La Roche-Posay Racing Team's sailing crew touched down in Naples on Tuesday, moving into what will now be their base for the coming months as the French syndicate builds towards the 38th America's Cup in 2027.
The timing is tight. The second Preliminary Regatta runs from 24 to 27 September, leaving the team just four days to sharpen up on the AC40 in the waters off Naples before racing begins.
Helmsman Diego Botín, who shares the wheel with Quentin Delapierre, is seeing the city for the first time. He's also returning to a boat he only started sailing this season.
Asked about his first impressions of the racecourse, Botín didn't hold back. "It was a really good first day. The sailing conditions here are incredible and I was particularly impressed by the racecourse," he said.
There's more to Naples than raw pace, according to the Spaniard. "There is a lot to play with in terms of the wind, which means the racing will not simply be about outright speed. You will also need to make the most of the conditions and the shifts in the breeze. That is what makes this racecourse so interesting."
Botín has spent recent weeks focused on the AC75, so climbing back aboard the smaller AC40 required something of a reset. "It had been a while since we last sailed the AC40, so these next few days are important for us to get back into the boat and rediscover the feeling on board," he said. "For me, it is still a relatively new boat, as I had never sailed an AC40 before this year. So every opportunity to get back on board is valuable and gives me the chance to keep learning."
He won't be doing it alone on the water. Emirates Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa and Alinghi are all training in Naples over the same period.
"It is a very good opportunity for us to keep preparing ahead of the regatta and to build more time on the water at the actual competition venue," Botín said.
Naples itself is a departure from the European bases the team is used to. "It is my first time sailing in Naples. It is very hot and the environment feels quite different from other European cities we are used to, but we will adapt quickly," he said.
There's a sense of arrival about it all, too. "Most importantly, we have now arrived at the place where we will be based and preparing all the way through to the America's Cup next year. So this is an important new chapter for the whole team."
Still, Botín's verdict after day one was straightforward. "And after this first day on the water, I can already say that the sailing conditions here are really impressive."
