Australia is back in the America's Cup. After a 26-year absence from the oldest trophy in international sport, the Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club has formally lodged a challenge for the 38th edition of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup, due to be sailed in Naples in 2027.
The Sydney-based club's challenge, accepted in principle by Cup organisers, makes Team Australia the sixth confirmed challenger for the regatta, joining entries from Italy, Switzerland, Britain, the United States and France in pursuit of defender Emirates Team New Zealand.
Backing the project are businessman John Winning and his family, who supported Australia's Youth and Women's America's Cup entries in 2024. The challenge will be skippered out of Sydney Harbour and built around a refurbished Te Rehutai, the AC75 New Zealand sailed to victory in Auckland in 2021.
Grant Simmer, who returns to the campaign trail as Chief Executive Officer after a career that includes a winning role on the 1983 Australia II crew, did not hide his emotion at the announcement.
"For me, this campaign is both deeply personal and incredibly exciting," Simmer said.
He spelled out his brief in simple terms. "My job is to pull together a good team and create a culture in that team," he said, before noting the time pressure of a challenge launched barely two years out from racing. "The nice thing about tight on time and a pretty tight on budget – tight but adequate – is that you don't waste time on science projects!"
Heading the sailing operation is two-time World Sailor of the Year Tom Slingsby, the Olympic gold medallist and SailGP champion whose Bonds Flying Roos lead the global league. Slingsby will function as co-helmsman alongside his coaching and leadership duties.
"The opportunity to represent Australia in the America's Cup with an Australian team is something that genuinely means a lot to me," Slingsby said.
He stretched the timeline of the dream back two decades. "I remember us saying 'One day we'll get our shot' and it's been almost 20 years since then, but here we are!"
Three-time Cup winner Glenn Ashby leads the Performance and Design portfolio and will work in partnership with Emirates Team New Zealand on boat upgrades. The collaboration is the spine of the campaign: Australia gets a known-winning hull, New Zealand gains a developmental partner and Naples gets a fuller fleet.
"For more than half my sailing career I have had a dream to see an Australian team return to the pinnacle event," Ashby said. "One of the strengths of our country is that we're happy to lean in, swing hard and have a go!"
Cup chairman Grant Dalton, head of Emirates Team New Zealand, welcomed the entry from across the Tasman.
"History tells us that antipodean sailing has a habit of turning out the very best," Dalton said.
America's Cup Partnership CEO Marzio Perrelli echoed the sentiment. "Having Australia back in the America's Cup is something to be celebrated," Perrelli said.
The 38th America's Cup match is scheduled for July 10 to 18, 2027, with preliminary regattas and challenger selection events through the European spring. For Australia, the wait — from Young Australia in 2000, when a 20-year-old Jimmy Spithill steered the country's last bid — is finally over.
