Blair Tuke will not be aboard Taihoro when Emirates Team New Zealand take to the water at next week's America's Cup preliminary regatta in Cagliari, Sardinia. The three-time Cup winner has moved out of the sailing crew and into an executive and strategic role, directing his energy toward the AC75's speed development and the wider performance of the sailing team as the defenders shape their campaign ahead of Naples 2027.
The shift had been quietly anticipated since skipper Peter Burling's acrimonious departure from the team in April 2025. Burling subsequently signed with Italian rivals Luna Rossa, and with Tuke now also off the boat, the changing of the guard is complete. Together, the pair won the America's Cup three times, in Bermuda, Auckland and Barcelona, forging one of the most dominant partnerships the sport has seen.
Tuke has approached the transition with characteristic composure. "From a personal perspective, I am really excited by the challenge of transitioning into another phase of my career within a team I have had such success with," he said. "The team as a whole is under no illusions as to how tough a fourth straight defence will be, so playing my part and utilising my experience will hopefully continue to contribute to its ongoing success."
On his personal Facebook page he offered a warmer note: "I'll be continuing to work closely with the design and sailing teams to ensure we have the fastest possible boat and strongest sailing team to lift the cup for the fourth time."
The trimming berth Tuke has vacated on Taihoro goes, at least for Cagliari, to Australian recruit Iain Jensen. Jensen brings a strong record with him, including Olympic campaigns and a SailGP season championship with Great Britain, and will race alongside confirmed trimmer Andy Maloney as part of the senior crew. His showing in the AC40 fleet races will carry considerable weight in determining whether he holds the seat through to Naples. Should he do so, he will have claimed one of the most coveted positions in Cup racing.
Helm duties on the senior boat are shared between skipper Nathan Outteridge and 20-year-old Seb Menzies, a combination that has been building time together through the Auckland summer. Outteridge is clear-eyed about what the regatta demands. "Having two boats on the start line allows us to push our internal standards higher than ever," he said. "Our goal is to stay clean through the fleet races and ensure we are at least one of the two boats standing for the match race final."
The team's second entry at Cagliari draws from the Women & Youth programme, with Erica Dawson and Jake Pye co-helming and Serena Woodall and Josh Armit trimming. Dawson was direct about the crew's intentions. "We aren't just here to fill a spot on the grid; we are here to challenge the fleet and prove the strength of the New Zealand programme."
The eight-boat fleet includes dual entries from GB1 and Luna Rossa alongside single entries from Alinghi and French challengers La Roche-Posay. Burling will not be racing for Luna Rossa at this stage, though a meeting between him and his former team remains only a matter of time before the campaign is over.
For Emirates Team New Zealand, Cagliari is the first on-water test of a squad being rebuilt around new crew combinations. Tuke's decision to remain within the organisation rather than walk away entirely keeps hard-won experience inside the camp at precisely the moment the team faces its toughest defence yet. A fourth consecutive America's Cup win has never been achieved in the modern era. That is the target.
