ARC Team USA will make its competitive debut at the 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta in Naples, marking the first time the new American challenger has raced together. Harry Melges IV and Lucas Calabrese will helm the team’s AC40, alongside Hans Henken and Michael Menninger, with Riley Gibbs named as reserve.
The announcement follows an intensive final training camp in Naples and represents a significant milestone for a team that has been built at remarkable speed. In a matter of months, ARC Team USA has brought together its sailing, design, technical, and operational groups, returned its boats to the water, and established the foundations of a new America’s Cup campaign.
The Preliminary Regatta will be the first opportunity to see how that work translates into competition.
Ken Read, CEO of ARC Team USA, stated, “Getting to the regatta start line is a big moment for us. What this entire team has achieved in such a short space of time has been pretty extraordinary, and we’ve just come off a really strong training camp where the progress has been clear every day. Every sailor in this group has pushed hard and earned the opportunity to represent ARC Team USA. Lucas, Harry, Hans and Michael have earned their places on the boat for Naples, and Riley has been every bit as important to the progress we’ve made as a group.”
He also mentioned the challenge ahead, noting, “Some of the teams we’re racing have been together for years; we’ve been together for months. We’re not going to Naples expecting to have all the answers. We’re going there to race hard, learn quickly, understand where we stand against the fleet and come away better than we arrived. This is the first real benchmark for us – and we can’t wait to get started.”
The final training camp has allowed the sailing team to develop its communication, boat handling, and race processes before facing the fleet. Giles Scott, Sailing Director, highlighted the intensity of the training, saying, “Selecting four sailors was never going to be easy. Every one of them has earned the right to be here and contributed to getting us to this point. For Naples, we believe Lucas, Harry, Hans and Michael give us the right combination, but this is very much a team effort and Riley is a very important part of the overall racing group.”
The team heads into its first racing appearance with growing momentum, having announced a strategic partnership with US Sailing aimed at expanding sailing’s audience in the United States, along with CODE-ZERO becoming the team’s Official Technical Apparel and Teamwear Supplier.
For now, the focus is on the upcoming regatta where four sailors will represent the team aboard one AC40, marking a significant step in their campaign to return the America’s Cup to the United States.
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