The Foil Podcast

What day 1 in Naples told us about the pecking order | The Foil Debrief

The Foil Podcast

Show Notes

Andy Rice and Shona Gibson break down the opening day of AC40 racing in the Bay of Naples.Day one at the second Preliminary Regatta of the 38th America’s Cup began with crews falling off the foils and hiking to keep the boats flat, and ended with them almost overpowered. The organisers' decision to stretch the broadcast window paid off with two race for the America’s Cup fleet.Andy and Shona pick through the drama, starting with the French team's OCS at the start of race two and the nosedive and capsize that followed. They look at how Tudor Team Alinghi bounced back from a tough opener with Pete Burling and Marco Gradoni's Luna Rossa senior crew pressing all the way round. They also explain why a two-board leeward gate rounding might not be the 'training wheels' move it appears to be.The debrief also covers ARC USA's contrasting fortunes, a quietly consistent day for Emirates Team New Zealand, and a standout showing from the GB2 Women & Youth crew featuring Hannah Mills and Olympic champion Ellie Aldridge. There is some head-scratching for Dylan Fletcher and GB1, and a look ahead at the forecast for the four races planned tomorrow.Read more: https://thefoil.com/news/home-favourites-in-front-after-a-waiting-game-in-naples/Follow @wearethefoil across all platforms – Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and YouTube.Listen to our podcast on Spotify and other platforms: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/NSR2217026422#TheFoil #WeAreTheFoil #AmericasCup Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

More from The Foil Podcast

Oct 21, 2026

Does SailGP have an age problem — or an opportunity problem?

Oct 15, 2026

Our 2026 52 Super Series season review, with on-the-water reporter Katie Dabson and Super Series veteran Simon ‘Stir Fry’ joining Freddie Carr to talk through a record-breaking year.Sixteen boats from 11 nations lined up in Valencia, the biggest fleet in 52 Super Series history, after a season that served up everything from survival conditions in Lanzarote to sub-eight-knot drifters. So where does 2026 rank for a man who has raced 104 of the circuit’s 107 regattas – and how did a season tipped as a five- or six-boat scrap end up as a two-boat fight between Platoon and Sled?The three run through all five events: Sled’s masthead heroics in Puerto Portals, Trinity Racing’s remarkable debut at the Worlds in Porto Cervo, Paprec’s long-awaited breakthrough in the Rubicon breeze, the Puerto Calero regatta that turned the season on its head, and the Valencia showdown, where a title fight in a record fleet turned into a match race.Katie brings a spreadsheet stat that explains more than any single race win, while Stir Fry makes the case for why 50-footers still hold a magic all of their own – and reckons he knows how many boats have got it in them to win next season.Read more: https://thefoil.com/news/platoon-aviation-s-consistency-seals-a-classic-52-super-series-season/Freddie’s pre-season rundown of the fleet: https://thefoil.com/news/freddie-carr-s-season-preview-52-super-series-2026/Listen to our podcast on Spotify and other platforms: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/NSR2217026422Follow @wearethefoil across all platforms – Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok and YouTube.#TheFoil #WeAreTheFoil #52SuperSeries Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 14, 2026

Has technology ruined sailing? That’s the question on The Foil Podcast episode 42, as Neil Cole, Freddie Carr and Andy Rice take on the foiling tech vs old-school sailing debate that’s dividing our comments section.

Sep 30, 2026

Mozzy's back. He's spent the summer on the beach sailing a Mirror, but the America's Cup has “summoned” him back “like a demon from the deep”, and he's brought some opinions with him.

See all episodes →