It is now just three short months until racing starts, and if ever there was a moment to seize, the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta Sardinia is it for the Women & Youth sailors who will contest the fleet racing alongside the ‘primary’ teams.

Sardinia is expected to host at least eight AC40s in the fleet, as at the time of writing, with the likes of Emirates Team New Zealand, GB1 and Luna Rossa bringing a full squad to Cagliari including their Women and Youth sailors who will be eager to shine.

On-water training has been intense in recent months for both Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa, bedding in their new talent that will for sure be contesting the America’s Cup in years to come.

The Kiwis brought in the likes of Josh Armit, Jake Pye and Seb Menzies whilst Jo Aleh, a gold and silver medallist at the Olympic Games is leading the charge for the women’s spot on the AC75. Jo will almost certainly be the skipper of the Women & Youth team for Emirates Team New Zealand in Sardinia and is a tough competitor, respected globally. Can Jo win? For sure.

Luna Rossa has talent all through their team with 21-year-old Marco Gradoni a possibility to lead the Women & Youth team alongside Margherita Porro. That’s an incredible combination, and for sure Marco and Margherita will be looking at the fleet and eyeing glory. Race wins, perhaps even an overall win, would send shockwaves through Italian sailing and strike fear into the established team players within Luna Rossa.

For the Challenger of Record, GB1, the British will field two teams with Hannah Mills expected to skipper the Women & Youth team. The most decorated female Olympic sailor of all time, Hannah is known to be rapid in the AC40s and has been fielding next generation candidates through her role as the CEO of Athena Pathway.

Ellie Aldridge is a confirmed team member of Athena Pathway, and as an Olympic gold medallist in the Kite Foils she brings unbelievable, raw foiling talent to the team.

In Barcelona in the Women's America's Cup, where they finished a very close runner-up after a thrilling final, Hannah's co-helm back then was Tash Bryant, and with time tight - just three months to go - Tash could be an option for the Challenger of Record's Women & Youth team.

If so, a great story is in the pipeline around GB1 but the exact make up of the Youth sailors is an unknown at the moment with trials ongoing for Athena Pathway and we can expect to hear announcements in the coming weeks as the team settles. 

For K-Challenge, the French are expected to only field one AC40 for the regatta where we could see the mercurial 24-year-old Enzo Balanger in the helming seat, alongside Quentin Delapierre. Trim is likely to be Jason Saunders and possibly Timothé Lapauw whilst Manon Audinet could also make a charge to the team in a trim position.

For sure, Manon will be a prime candidate for the K-Challenge AC75 team in Naples in 2027 as one of the brightest women sailors in the world today.

The exact make-up of Tudor Team Alinghi is the subject of much speculation but for Sardinia the team have indicated that one boat will be racing. At this point the only confirmed signing on the sailor side is that of Nicolas Rolaz so we can expect a flurry of announcements from the Swiss in the coming weeks as they hire serious talent both homegrown and international.

There is so much talent coming through the various team pathways into the America’s Cup at the moment and the far-sighted decision to allow for second boats crewed by a combination of Women & Youth sailors affords a rare opportunity to upset the established order. It’s a great story waiting to be told. Who is going to seize the moment and steal the headlines?

Sardinia – three months to go - set your calendars, you don’t want to miss it!