Mark Orams: AUT Sailing Professor on the next America's Cup being hosted in Italy

The America’s Cup is headed to Italy for the first time.  

After a successful campaign in Barcelona in 2024, Emirates Team New Zealand will again defend the Auld Mug in European waters, with Naples to host the next edition, which will also include the return of the Youth and Women’s America’s Cups. 

Exact dates for the regatta are still to be determined, however, the next edition will be held in 2027 during the New Zealand autumn and winter – the northern hemisphere spring and summer. 

AUT Sailing Professor Mark Orams told Mike Hosking Naples will be a wonderful location for the next Cup – it's a great city and sailing venue.  

He says the announcement of the venue gives teams that certainty, allowing them to look at if they can make it work. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
A very big week for Team New Zealand because they
announced their squad to defend the next Cup, and the
next Cup is going to be is it turns out
competed in Naples Napuli thirty eighth Traditional will be sailed
in twenty twenty seven. Mark Orham's as a sailing professor.
Of course, totd aut And is with this Mark, very
good morning to you, Kit morning Mike. That team that
was announced outrage. Can you vibe it? Is it a

(00:21):
better team, worse team? We don't know yet or what I.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Wouldn't say it's a better team. Of course, you lose
somebody who's arguably New Zealand's best sailor ever, and Peter
Berling really difficult to replace. But we have a great
skipper and Nathan Outerradge he obviously was the other helm
in the last Cup, very very talented sailor and most
importantly a really good leader as well. I think the

(00:45):
other thing that's reassuring in that announcement, Mike is that
the big question mark when Peter Berling announced that he
was leaving was what was Beerchook going to do? What
was Andy Maloney going to do? They'd been tight You know,
Blair and Pete have been tight for decades now, they've
been packaged deal and if both those two are gone
then you're almost starting again. So securing Blair, Chook and

(01:06):
Andy Maloney alongside of Sam Meecher and the new member
announced Chris Draper, gives confidence that there's a really good
sailing squad there. There's experience. They've kept some of the
key members and Blair and Andy with Nathan now as
a solid leader and a good how I'm very experienced
wise head as well. So it's a very strong team.
But I don't think you could say losing something like

(01:29):
Peter Burley me the team would be stronger.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
Where'd Naples come from? I thought it was Saudi Arabia.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
Well, they were looking at a number of options, of course,
of the options that were talked about, including Greece your
Saudi Arabia at one stage, Valencia I think was in
the mix, and of course Auckland, which all of us.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
Here was never in mart Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
Well yeah, but if you're choosing somewhere else, I'm delighted
that Naples has ended up coming out on top. It's
a great city, it's a great sailing venue and and
it'll it'll be a wonderful location for the next America's Cup.
But I tell you who will be the most happy
to hear this news. That will be luner on.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
Well are they going to be the only other ones there?
Because that's what worries me. What's the size of the field.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yeah, well, I think that it's a big question mark,
isn't it. Ben Angeley will be there. I think I
think it's more likely now that American Magic might go again,
particularly that it's not Saudi Arabia, which would have been
a huge issue for them. So now that now that
the venue is announced, I think that certainty allows other
teams to really look at can they make this work?

(02:38):
So I would expect we would. Obviously we're not. We're
not going to see a line back again. They've already
been public about that. The French may be back. It
won't be bigger than last time in terms of the
number of teams, but it's going to be how it's
going to be a good location like Naples potentially encourages
others to think about it. Remembering that we have the

(02:59):
youth and the woman. America's Cup announced that that's going
to have a second edition and that I think is
the area of growth.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
Good stuff, Marke appreciate it. Mark Orham's Auto sailing professor.
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