It’s often said that continuity is the key to winning the America’s Cup – keeping the same team together from one cycle to the next, to move forward together. So, it’s great to see another of the Louis Vuitton Cup-winning crew re-signing for AC38. Welcome back to Ben Cornish for his third campaign.
“I joined the America's Cup after finishing up as a Finn sailor just ahead of AC36, which we raced out in New Zealand in 2021. That was the first introduction to it all for me. Coming from the Finn, Ben [Ainslie] and Giles [Scott] were the network that got me into it. I subsequently sailed in the most recent cycle in Barcelona in 2024, and now back for the third time round,” explained Cornish.
“The America's Cup is really unique in the way that it's such a technical project. The development and the tweakiness of it is really what interests me. There's not really anything else out there that compares to these projects, and how much effort goes into getting a fast boat on the start line.
“Obviously, this time around, it's a shorter cycle, so it’s all going to happen a lot quicker, but there’s still the same level of work and excitement in the project. Normally, when you sign, we're looking at something that's four years away. Whereas we're already at the business end of it now, not even 18 months out, and this one will be done and dusted.
“The excitement for me this time round is that it's also a condensed team compared to what we've had in the past. It means that people have to step up and do more, especially in our sailing team. It's going to be a small squad. The last time round, I was essentially a cyclor but also had opportunities as a helm in the AC40s, in the test boat. This time we've lost the human power element, but for me, it's a big opportunity to progress more in the other roles on the boat.
“In my first two America's Cups, I was, a grinder, then a cyclor. It was a lot of training, and then extremely enjoyable in the racing. All the hard work that went into it paid dividends at the end. It was quite a unique experience, but at the same time, I was always conscious that I didn’t want to end up in a pigeonhole.
“So, for me, helming in the two-boating last time round was massive, keeping your hand in with those skills to be able to step into the other roles. And it was a unique opportunity -- the only time we’ve had it across the last four or eight years -- to be able to race in-house. It wasn't a huge period of time that we had, but the lessons we learned and how we developed really paid dividends in how that campaign played out.”
The previous campaign saw a remarkable, fast-track improvement for the team through the racing period, ending in a very sweet spot. “If we take the boat from last time, being able to push it to such levels was incredible. I think if you get to the point where you're comfortable bearing away at 55 knots with it all feeling under control, I think you've got quite a nice bit of equipment under you.
“We got so comfortable with that boat and what it was capable of, especially in those sea states. When we first looked at Barcelona as a venue, we were talking about weather studies with one and a half meter waves, after only having ever sailed the AC75 in pan-flat water in New Zealand. So, it was probably the biggest thing that we managed to overcome.
“This time, I really think Naples will deliver an atmosphere. Even in Barcelona, we saw how passionate the fans of Luna Rosa are, so I can't even begin to imagine how full on that will be.
“In terms of a sailing venue, the conditions might be quite different to Barcelona and given how capable these boats are now getting, I think the racing should be pretty exciting. Certainly, the fleet racing will be a spectacle. I think that's probably what people are dying to see; the boats are incredible machines and racking them up on a start line isn’t something we have seen in the sport before.”
At the end of the day, though, it’s really all about one thing. “The biggest motivation for me with the America's Cup is the history, the fact that we've never won it as a country, that's the thing that makes me want to do it; to make that slice of history.”