With 215 days to go until the start of the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup, La Roche-Posay Racing Team has become the first team to launch an AC75 and sail on the waters of the host venue in the Bay of Naples.

Representing France and the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, La Roche-Posay Racing Team marked a major milestone in its America’s Cup campaign by launching its AC75 at its base in Bagnoli, Naples, and taking the boat sailing for the first time in the bay.

The launch follows months of preparation in Lorient, north-western France, where the team trained throughout the summer. Transporting the high-performance yacht to Naples required careful planning, with the team considering several options, including air transport and a helicopter transfer. The AC75 was eventually moved by road in a special heavy-transport convoy to the port of Sète on France’s southern coast before being transferred to Naples by barge.

The yacht arrived in Bagnoli shortly before the Preliminary Regatta and was craned into the team’s new base. Following its arrival, the team completed the necessary fitting-out work to bring the boat into racing condition.

La Roche-Posay Racing Team now expects to train in the Mediterranean throughout the winter as it prepares for the Louis Vuitton Cup, which begins on 22 May 2027.

From last to first

The launch represents a significant change from the team’s previous America’s Cup campaign. In Barcelona, La Roche-Posay Racing Team was the last team to launch its AC75. This time, it became the first team to launch and sail an AC75 on the waters of the 2027 host venue.

The yacht is a sister ship to Taihoro, the AC75 sailed by Emirates Team New Zealand to victory in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup.

The team opened its Bagnoli base to local dignitaries and members of the wider America’s Cup community for the launch, which also provided an opportunity to introduce its sailing squad.

Skipper Quentin Delapierre was joined by co-helm Diego Botín and trimmers Jason Saunders, Leigh McMillan, Florian Trittel and Maëlenn Lemaitre. Team coach Philippe Presti was also present, alongside Amélie Grassi, Enzo Balanger and Timothé Lapauw.

Speaking at the ceremony, Presti highlighted the engineering and the extensive work behind the AC75.

“I’m extremely proud to be in front of you, especially below this beautiful piece of engineering. And when you see this boat, you see a nice paint job, you see a beautiful sponsor, you see a shell of carbon. But what we all see, all the guys in the shed, in the loft, we see the thousands of hours of hard work to make it happen,” he said.

Presti acknowledged the long road ahead before the America’s Cup, explaining that the team had eight months of intensive work to make the boat as fast as possible.

“We’re super proud to be here in Naples. We were the last one coming to Barcelona. We’re the first one to be here in Naples, and we want to use every hour to make a difference in the end,” he added.

Bagnoli prepares for the 2027 event

The launch also marked an important step in preparations across Naples, where infrastructure and team-base development are progressing ahead of the 2027 America’s Cup.

Dino Falconio, Deputy Commissioner of Bagnoli, congratulated the French team on the first AC75 launch in the waters off the district. He highlighted cooperation between the Italian Government, the City of Naples, America’s Cup organisers, Sport e Salute and public and private operators in preparing the technical base area.

Falconio also emphasised that the work surrounding the event was intended to support the environmental remediation of Bagnoli, alongside the delivery of the sporting competition.

Luigivalerio Sant’Andrea, Real Estate and Infrastructure Director at Sport e Salute, thanked the institutions and teams involved in the preparations. He described the launch as the result of weeks and months of intensive work and underlined the importance of continued cooperation in delivering the 2027 event.

Under Secretary of State Luigi Sbarra highlighted the America’s Cup’s international significance as a meeting point for sport, technology and innovation. He also connected the event to the wider regeneration of Bagnoli, noting that the Italian Government had allocated more than €1.2 billion from the Development and Cohesion Fund in July 2024 for infrastructure regeneration and redevelopment in the area.

Naples Mayor Gaetano Manfredi welcomed the French team’s arrival and said other teams would continue establishing their bases in the city over the coming days.

Manfredi described the launch as an important step towards the regeneration of Bagnoli and the eventual public enjoyment of an area that, according to him, had been inaccessible for 35 years.

The countdown continues

With its AC75 launched and sailing in Naples, La Roche-Posay Racing Team has made an early start to its preparations for the 2027 America’s Cup.

The immediate focus is on making the most of the Mediterranean winter training period, refining the boat’s performance and preparing for the Louis Vuitton Cup, which starts on 22 May 2027.

After being the last team to launch in Barcelona, the French challenger has now become the first to take to the water in Naples, giving its campaign a different starting point as the countdown to the 38th America’s Cup continues.

Source: America’s Cup

Photos: © Pierre Bouras / America’s Cup; © Alessandro Cazzulani / America’s Cup