs wherever possible and in that context, limiting the sailing days was key. The outcome was a strict ruling on number of days that teams could sail their AC75 primary yacht, and also the number of days that the teams could conduct two-boat training in the AC40 yachts.
Furthermore, the Protocol stipulated hard dates for when the teams could train. For the AC75, the standard arrangement was that teams would be allowed 45 days of sailing days from the 15th January 2026 through to the 14th January 2027. Then, from the 15th January 2027, the allowances re-set and all teams are allowed another 45 days of training time plus any additional unused allowances that they are afforded under the Protocol (see below).
An allowance was made, based off the final standings from The Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup for AC75 sailing and gave the lower ranked teams more time on the water. New entries from Australia and the USA get an allowance of 20 days. The additional days were as follows:
- Team Australia +20 days
- American Racing Challenger Team USA +20 days
- La Roche-Posay Racing Team +10 days
- TUDOR Team Alinghi +8 days
- Luna Rossa +4 days
- GB1/Athena Racing +2 days
- Emirates Team New Zealand +0 days
(The additional days are for the entire cycle and can be taken at any time.)
For the AC40 two-boat training, the specific date period ran from the 1st July 2025 through to the 30th June 2026 and stipulated that all teams could sail for a maximum of 35 days. The allowance then re-set on the 1st July 2026 and runs through to the 30th June 2027.
Looking at the data for the teams, in the first period of AC40 permitted sailing through to the 30th June 2026, Luna Rossa topped the table with 28 days, followed by GB1 with 19 days, Emirates Team New Zealand with 10 days, TUDOR Team Alinghi with 6 days and American Racing Challenger Team USA with 4 days. Team Australia did not sail in this initial period.
Conversely, looking at the AC75 sailing days for the initial period, which is still running through to the 14th January 2027, at the time of writing and with only three newly adapted AC75’s actually sailing we see: Emirates Team New Zealand with 17 days, Luna Rossa with 7 days and La Roche-Posay Racing Team with 3 days.
The new re-set for the AC40 two-boat training came in just a week ago and already we see that GB1 tops the standings on 5 days, Luna Rossa on 4 days and Emirates Team New Zealand, now back in Naples, just the 1 day (as at Tuesday 7th July 2026). American Racing Challenger Team USA is ailing this week and has recorded 1 day in the new period to date.
The race is on now, and the teams will all be eyeing profitable training days, maximising their time on the water wherever possible. Yesterday, the Emirates Team New Zealand team made the most of the afternoon sea breeze and docked-in as dusk was settling over the venue. Long days are commonplace in the America’s Cup as the clock ticks down relentlessly and the second Preliminary Regatta rapidly approached with the first fleet-race start on Friday 25th September.
All the teams are expected to be sailing and getting acclimatised to the tricky Bay of Naples in the coming days. They will be looking for wind-bends, wind drainage in and off the city, tidal eddies and the inevitable wash from the ferries and pleasure craft that utilise the Bay of Naples frequently.
Making the limited days count is the big game in this America’s Cup cycle now.
