Racing is underway in the Gulf of Naples for the second preliminary regatta of the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup, with Tudor Team Alinghi skipper Paul Goodison fronting this morning's official press conference ahead of this afternoon's opening practice sessions.
Nine AC40s will line up for three days of racing, from 25 to 27 September, as all seven America's Cup teams work through a full series of fleet races. The final day's match race is winner-takes-all, so there's no easing into things. Competition will be sharp from the first gun.
For Goodison, this regatta is a chance to bank more racing hours in a boat that's still finding its final form.
"The team has been working incredibly hard on the shore side, and the boat is becoming more reliable and faster every day," Goodison said. "We've had two really productive training sessions here in Naples to help us get used to the conditions. The team has grown quite quickly over the past two weeks. We are excited to get back to racing again."
Kiwi sailor Phil Robertson lines up on port helm for Tudor Team Alinghi. He's been with the team since 2024, alongside Swiss trimmer Nicolas Rolaz, who takes the starboard trim, and Italian Pietro Sibello on port trim. Goodison, a three-time America's Cup competitor, takes the starboard helm and skipper's role.
The Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup Naples Preliminary Regatta runs from Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 September 2026, with racing kicking off each afternoon at 2pm CEST.
Thursday is set aside for official practice and the opening ceremony. From there, the fleet contests eight scheduled races across Friday, Saturday and Sunday: three races on each of the first two days and two on the Sunday. Once those eight fleet races are tallied, the top two boats on the leaderboard advance straight into a single winner-take-all match race to close out the regatta.
Race Day 1 falls on Friday 25 September, 2pm to 4pm CEST, Races 1 to 3. Race Day 2 is Saturday 26 September, same window, Races 4 to 6. Race Day 3, Sunday 27 September, brings Races 7 and 8, followed immediately by the match-race final.
For those not in the Gulf of Naples themselves, racing streams live on the America's Cup YouTube channel.
Tudor Team Alinghi's line-up for Naples: Paul Goodison (1977, GBR), Skipper and Starboard Helm; Phil Robertson (1987, NZL), Port Helm; Nicolas Rolaz (1999, SUI), Starboard Trimmer; Pietro Sibello (1979, ITA), Port Trimmer.
