French AC75 first Challenger to arrive in Naples as practice racing begins

La Roche-Posay Racing Team's AC75 was unloaded in Naples on September 24, marking the first arrival of a challenger's AC75 for the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup. The boat will remain in Naples while the team completes shore facilities and continues its sailing program.

How the French project reached this point

The team has been based in Lorient and sailing the Atlantic since late June. During early commissioning they capsized in light air, which set back the program by about a month. They resumed training afterwards and completed six days of training prior to shipping the AC75 to Naples.

The team counts a design partnership with Emirates Team New Zealand alongside an in-house design team. Their AC75 is a repurposed 2024 boat: changes made since the previous Cup include reducing overall weight by 500 kg and replacing all manual power systems with battery-powered systems to pressurise hydraulics. Because La Roche-Posay launched only one racing spar during the 2024 cycle, they are permitted to build a new racing spar for this campaign, a capability not available to most other returning teams.

On-the-water activity in Naples

After the barge delivery, practice racing began on the Bay of Naples using AC40 one-design boats. Nine AC40s took part in three practice races sailed without incident. Luna Rossa, skippered by Peter Burling, won all three races. Luna Rossa previously won the first Preliminary Regatta in Cagliari in May, beating Emirates Team New Zealand.

Racing for the second Preliminary Regatta (PR2) was scheduled to start Friday afternoon and run through Sunday, with the AC40 fleet providing a preview of team crew combinations and boat handling relevant to the AC75 programs.

Where other teams stand on arrival and sailing programs

• Team Australia told Sail-World they will ship their repurposed AC75 directly to Naples and plan to arrive at the end of February, with sailing to commence on March 1.
• Emirates Team New Zealand are expected to arrive later, likely around the same timeframe as Australia.

La Roche-Posay Racing Team remains on Sailing Day 10 of a 55-day sailing quota that runs through January 15, 2027. They will continue their on-water program in Naples once their shore base and team facilities are complete.

What this means for the event

The arrival of the French AC75 establishes Naples as an active base for challenger preparations and provides a local venue for further training and Preliminary Regatta racing. The AC40 fleet races offer immediate, observable data on crew combinations and small-boat handling ahead of full AC75 match racing later in the cycle. Staggered arrivals and ongoing refits or legal matters mean the full AC75 fleet will not be present in Naples at the same time in the near term.