A collision and overnight repairs grabbed the headlines for GB1 at the second Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta in Naples. But the team left Italy encouraged by signs of progress as attention now turns to the AC75 campaign and the road to the 38th America’s Cup.
Naples hosted the second Preliminary Regatta on the journey towards the 38th America’s Cup, with teams gathering to race one-design AC40s and continue their preparations for the competition ahead.
For GB1 and GB2, it was the first time both squads had come together in Naples, bringing an opportunity to train and race alongside one another in a highly competitive fleet.
"It's the first time that the whole team, GB1 and GB2, have been here together," said Ellie Aldridge. "We're just excited to get back racing."
The regatta represented the final chance for teams to sharpen their racing before attention shifts increasingly towards the AC75 programme and next year's competition.
Early Promise Ends in Costly Collision
The week began positively, with sailors getting reacquainted with the AC40 and familiarising themselves with the Bay of Naples racecourse.
"It was really good to be back reunited with the team," said Ben Cornish. "It's been a while since we've been sailing the AC40, so it was good for us to shake off the rust and have a first look at the racecourse we'll be racing on this weekend."
However, disaster struck just minutes before GB1's first practice race when the team's AC40 collided with an Alinghi chase boat during pre-start manoeuvres.
The impact caused significant damage to the yacht's starboard foil arm and immediately ended preparations for the day.
"Prior to the first practice race, about three minutes to go, we had a collision with a chase boat," explained Dylan Fletcher.
Despite the force of the impact, all sailors and support crew escaped serious injury.
"No one ever said the America's Cup was going to be easy," reflected Ian Walker. "The good news is there were no casualties. Dylan had a minor bang to the face, but nobody was really hurt."
The incident left the shore team facing a long night of repairs as they worked to get the boat ready for racing.
Overnight Repairs and New Challenges
After extensive work from engineers and technicians, GB1 returned to the racecourse for the opening day of competition.
But fresh problems soon emerged.
Following an eighth-place finish in the opening race, the team discovered damage to the starboard foil assembly, with a cover plate missing from the foil arm.
The issue significantly affected boat handling and performance.
"The boat felt pretty bad," said Ben Cornish. "Really unstable, with strange loads on that starboard foil. It was really difficult to race around other boats."
Andrea Tesei explained the technical impact of the damage.
"We lost the cover of our starboard foil, which covers all the hydraulics and sensors. It slows you down, affects the water flow across the foil and makes it very hard to manoeuvre and keep the boat under control."
With another repair job awaiting them, the shore team once again worked late into the night to ensure GB1 could continue competing.
GB2 Shows Competitive Pace
While GB1 dealt with technical challenges, GB2 delivered encouraging performances throughout the event.
The squad opened the regatta with a strong third-place finish and continued to demonstrate competitive speed despite a dramatic near-collision during one race.
"We had a great day yesterday," said Sam Webb. "Only a couple of races, but two good races in terms of how we're sailing the boat."
The incident served as another reminder of how tightly contested modern AC40 racing has become, with margins measured in metres, and sometimes inches.
Fighting Back Through the Fleet
Saturday brought signs of recovery for GB1.
The team opened the day with a third-place finish before producing some of their most competitive racing of the regatta.
A dramatic fleet race saw GB1 and GB2 battling alongside Luna Rossa and the wider fleet in one of the busiest mark roundings of the weekend.
"As close as you want to put these boats together," said Ben Cornish. "Everyone arrived at that top gate at pretty much the exact same time."
Despite penalties and difficult racing situations, GB1 fought back from ninth place in one race to finish sixth, before ending the day with a fourth-place result.
The performances provided evidence that the pace was improving, even if the overall standings failed to reflect the team's potential.
Looking Towards the AC75
Sunday delivered GB1's most consistent racing of the event, with fourth-place finishes in both remaining fleet races lifting the team to eighth overall, just two points behind fourth place.
For many within the squad, that made the earlier foil damage all the more frustrating.
"We're a totally different team to the last preliminary regatta," said Hannah Mills. "That's great, but it's even more frustrating when it's not showing up in the results. But we're close."
Bleddyn Mon echoed those feelings, believing the team's true potential was never fully displayed during the regatta.
"We feel that we haven't been able to show our full potential as a squad in the AC40s," they said. "We were hoping to come back this week and show everybody what we're able to achieve."
With the AC40 campaign now complete, focus shifts firmly towards the bigger challenge ahead.
"It certainly feels like a chapter closed with the end of racing in the AC40s," said Dylan Fletcher. "Next time we'll be out in the big boat, where the real business happens."
While Naples did not deliver the results either GB1 or GB2 were hoping for, the regatta offered valuable lessons and further development opportunities as both squads continue building towards the 38th America's Cup.
As Ben Ainslie concluded: "We've got a great squad and great coaches. We've got a lot of work to do, but we're confident we'll get on top of it for racing next year."
Watch the Full Episode
Challengers Episode 9 | Naples Preliminary Regatta
[EMBED VIDEO HERE]
Watch the latest episode of Challengers as GB1 and GB2 take on the Naples Preliminary Regatta, featuring behind-the-scenes access, onboard race action and exclusive team interviews.