America’s Cup: Second AC75 in Naples – Team GB1 gets underway in Bagnoli

Following the French, now the British Team GB1 has reached the next milestone on the road to the 38th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup: its AC75, provisionally nicknamed “RB4”, has arrived at the team’s headquarters in Bagnoli. The foiler arrived there – where most of the team headquarters are currently being built on a vast site – after a three-day road journey covering 800 kilometres.

From northern to southern Italy: British America’s Cup foiler arrives in Naples

The journey began at Persico Marine in northern Italy, where the boat had undergone an extensive refit. “RB4” is the AC75 with which the British team won the challenger series in the 37th America’s Cup and took on New Zealand’s defending champions in the 37th match for the bottomless cup, but lost the tie 2–7. No British team had been so successful in the America’s Cup for 60 years.

Reconfigured for the 38th America’s Cup – in which teams are only permitted to use existing AC75 hulls rather than building new ones – the former “Britannia” is set to make its mark once again in the spring and summer of 2027. Although these boats are familiar, they are now outdated; despite being reused, they will differ significantly from those seen in Barcelona in 2024.

One of the most striking changes is the removal of the four ‘cyclist’ positions on board, from which the athletes used to generate the hydraulic power for the boats. In the 38th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup, the systems will instead be powered by a special battery system storing electrical energy. This reorganisation has resulted in changes to the internal configuration, the hydraulics, the electronics and the control systems.

A boat with a meaningful name: “RB4” is set to shine once again in the 38th America’s Cup

The racing crew will consist of five crew members in the upcoming America’s Cup. In this regard, there must be at least one female sailor taking part. In addition, a guest sailor position has been created, offering a non-team member the opportunity to experience the races live and in action on board.

Following its arrival in Naples, “RB4” will now enter the final phase of outfitting and commissioning at the GB1 base in Bagnoli. Sir Ben Ainslie’s team plans to begin training and testing with the AC75 in the Bay of Naples before the end of 2026. CEO Ian Walker said: “The arrival of the AC75 here in Naples is a significant moment for the team. This boat means a great deal to us.”

"This boat helped us make history in Barcelona." Ian Walker

The two-time Olympic silver medallist in the 470 and Star classes, who also won the 2014/2015 Volvo Ocean Race as skipper of “Azzam” and now leads the British Cup team GB1, went on to say: “What is now arriving in Naples, however, also marks the starting point for the next chapter. The rules for this Cup stipulate that we must reuse the same hull, but extensive developments are being made to the boat as a whole, particularly in the areas of the foils, the systems and the electronics.”

Familiar boats, a new look and a new interior

This means that, from the outside, the boats may look similar to those in the 37th America’s Cup, even though they now – as La Roche-Posay Racing demonstrated earlier this week – sport different colour schemes. Walker is convinced that his team, in collaboration with the specialists at Persico Marine, has done an outstanding job on the refit.

Work continues in Naples with the final phase of the interior fit-out and commissioning. “Getting the boat back in the water before the end of the year will be another important milestone for our team and will mark the start of an incredibly important testing and development phase for us.”

Whilst the British are doing everything they can in Naples to get back to the top with their team and the AC75, there is still no official news back home in the UK regarding a settlement in the dispute over ownership rights to the British yacht. The dispute had already begun during the 37th America’s Cup, following serious previous disagreements, and reached its peak with the public rift between Ben Ainslie and Jim Ratcliffe in January 2025.

Words and deeds: GB1 sets its sights on the 38th America’s Cup

​By January 2025, the men who had once set out together in pursuit of the America’s Cup had gone their separate ways, after Sir Jim Ratcliffe replaced Ben Ainslie as CEO of the Ineos Britannia organisation and sought to pursue his own (now scrapped) plan for the 38th America’s Cup. Ainslie subsequently secured new financial backing from Oakley Capital, amongst others, and is continuing to lead the British campaign as the Challenger of Record under the name GB1 for the 38th America’s Cup.

The British team and its leader, Ben Ainslie played a key role in the reorganisation of the cup and the Establishment of the new overarching management body by the America’s Cup Partnership (ACP) involved. Talks aimed at reaching an agreement between the disputing parties in the struggle over ownership According to several media reports, these began within the team in September.

Ineos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe, one of Britain’s wealthiest men, had supported Ainslie’s Cup campaign from 2018 onwards, funding the team during the 36th and 37th America’s Cup cycles, according to his own statements, with a total of around 350 million pounds. Significant differences of opinion regarding the team’s strategic direction subsequently led to a rift, which is currently being resolved behind the scenes.

GB1 makes its mark in Bagnoli

GB1, led by Sir Ben Ainslie – the most successful Olympic sailor in sporting history with four gold medals – certainly has no shortage of drive. Whilst construction work is progressing on the vast Cup site in Bagnoli, the new team headquarters – already built – stands out brilliantly not far from the French camp, whilst other base camps are still under construction.

A common sight in Bagnoli at the moment is water-sprinkler lorries combating the dust on and around the large construction site. This dust is expected to be brought under control as quickly as possible when working with high-tech boats.

Here’s a brief look at the journey and the arrival of “RB4” in Naples: