Tudor Team Alinghi closed out the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup Preliminary Regatta in Sardinia on a far more promising note than the middle of their weekend had suggested. Sunday's two final fleet races on the Gulf of Angels brought improved pace, sharper communication and greater consistency from the Swiss crew, rounding off a campaign that had threatened to come apart in its middle stages.
Saturday had been a difficult day. Technical problems combined with tough conditions and race penalties dragged the team through a troubled mid-regatta stretch. The recovery on Sunday culminated in a fourth-place finish in the regatta's closing fleet race, with the team narrowly missing third in a photo finish against GB1. Luna Rossa took the race win.
Across the full regatta, Tudor Team Alinghi opened with a third-place finish in Race 1 before difficulties in the middle rounds took their toll. Sixth overall was the final result, one the team felt understated how much ground they had recovered by the time the final gun fired.
The weekend's concluding match-race final belonged to Luna Rossa, who defeated Emirates Team New Zealand to secure overall victory in the first Preliminary Regatta of the 38th America's Cup cycle.
Attention now turns to Naples and the second Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta, scheduled for 24 to 27 September 2026. Foundations are beginning to form within the sailing group and broader programme, with a clearer sense of what work lies ahead before that event arrives. Everyone in the team now knows what needs to be done before then.
Skipper and Starboard Helm Paul Goodison was upbeat about how the final day unfolded. "It's great to finish on a high. Today was a much better day. We perhaps tacked a little too early in the first race, but we were still in it. Although it felt like we were a bit slow, communication on board was much better, and we tried to execute a lot of things that we wanted to improve."
Goodison was also quick to acknowledge the efforts of those working away from the water. "Thanks again to the shore crew who worked hard overnight to get the autopilot working. We're well aware of how much work we still have to do, but it was good to finish the regatta moving in the right direction."
Port Helm Phil Robertson singled out the final race as a marker of genuine forward momentum. "It's always nice to finish an event with a good final race. In terms of how we sailed the boat around the track, that was probably our best one. There are a lot of positives to take away from that. Being at the front is always what you want, and we were certainly doing that in the last race. It's much nicer to be at the front than at the back."
Port Trimmer Pietro Sibello reflected on the shift in crew unity during Sunday's closing race. "In the first race, we didn't get the best out of the boat. But between races, we came together and spoke about our goals, how we wanted to manage the wind, the boat trim and our tactics. I felt we were a really united crew in that final race, and it was great to finish the regatta that way."
