Alinghi: Solid finish

After a difficult Saturday affected by technical issues and challenging conditions, the Swiss crew responded with a stronger display on Sunday, highlighted by a fourth-place finish in the regatta’s final fleet race, narrowly missing out on third in a photo finish with GB1, as Luna Rossa claimed the race win.

Over the weekend, Team Alinghi opened the regatta with a third-place finish in Race 1 and closed it with one of its cleanest races of the event, despite an overall sixth-place finish that did not fully reflect the progress shown.

In the regatta’s concluding match-race final, Luna Rossa defeated Emirates Team New Zealand to claim victory in the first Preliminary Regatta of the 38th America’s Cup cycle.

Now everyone in the team knows what needs to be done before attention turns to the second Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta in Naples from September 24–27, 2026, with foundations beginning to take shape within the new sailing group and wider programme.

Paul Goodison, Skipper and Starboard Helm, said: 

“Today was a much better day. We perhaps tacked a little too early in the first race, but we were still in it. Although it felt like we were a bit slow, communication on board was much better, and we tried to execute a lot of things that we wanted to improve.”

“Thanks again to the shore crew who worked hard overnight to get the autopilot working. We’re well aware of how much work we still have to do, but it was good to finish the regatta moving in the right direction.”

Phil Robertson, Port Helm, echoed those thoughts: 

“It's always nice to finish an event with a good final race. In terms of how we sailed the boat around the track, that was probably our best one. There are a lot of positives to take away from that. Being at the front is always what you want, and we were certainly doing that in the last race. It's much nicer to be at the front than at the back.”

Pietro Sibello, Port Trimmer, highlighted the improved cohesion within the crew during the final race of the regatta:  

“In the first race, we didn’t get the best out of the boat. But between races, we came together and spoke about our goals, how we wanted to manage the wind, the boat trim and our tactics. I felt we were a really united crew in that final race, and it was great to finish the regatta that way.”