Team Australia have unveiled an elite Australian sailing team featuring Olympic medalists, America’s Cup winners, world champions and SailGP champions to spearhead the nation’s return to the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup in Naples in 2027.
Led by Head of Sailing Tom Slingsby OAM, the seven-strong team comprises: Jason Waterhouse, Tom Needham, Kinley Fowler, Tash Bryant, Sam Newton and Luke Parkinson.
The announcement follows a week-long simulator training block on Sydney’s Northern Beaches in August. The sailors tested crew combinations, communication systems and race scenarios while developing the shared decision-making required to race an AC75.
Officially the sixth challenger for the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup in Naples, the Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club officially announced their challenge in May 2026.
Backed by John Winning jr and family, the campaign is led by Chief Executive Officer Grant Simmer, famously a member of the winning ‘Australia II’ campaign in 1983 that ended the New York Yacht Club’s 132-year winning streak, alongside Slingsby and three-time America’s Cup winner Glenn Ashby, Head of Performance and Design.
The 38th America’s Cup Match begins over the weekend of the 10-11 July 2027. But the qualification event, the Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Selection Series, begins 22 May 2027. So time is of the essence to have any realistic chance of having a competitive boat.
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