America's Cup: new Protocol signed, limit 2 foreigners per boat

For the America's Cup, the night of 12 August was very important: while keyboard sailors and winch sailors were desperately searching for the right wind in a difficult Mediterranean, where every day there is a gale warning whether it is Mistral or Meltemi, Team New Zealand strongman Grant Dalton and the strongest Olympic sailor, Sir Ben Ainslie Ceo of Athena Racing representing the Challenger of Record presented the new Protocol that will govern edition number 38 of the event but also 39.

In reality, it is a revolution, it is a heavy hand of professional sailors on the most important circuit in sailing, which is being uprooted, or almost eradicated, from its legendary and unjust historical core values. In short, that fire that had long been smouldering under the embers becomes a reality and the attempt to make it 'the Grande Boucle' of sailing begins. The quotation is not accidental, the Tour de France was the first great example of a sporting event also built on marketing motives, where Alain Delon used to walk between the cyclists' vegetal-massaged legs. But the sweat on the Col Ventoux has always remained. One of the novelties of the new protocol is that on board the mighty AC 75 there will only be helmsmen, tacticians, tailers. No more muscles, no more cyclors and grinders who have written so many romantic pages of sailing in boats and on land. The myth of Formula One will fascinate sailing, only people in helmets, who reason at the speed of light. Only five people will be on board, including one woman and two sailors of challenging club nationality and two of 'free' nationality: the news here is that Peter Burling can helm Luna Rossa. The sixth place is reserved for a guest who is defined as a VIP, but also an influencer symptomatic of social obedience.

It's back to the 2007 Cup with a guest sitting aft, it would be better to say tied up. A step towards the Show Cup. But the important novelties are above all others. The Cup will be held every two years 'to ensure continuity for the show and for the sponsors' investments,' says Grant Dalton, who adds, 'which is why we are working on the 2029 edition. What is being worked on is the 'collective' management of the Cup's assets, with a body that will be called the ACP America's Cup Partnership with an independent CEO. Less freedom for the Defenders, more participation of the challengers especially in what will be profit-sharing. But will there be profits? Formula One has an established audience and can sell the rights, the America's Cup must 'buy' the audience. Finally, there is the not casual question of the boats: those of the Barcelona Cup will remain, obviously with modifications, the cyclors gone and replaced by batteries that will give the same, not infinite power, but new boats cannot be built with the idea of stopping the budget at 75 million to attract more challengers.

Perhaps there will be one more than in Barcelona, perhaps Italian. Mind you, it must be repeated: the challenger unions will only be able to use the boats of the last edition, there will be no design as far as the hulls are concerned, except for the traditional 'percentage' of modification allowed. It is taken for granted that the great technological evolution will take place on the foils, in the control software, in the sails. The unions will be able to sell and thus exchange technology among themselves. But usually those who 'go big' are careful to share fresh, new and useful technology. This protocol is clearly written by several hands, to meet an infinite number of needs and 'egos', a sort of political work à la Giulio Andreotti with a Cencelli manual. Once the initial doubts have passed, especially with respect to the correspondence with the Deed of Gift in the fundamental decisions assigned to Defender and Challenger, it could truly be a re-foundation for the America's Cup. It is known that a central role in the negotiations was played by American Magic and Alinghi, allied for different objectives, for the Americans the professional circuit for the Swiss the possibility of having foreigners on board to race the boat. And Luna Rossa? For her, not being able to spend is a limitation, from the construction of a new boat she would have been advantaged, however it will be a big advantage to have Peter Burling recently joined the team as a coach under the old nationality rule and now a "potential" starting helmsman.

The spectacle begins in 2026 with three events, one event in 2027 and the Cup scheduled for July 2027 in Naples, Italy, where work begins. Also on the menu for the Louis Vuitton Cup, challenger selection regatta, are fleet races, i.e. regattas where all challengers are engaged together and not in one-on-one races. The Youth America's Cup and Women America's Cup events remain.