The decision has been taken to race in Naples with hulls from the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup (or modified from the 2021, AC36 versions). In addition, a strict criteria has been implemented with regards to componentry whilst radically changing the internal structure of the yachts by eliminating cyclors in favour of stored energy. What was recognised in detailed analysis was that the hulls themselves represented only minimal advantages, barely recognisable in practice. Furthermore, active cost containment measures in terms of overall team budgets has been laid out in the AC38 Protocol.

Speaking about the Class Rules and Technical Regulations, Dan Bernasconi the Chief Designer of Emirates Team New Zealand and one of the key architects of the rules alongside Athena Pathway’s Nick Holroyd, commented :

“We, as a collective between Defender and Challenger of Record, analysed all of the hull shapes used in Barcelona at AC37 and recognised that the speed differences purely of the hulls were minimal. All of the gains were in foils and systems ; therefore it made absolute sense to concentrate design time into those areas of development and re-use the hulls. Another big change will come in the electronic management systems, now that cyclors have been outlawed, but the result will be even closer racing and a sustainable event overall.”

The teams will now start work on adapting their AC75s ahead of launch, and in the meantime much training will be concentrated on the AC40 class where teams may use two boats with an eye on the initial three Preliminary Regattas planned for 2026. During those regattas, teams may enter two boats, one of which fields a mix of Youth and Women sailors as set out in the Protocol.

Arguably the headline change is that at least one female athlete is required to be in the five-strong sailing team, and the addition of a fifth active crew-member means greater emphasis on race strategy, positional sailing on the racecourse and bigger picture discussions amongst the teams. The move aligns and brings closer the Women’s America’s Cup Teams of each syndicate as rotation is inevitable, and a deep pool of talent will be required for the length of the campaign from now to Naples in 2027.

Furthermore, the introduction of a ‘Guest Racer’ position on the AC75s whilst racing is a re-kindling of a programme not seen since Valencia in 2007, opening up the pinnacle event in world sailing, the America’s Cup, to the widest audience.

Key points of the new Class Rules and Technical Regulations :

AC75 CLASS RULES

• Each AC75 will have five dedicated crew members with at least one female sailor required to be onboard as part of the crew.
• A ‘Guest Racer’ cockpit will be implemented, allowing for a non-team member to sail onboard an AC75 during racing – truly the most coveted seat in sailing and a first since the ‘18th person’ guest place used last in the 2007 America’s Cup on the IACC Version 5 boats in Valencia.
• Joint Recon is back with self-declared Observation Days for each competitor. One Design AC40 training is not expected to be covered, but once the AC75s can return to the water from January 15th 2026, the recon programme will be in full swing.
• eChase boats powered by batteries, hydrogen or biofuels to be used by all teams, with a minimum length overall of 10m, a minimum top speed of 35 knots and a range capability of 75 nautical miles.
• The specification of a one‐design battery unit that will, when combined, form the primary battery bank that will control all moveable parts on the AC75 will be published in due course.