Official website of America’s Cup. The competition for the oldest trophy in international sport and dates back to 1851.
The published schedule in the Sailing Instructions confirms that the official practice period will run from the 9th-15th September when teams are permitted to line up against each other under the supervision of the Regatta Director, whilst on Tuesday 23rd to Thursday 25th – just ahead of racing starting – there will be three days of official practice racing with Race Management on the water and the Umpires in their booth. That means that the Race Management will run racing for teams wishing to take part in an ‘as live’ environment to thoroughly test all the software, broadcast and procedural aspects of the regatta. It’s a vital period for both the teams, the Race Management and the Umpires ahead of what is expected to be a close-fought regatta.
One of the big changes is to the delay card system. In Sardinia, teams could request a single 5-minute delay ahead of the fleet races if they suffered any technical breakdown or issue onboard. We saw the delay ‘card’ being played by GB1, Luna Rossa and Athena Pathway for various technical reasons, but for Naples this option has been deleted.
The only time that a team can request a 5-minute delay is ahead of the final match that the top two boats compete in after a fleet race series of eight races. Speaking about the change, Chief Umpire Richard Slater said: “Removing the delay card system for the fleet racing means that we can align with the broadcast window and spectator expectations more fully. With nine boats on the starting line for the Naples Regatta the onus and expectation is on the teams to be ready to race their AC40s in each scheduled race.”
The Sailing Instructions for Naples PR2 also confirmed again that races will have a maximum time limit of 25 minutes, with all boats finishing within 5 minutes of the winning boat. In lighter airs, the time limit to the first mark remains at 7 minutes. Racing will be conducted within the same weather window as defined for the AC40 class with the lower end of the True Wind Speed as measured over a 2-minute time period by the Race Management on the water being 7.5 knots and a 21-knot upper limit. The Race Director also has the option to cancel racing if the sea state is unsuitable for foiling.
The courses are again defined as windward/leeward ‘gated’ courses that provide optionality at both the top and bottom of the course. For Naples there are options for a short or longer course depending on the wind strength, and all races will be finished on a downwind leg. For a race to be scored, two legs must be completed. Again for Naples, the fleet racing will be a high-scoring series with 10 points for the winner of each race and cascading by one point incrementally down the nine-boat fleet with the ninth boat scoring 2 points as stated in the ‘Racing Rules of Sailing – America’s Cup Version 5’also published on the Official Noticeboard.
Naples is getting ready to welcome the world and the sailors are gearing up for what will be a memorable regatta at the venue for the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup in 2027. Shoreside will be spectacular. On the water it will be the ultimate crucible of confrontation where ‘There is no Second.’
Naples: Be There
2026 PRELIMINARY REGATTA – NAPLES – SAILING INSTRUCTIONS v0
2026 INITIAL PRELIMINARY REGATTA CONDITIONS V2
RACING RULES OF SAILING – AMERICA’S CUP EDITION
