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America’s Cup, Pietro Sibello discovers Naples from the water

From 24 to 27 September, America’s Cup racing arrives in Naples. Pietro Sibello talks about the sea, the city and his new challenge with Tudor Team Alinghi

Pietro Sibello shares his first impressions of the Bay of Naples ahead of the America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta, between AC40s, technology and the city’s unique setting

Pietro Sibello knows the America’s Cup from the inside. He experienced it with Luna Rossa, contributing to the team’s Prada Cup victory in 2021, and today approaches it from a different perspective as trimmer for Tudor Team Alinghi. This time, however, there is something that makes the experience unusual even for a sailor accustomed to the world’s leading racecourses: the America’s Cup has arrived in Naples.

Ahead of the Preliminary Regatta taking place in the Bay from 24 to 27 September 2026, Sibello speaks above all about the sensations of these first days on the water. The wind, the sea, Mount Vesuvius in the background and a city that the teams are beginning to discover beyond their operational bases.

For him, Naples represents the meeting of two qualities deeply connected to the Cup: a remarkable tradition and a constant search for technological innovation.

The oldest trophy meets flying yachts

Sibello’s words immediately highlight the contrast that continues to make the America’s Cup distinctive.

On one side is a competition dating back to 1851 that has become one of international sailing’s great symbols. On the other are boats capable of rising above the water, increasingly sophisticated control systems and teams where sailors, engineers and technicians now work side by side.

Sibello describes “flying boats that deliver incredible sensations” and sees the arrival of the Cup in Italy as an opportunity extending beyond the event itself.

In his view, Naples has the chance to create something capable of remaining after the racing is over, turning the America’s Cup experience into a legacy for the territory and for Italian sailing.

From the 49er to the America’s Cup

Born in Albenga, Sibello reached the America’s Cup after a long career in Olympic sailing. In the 49er class he won a European title and three World Championship bronze medals before moving into the Cup environment.

With Luna Rossa, he worked as tactician and mainsail trimmer and took part in the campaign that led the Italian team to victory in the 2021 Prada Cup and into the America’s Cup Match against Emirates Team New Zealand.

Today, that journey continues with Tudor Team Alinghi.

It is also a distinctly international story: an Italian sailor working within the team representing Switzerland, a landlocked country with one of the most significant records in the modern history of the America’s Cup.

Alinghi, a Swiss story built on the sea

Alinghi has already left a deep mark on the competition. In 2003 it won the America’s Cup in Auckland against Team New Zealand and successfully defended the trophy in 2007 in Valencia.

Sibello points to that history when explaining the ambition behind the current project.

The objective is not described as a campaign built around a single edition, but as a programme intended to develop over time. The team’s intention, he explains, is to remain in the America’s Cup with a long-term vision, continue growing and ultimately aim for future success.

From this perspective, the Naples Preliminary Regatta represents another step in the team’s development.

Naples seen from an AC40

For Sibello, however, these days are also about what happens beyond performance analysis.

The first training sessions in the Bay have produced conditions he considers particularly well suited to the AC40s. Wind and sea have allowed the teams to train on a racecourse that combines technical qualities with a setting unlike almost anywhere else.

Mount Vesuvius, the outline of the city and the colours of the Bay accompany the sessions on the water.

For those arriving from other countries, discovering Naples also means experiencing the city itself. Sibello talks about the teams’ interest in local culture and, inevitably, Neapolitan food: another way of reducing the distance that can sometimes exist between a major international sporting event and its host city.

Four days to experience the America’s Cup up close

The Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta will bring the AC40s to the Bay of Naples from 24 to 27 September.

The format includes eight fleet races followed by a match-race final between the top two crews in the standings. The AC40s are one-design boats, reducing technical differences and placing greater emphasis on teamwork, tactics and boat handling.

The Preliminary Regatta does not award points towards the 2027 America’s Cup, but gives teams an important opportunity to test crews, procedures and racing skills before the main event.

The Race Village at Rotonda Diaz will offer free admission, giant screens, sailor presentations and activities throughout the racing programme.

The road to Naples 2027 has already begun

The significance of these days therefore reaches beyond the result of a single regatta.

In 2027 Naples will host the Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup Match in Italy for the first time. The September Preliminary Regatta gives the city an early opportunity to experience an event that will take on an entirely different scale next year.

For Sibello, that relationship has already begun on the water.

The Bay of Naples, Mount Vesuvius in the background and the colours of the city, he says, create images with a powerful impact on those arriving from abroad. Sailing here, in his words, is a pleasure.

Perhaps this combination best defines the road towards 2027: some of the most technologically advanced boats in contemporary sailing flying across the water against one of the Mediterranean’s most recognisable landscapes.

21 September 2026
© MED Yachting Editorial Team
America’s Cup, Pietro Sibello discovers Naples from the water
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