{"id":442928,"date":"2026-05-24T11:58:55","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T11:58:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/442928\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T11:58:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T11:58:55","slug":"ac38-youthful-talent-shines-in-beautiful-sardinia-on-day-two-of-the-preliminary-regatta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/442928\/","title":{"rendered":"[AC38] Youthful talent shines in beautiful Sardinia on Day Two of the Preliminary Regatta"},"content":{"rendered":"

After yesterday\u2019s wind and waves, the sailors in the Louis Vuitton 38th America\u2019s Cup Preliminary Regatta, Sardinia faced a different challenge on a testing racecourse where reading the pressure accurately as it oscillated, faded and built around the course, was everything. With many of the teams coming into the regatta with new combinations and new sailors to the America\u2019s Cup, today there were simply no hiding places and once again the cream rose to the top amidst some thrilling and utterly compelling on-water battles.<\/p>\n

\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n

Overnight leaders Luna Rossa 1 Women & Youth were looking to capitalise on their form of yesterday but struggled in the first race as a poor manoeuvre in the pre-start took them off their foils and the team also reported telemetry issues, leaving them in catch-up mode.<\/p>\n

\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n

Up front however, the powerhouse teams of Luna Rossa 2 with three-time America\u2019s Cup winner Peter Burling as skipper, and Emirates Team New Zealand skippered by Nathan Outteridge had what can only be described as an \u2018arm-wrestle\u2019 of epic proportions. The Kiwis came out on top and took control of their destiny towards the final and followed up with solid results over the next two races to finish in the coveted second place ahead of two more races tomorrow to decide the pairing for the final.<\/p>\n

\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n

The story of the day was Athena Pathway in race two who showed composure and nerves of steel after capitalising on others\u2019 mistakes and then displaying some of the finest front-running to take a 37 second victory \u2013 huge at this level in fully equalised one-design AC40s.<\/p>\n

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\n\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n

Speaking afterwards, 20-year-old Sam Webb who was trimming today, was just buzzing, saying: \u201cI think I was grinning pretty hard after that. Cracking race, and we just sailed well as a team, and the guys did a great job. So yeah, everything came together. It\u2019s a real privilege to sail with all these guys, and great to see the training\u2019s paying off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n

Port Helm Ellie Aldridge, Olympic gold medallist summarised the feeling onboard saying: \u201cIt was definitely conditions where when you\u2019re ahead and you\u2019re able to sail your own race, it felt a lot more comfortable. We tried to sail as well as we could but it was very changeable, but you should\u2019ve seen Sam\u2019s face at the end. He just had the biggest grin!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n

Athena Pathway\u2019s win was a validation of the team\u2019s efforts over the past five years, led by Hannah Mills OBE, and was a hugely popular win in the Race Village in downtown Cagliari.<\/p>\n

\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n

The home favourites however, Luna Rossa used Race 2 to very much come back into the regatta. Marco Gradoni and Margherita Porro brought Luna Rossa 1 home in second place and then won in fine style on the very last leg of Race 3 to seal their place at the top of the leaderboard as the stand-out performers here in Sardinia. They had to work for it with Emirates Team New Zealand 1 pushing hard, and their stablemates Luna Rossa 2 (the principal team) always in the running.<\/p>\n

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Speaking afterwards, Marco Gradoni was eyeing the final with a laser-like focus that belies his 22 years of age, saying: \u201cToday was not an easy day. We managed to do well after the big mistake that we did in the first start. So I\u2019m proud, it was not easy. About the final, I think we still have to do a good race. That\u2019s our goal. We are going to be still focused about the fleet races, and then if we have the chance to win the final, I think we\u2019re going to get ready to perform on the match race.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n

When asked about the pressure he must be feeling sailing against the might of Emirates Team New Zealand, the current Defenders of the America\u2019s Cup, Marco was unequivocal, saying: \u201cI think they are the best in the world, but also us, we are the best in the world. So it\u2019s a war between Titans now. They have a lot of experience. They are by far the best in the game, but we have our chance, we have our skill as a team, and we\u2019re going to prove to them what we are capable of. For us, it\u2019s like a big honour, a lot of pressure, but we love it. I love pressure. I love to have this privilege.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n

Elsewhere it was a tough day at the office for many with plenty of take-aways on a day where the teams used all three of their jib headsails as the breeze built and faded as the expected sea-breeze abated.<\/p>\n

\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n

One of the stand-out performances of the week has come from the Emirates Team New Zealand Women & Youth Team who have consistently been just off the top-three teams but always there at the front of the mid-pack. Skippered by foiling dinghy star Jake Pye with Erica Dawson on co-helm and Olympian Josh Armit and Serena Woodall on trim, the team sit in fourth overall.<\/p>\n

\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n

Speaking after racing, Serena Woodall put their regatta in perspective saying: \u201cWe came into this with no expectations, and it\u2019s all just been about learning every race and growing as a team and doing as well as we can. For us, it\u2019s more about the long term, solidifying some learnings and seeing what we can take forward into the rest of the campaign, and just consistency and getting better race by race.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n

As one of the leading women in the America\u2019s Cup, Serena added: \u201cIt\u2019s an incredible opportunity, and it feels like it\u2019s a really cool transition time in the sport. I guess taking out the physicality aspect of the roles onboard means they can open up to having more females onboard, and that\u2019s not a disadvantage anymore. So I think it\u2019s really about bridging the gap at the moment, and Emirates Team New Zealand\u2019s been doing an awesome job at that and really getting us involved, trying to upskill us as much as possible. So super grateful for the opportunity, and I hope I can solidify it for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n

For La Roche-Posay Racing Team, it was an up and down day where they showed plenty of potential and some flashes of brilliance. Diego Bot\u00edn, Olympic gold medallist, was realistic with how the team was doing, saying: \u201cThe spirit of the team is really good. We have some really good moments, and the reason why is because the team is working properly. We\u2019ve only done under 25 days on the water after today in these boats, so it\u2019s something normal. We\u2019re obviously frustrated because we would like to be higher up in the standings, and we would like not to be making those mistakes, but it\u2019s part of the process, and we\u2019re happy where we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n

Tudor Team Alinghi had a challenging day on the water that even involved a capsize after a mis-communication downwind on a gybe. Phil Robertson, co-helm, summarised the day saying: \u201cWe were fighting the boat all day and just trying to find some solutions to it and to our issues and just couldn\u2019t quite find it. And then as sailors as well, we just really struggled to get in the groove. It was tough all around.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n

For GB1, the Challenger of Record, their day was over before racing began and the team were forced to retire after they lost control of the flap on the port side foil. The team issued a statement saying: \u201cAfter investigation, it was quickly identified that the AC40 race boat was not sailable.\u201d The team hope that their superb shore team will be able to fix the issue overnight to complete the last two fleet races of the series.<\/p>\n

\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n

Sardinia is getting ready for what could be one of the most significant days in modern America\u2019s Cup history with the Women & Youth team of Luna Rossa standing on the cusp of a victory that will stun the sailing world. Emirates Team New Zealand will come out swinging in the first two fleet races, and the final will certainly come down to a very different set of racing skills when the course is cleared of six boats and the final two do battle in a winner-takes-all one-on-one final race to decide the destiny of the first Preliminary Regatta, here in beautiful Sardinia.<\/p>\n

\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n

With fly-bys scheduled just metres off the waterfront at 2pm along the FanZone Lazzaretto and a thriving race village downtown along the Via Roma, Cagliari is the centre of the Cup world. It\u2019s a spectacle that offers something for everyone.<\/p>\n

\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n

Stay tuned, Sunday will be epic.<\/p>\n

\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media
\n\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media
\n\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media
\n\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media
\n\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media
\n\"YouthfulYouthful Talent Shines In Beautiful Sardinia On Day Two Of The Preliminary Regatta. \/\/ Photo credit: Ricardo Pinto \/ America\u2019s Cup Media<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After yesterday\u2019s wind and waves, the sailors in the Louis Vuitton 38th America\u2019s Cup Preliminary Regatta, Sardinia faced…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":442929,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[143331,130466,197967,130469,226256,158761,111,43,139,69,142905],"class_list":["post-442928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-2027-americas-cup","tag-athena-pathway","tag-cagliari","tag-luna-rossa","tag-marco-gradoni","tag-nathan-outteridge","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sailing-yacht"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=442928"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442928\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/442929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=442928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=442928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=442928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}