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Luna Rossa in Naples, Margherita Porro leads the new generation

Margherita Porro leads Luna Rossa 2 in the Naples Preliminary Regatta as the America’s Cup brings the AC40s into the heart of the Gulf

Naples opens a new stage of the Road to Naples 2027 with Margherita Porro at the helm of Luna Rossa Women & Youth and Maria Giubilei in the Principal Team

The Gulf of Naples provides the setting for the second Preliminary Regatta of the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup, but on the eve of the first races attention is also focused on a new generation of sailors who are playing an increasingly central role in the competition.

Among the nine skippers attending the opening press conference is Margherita Porro, at the helm of Luna Rossa 2, the Italian Challenger’s Women & Youth crew. Alongside her, Maria Giubilei will also be part of the Principal Team as trimmer. Their presence makes this stage particularly significant for Luna Rossa and for an America’s Cup that is progressively creating more space for female talent and younger generations.

Naples becomes an America’s Cup testing ground

The preliminary regatta takes place in the Bay of Naples from 24 to 27 September 2026 and represents the last opportunity for the teams to compete before the main event in 2027.

The crews race aboard the one-design AC40s, identical yachts where manoeuvring quality, tactical decisions and the ability to interpret the racecourse quickly become especially important.

The programme includes eight fleet races, after which the top two crews will qualify for Sunday’s final match race. The Preliminary Regatta does not award points towards the 2027 America’s Cup, but it remains an important step for testing crews, strategies and overall preparation.

Margherita Porro at the helm of Luna Rossa 2

For Margherita Porro, Naples follows the success achieved with Luna Rossa’s women’s team in the 2024 Women’s America’s Cup. Her role today is part of a structure that is bringing the Women & Youth programmes increasingly closer to the principal team.

During the skippers’ presentation, Porro underlined the importance of seeing a woman aboard both Italian yachts. It is a signal that goes beyond the result of a single regatta and reflects the internal evolution of the team.

Maria Giubilei’s presence as trimmer in the Principal Team adds another element to this process, showing how the experience gained in programmes dedicated to younger sailors can progressively develop into direct responsibility at the highest level of the America’s Cup.

A racecourse that leaves little room for error

The Gulf offers one of the most spectacular settings possible for a sailing competition, but from a sporting perspective it is not necessarily an easy one.

Porro described a challenge that is expected to remain very open, with competitive crews and conditions that could produce frequent changes in position. Her reference to possible overtaking and counter-overtaking captures the character of AC40 racing, where speed, foil management and tactical decisions can change the order of the fleet very quickly.

For Luna Rossa, racing at home inevitably brings additional attention. Naples is not only a stage on the road to 2027: it will also be the venue where the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America’s Cup Match will be contested in Italy for the first time.

Women & Youth increasingly close to the principal team

One of the most interesting aspects of the current America’s Cup cycle is the relationship between the main programme and the Women & Youth teams.

The Preliminary Regatta rules allow teams to race a second AC40 entrusted to younger sailors and women. This means that the new generation does not follow a completely separate path, but can compete on the same racecourse and with the same type of yacht used by the principal crews.

For Luna Rossa this pathway has already produced important results. In the previous cycle, both the Youth and Women programmes won their respective trophies in 2024, and several of the sailors involved are now becoming increasingly integrated into the Italian Challenger’s activities.

The Road to Naples gathers pace

Naples is the second Preliminary Regatta of the cycle after the Cagliari event in May 2026 and represents a direct step towards next year’s America’s Cup.

The Race Village at Rotonda Diaz accompanies the racing with dock-out and dock-in shows, large screens and activities open to the public, bringing the competition directly onto the city’s waterfront.

For the crews, however, the value of the week remains primarily sporting. The Naples races offer an opportunity to measure speed, coordination and tactical ability against opponents who, within a few months, will return to the same waters to compete for one of the oldest and most prestigious trophies in international sport.

For Margherita Porro and Luna Rossa 2, it will also mean something more: the opportunity to show that the future of the America’s Cup is not only about new boats and new technology, but also about a generation of sailors already finding its place.

24 September 2026
© MED Yachting Editorial Team
Luna Rossa in Naples, Margherita Porro leads the new generation
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