GB1’s preparation for the America’s Cup preliminary regatta in Naples was interrupted by an incident that damaged the British team’s AC40. Starboard helm Dylan Fletcher suffered a minor facial injury.
A Tudor Team Alinghi chase boat was involved while GB1 was approaching its first practice-race start on the Bay of Naples. The sailors on the British yacht and the personnel on the chase boat were all reported safe.
The AC40 was brought ashore so GB1 could assess the damage. Work on its foil arm continued, and the team planned to use a spare supplied by Tudor Team Alinghi when returning to the water on Wednesday.
Naples racing starts on 25 September
The incident came immediately before the second preliminary regatta of the 38th America’s Cup. The Naples event is scheduled for 24–27 September 2026, with racing beginning on 25 September.
Race days are 25 and 26 September, with three races scheduled each afternoon. The event is scheduled to include eight fleet races before the two leading teams contest a winner-takes-all match-race final on 27 September.
| Date | Scheduled activity |
|---|---|
| 25 September | Three fleet races scheduled |
| 26 September | Three fleet races scheduled |
| 27 September | Match-race final for the leading two teams after the fleet programme |
Fletcher’s facial injury was described as minor. GB1 was assessing the extent of the damage after taking the AC40 ashore, while a replacement foil arm had been made available for the planned return to the water.
Fletcher named in Athena Racing line-up
Fletcher and Ben Cornish were listed as helms for one of Athena Racing’s two published Naples entries. Bleddyn Mon and Andrea Tesei were named as the trimmers in the same four-person crew.
The other listed Athena Racing crew has Hannah Mills and Ellie Aldridge as helms, with Sam Webb and Matt Beck as trimmers. Teams are allowed to enter two boats, with the second boat required to be crewed by youth and women sailors.
| Athena Racing entry | Helms | Trimmers |
|---|---|---|
| Listed crew one | Dylan Fletcher, Ben Cornish | Bleddyn Mon, Andrea Tesei |
| Listed crew two | Hannah Mills, Ellie Aldridge | Sam Webb, Matt Beck |
An AC40 has a helm and a trimmer on each side of the boat. An AC75 keeps those positions and adds a fifth crew place and a sixth passenger place. The preliminary regattas use AC40 yachts before the competition moves into its AC75 phase in May 2027. Athena Racing is the British Challenger of Record for the 38th America’s Cup, while Emirates Team New Zealand is the defender.
The published America’s Cup entry list also identifies Luna Rossa, Tudor Team Alinghi, La Roche-Posay Racing Team, American Racing Challenger Team USA and Team Australia as challengers. The Naples roster lists entries from all of those teams except Team Australia.
ARC Team USA is due to race its rivals for the first time in Naples after a final tryout session in the city. Its four-person crew is listed as helms Lucas Calabrese and Harry Melges IV, with Hans Henken and Michael Menninger as trimmers. Riley Gibbs is the reserve.
Second preliminary event of 2026
Naples follows the preliminary regatta scheduled in Cagliari from 22 to 24 May 2026. The America’s Cup protocol set an intention to stage as many preliminary regattas as possible, with up to three during 2026 and another possible event in early 2027.
The initial entry period for the 38th America’s Cup closed on 31 October 2025, with late entries considered until 31 March 2026. Cagliari and Naples were the two preliminary regattas revealed in the published calendar.
The teams are racing AC40 yachts before moving into the AC75 phase in May 2027. Challenger racing for the 38th America’s Cup is scheduled from 22 May to 4 July 2027, followed by the America’s Cup Match from 10 to 19 July.
For GB1, the immediate task is the AC40 assessment and foil-arm work before the fleet programme. Repairs to the British team’s own foil arm remained ongoing as it prepared for the Naples regatta.