After nearly a year away from competitive sailing, Emirates Team New Zealand has brought its AC40 back to life on the Hauraki Gulf. The defending champions have shifted their focus from the workshop to open water, with a structured training block now under way as preparations build toward the 38th America's Cup in Naples.
Kevin Shoebridge, ETNZ's Chief Operating Officer, described the moment as a significant marker for the squad. "It's basically been a year since the last race in Barcelona," he said. "We finally started our sailing programme, which is a great milestone for the team. Although there's a huge amount that goes on behind the scenes… sailing is the reason you do it really. It reinvigorates the place."
The return to water is about more than shaking off rust. Re-establishing crew chemistry, sharpening handling instincts, and gauging how quickly newer members can adapt to high-speed foiling are all central goals of this early phase.
Skipper Nathan Outteridge is running the on-water programme, rotating sailors through multiple positions to build versatility and a shared understanding of the boat across the whole squad. "This block is about getting back into sailing, really," Outteridge said. "Getting used to the AC40s again and giving all the new team members a chance to sail in different positions and start to feel at home."
The crew includes Olympic medallists, youth sailors, and first-time Cup competitors, all working through demanding sessions that mix foil trimming, helming rotations, and rapid decision-making under pressure. Outteridge has been encouraged by what he has seen. "All our new recruits are doing really well," he said. "We're starting to throw the boat around a lot more now, it's starting to feel natural, and everyone's excited to take it to the next level."
Among those back on the water is Jo Aleh, the double Olympic medallist who skippered the team's Puig Women's America's Cup campaign. Back aboard the AC40 for the first time since the Barcelona regatta, she described easing back into the programme with quiet enthusiasm. "It's been pretty cool being a part of this," Aleh said. "It's just the beginning. I need to get a bit more comfy, but I'm looking forward to some more yachting over the next few weeks."
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Aleh's involvement points to something broader happening within the organisation. The line between the main campaign and the Women's and Youth programmes is narrowing, with sailors moving across those boundaries in ways that strengthen the whole group.
Shoebridge confirmed that the team has formalised this approach through a new internship programme, with the first intake already on board. Serena Woodall, Stella Bilger, Aimee Bright, Sofia Higgott, and Helena Sanderson, all promising Kiwi sailors, are now gaining firsthand exposure to the Cup environment at an early stage of the campaign cycle. "It's really exciting to be building that side of things so early on," Shoebridge said. "We've started a pretty strong internship programme as we look to strengthen our Youth and Women's America's Cup groups."
Even as the on-water work continues, thinking has already extended well beyond the AC40. The AC75 design programme is gathering momentum, and ETNZ has its sights firmly on the Naples venue. "It's really now about looking forward to the Cup in Naples and what that means for the AC75," Shoebridge explained. "We're doing the preliminary work now, understanding the class rule, knowing where we can move within that space, and what we can do. Our plan is to be in Naples next year doing some sailing at the venue."
The long period of behind-the-scenes work that followed Barcelona is behind them. With foils back in the air above the Hauraki Gulf and a new generation of sailors getting their first taste of Cup life, Emirates Team New Zealand's campaign for a fourth consecutive America's Cup is moving from intention to action.
