GB1 battled through a challenging opening day of racing at the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta in Naples, completing both races despite suffering further damage to its AC40.
After two abandoned starts due to insufficient wind, conditions transformed on the Bay of Naples as the breeze built to 14–15 knots, with gusts of up to 18 knots producing fast and physical racing against the backdrop of the city that will host the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup in 2027.
However, shortly after racing got underway, GB1 suffered another setback when the cover plate on its starboard foil arm ripped off.
The issue significantly affected the performance of the British AC40, particularly when sailing on port tack, but helms Dylan Fletcher MBE and Ben Cornish, alongside trimmers Bleddyn Mon and Andrea Tesei, continued racing and completed both races of the day.
Fletcher said: “It was kind of how we expected it today with quite fickle breeze, and we were waiting for that breeze to fill in.
“When it did, unfortunately, the cover plate ripped off our starboard foil. This is our race arm that we put back on after the damage in practice racing, but it was all fixed up.
“It was off for the first race, which is why we were struggling gybing. We had no grip, loads of leeway, were going slow on port, tacking – everything. Everything other than sailing on starboard was terrible.
“When it rains, it pours!”
The latest issue came after an already demanding build-up to the regatta for the Challenger of Record. GB1’s AC40 sustained damage following an incident with a Tudor Team Alinghi chase boat during practice racing earlier in the week, prompting the shore team to work around the clock to repair the boat ahead of racing.
GB1 returned to the water with its repaired race foil arm for Friday’s opening day, only for the cover plate issue to hamper the team once racing began.
Despite the damage, GB1 fought through both races and ended the opening day eighth overall.
Attention now turns to the shore team once again as GB1 works to address the issue ahead of the second day of racing on the Bay of Naples.
With more racing to come and the leaderboard still finely poised, the British Challenger will be looking to reset and fight back as the Preliminary Regatta continues.