Our coverage tonight will tie in comments and information, as well as links to our developing articles, such as race results.
2:38: Wind has just been confirmed, the race committee have authorised the race to strat. 3 minute warning.
2:32am: Athena Pathway have played their delay card ahead of Race 3, busy drying the boat out after their capsize in Race 2.
2:18am Athena Pathway has just capsized; they will retire from race 2.
2:16am: Emirates Team New Zealand takes race 2! In a very good race, ETNZ won over two very good Italian teams in 2 and 3.
1:57am: Race 2 update: GB1 just retired from the race, having done repairs and not participated in race 1, they started race 2 but have just pulled out. Details follow.
1:54am: Race 2 is now approved to start. 3 minute warning. 8 Boats are coming to the start line.
RACE 1: Luna Rossa’s Youth and Women Show the Fleet How It’s Done
Margherita Porro, Marco Gradoni, and the Luna Rossa youth and women’s crew had no interest in playing supporting roles. Race 1 of the Sardinia Preliminary Regatta on the Bay of Angels in Cagliari was theirs from the gun to the finish, leaving the senior teams, including the defending champions, well behind on the scoreboard.
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.
