After the entry arrived in extremis of American Racing led by Ken Read, , the America’s Cup could soon welcome another challenger. The rumor, which started in Australia and reached as far as the Gulf of Naples, was revived by The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, according to which the possibility of a return of the “kangaroos” to the top sailing competition, the first since Young Australia in 2000, would be increasingly concrete.
The project and possible players
Underlying the initiative would be the financial support of John Winning Jr, an Australian entrepreneur active in the home appliance industry and CEO of the Winning Group, as well as a passionate sailor. He would be the one to put on the table the resources needed to bring Australia back to the top of the America’s Cup. A central figure in the project would then be Tom Slingsby, a multiple medal-winning sailor and former leader of the Australian team in the SailGP circuit.
Australia, moreover, has already returned to the America’s Cup world in 2024, during the 37th edition in Barcelona, with Andoo Team Australia engaged in the Youth America’s Cup and the first Women’s America’s Cup. These very experiences could be a first step toward a return to the main challenge with the AC75 foiling. A country that has written important pages of the competition, starting with the historic 1983 victory that ended U.S. dominance.
The boat problem and the tight schedule
However, the main issue remains the technical one. The current regulations do not allow the design of new AC75s: teams must use boats already used in the previous edition. A rookie team can then either purchase a used hull or take over a design from an existing team.
At present, however, the only team from the last edition to have withdrawn is American Magic, whose hull was acquired by Ken Read’s own team. As a result, the options on the market are virtually nil, except by resorting to boats from the Auckland edition, which are now heavier and less advanced in design. Making an AC75 from an acquired design would also mean facing very short construction times, considering that the next America’s Cup is just over a year away.
So it remains to be seen whether the possible Australian team will really become a reality or whether this is yet another rumor that accompanies, as it often does, the approach to the America’s Cup.
