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Sailing News for March 18, 2026

France has firmly entered the America’s Cup conversation with the launch of the La Roche-Posay Racing Team, combining serious funding, Cup-winning leadership, and a stacked roster now boosted by Olympic gold medalists Diego Botin and Florian Trittel, while SailGP continues to look like an Olympic all-star league with Rio 2016 medalists still dominating the fleet at 50 knots. On the racecourse, tight one-design action delivered in New Zealand where Shapeshifter defended its Elliott 5.9 national title after a weekend of high-pressure, boat-on-boat battles in heavy breeze, while the Cyclades Cup continues to grow as a superyacht event blending racing with Mediterranean escape. Foiling keeps pushing forward too, with the WASZP class launching a high-stakes All-Stars format that could open doors toward SailGP, and offshore racing is starting to rethink its impact as Class40 cuts emissions while expanding its fleet. Even at the smaller end of the sport, radio sailing is quietly booming, showing that whether it’s cutting-edge foils or tiny boats on a pond, competition and innovation are thriving everywhere.

Sail GP/America’s Cup

38th America’s Cup: La Roche-Posay Team is born (5 min read)
France just hit refresh on its America’s Cup campaign and it’s looking serious. Backed by skincare giant La Roche-Posay, the newly named team rolls in with Cup winner Philippe Presti calling the shots and Quentin Delapierre leading a stacked, globe-spanning crew. You’ve got Olympic champs, SailGP talent, and rising foiling stars all packed onto one roster. It’s part science lab, part race team, with even skin tech in the mix. Big funding, big names, and finally a setup that could make France dangerous.

Olympic champions Botin and Trittel join French team for 2027 America’s Cup (3 min read)
France just added some serious firepower. Olympic gold medalists Diego Botin and Florian Trittel are jumping into the America’s Cup with the newly branded La Roche-Posay Racing Team, fresh off a SailGP title with Spain. It’s their first Cup shot, but expectations are already high with this stacked lineup. The French are aiming big too, chasing a first-ever Louis Vuitton Cup final appearance. Between Olympic precision and foiling speed, this team suddenly looks a lot less like an underdog.

Class of 2016: The Rio Olympic medalists lighting up SailGP (5 min read)
Turns out SailGP is basically a floating Olympic reunion, and Rio 2016 is still running the show. Fourteen medalists from those Games are now scattered across the F50 fleet, from Martine Grael driving Brazil to Hannah Mills calling tactics for GBR. You’ve got gold medal instincts, silver medal grit, and a whole lot of unfinished business now playing out at 50 knots. It’s a wild mix of old-school Olympic mastery and full-send foiling chaos. Basically, Rio never ended… it just got way faster.

Inshore & Offshore Racing

Doyle Sails Joins the Cyclades Cup as Event Supporter (3 min read)
The Cyclades Cup is shaping up nicely for 2026, and now Doyle Sails is jumping onboard as an event supporter. Set in Antiparos, this regatta mixes proper superyacht racing with postcard-level scenery and just enough Meltemi breeze to keep things spicy. Expect 30m+ yachts throwing down on varied courses by day, then switching to food, parties, and networking by night. It’s equal parts competition and Mediterranean escape, which is exactly why this event keeps growing.

Elliott 5.9 national championships: Shapeshifter goes back-to-back after fierce three-boat battle (4 min read)
This one came down to pure boat-on-boat combat. Shapeshifter pulled off back-to-back Elliott 5.9 national titles, but only after clawing back from an early OCS and going toe-to-toe with Revelry and R&R all weekend. The final day turned brutal with 25-knot breeze and races decided on the last gybe, sometimes by inches. It was tight, scrappy, and properly high-pressure racing. If you like one-design battles where nothing is settled until the finish line, this was it.

Youth Sailing/Development

Notice of Clinic: i420 Clinic at Portland Yacht Club (2 min read)
If you’re trying to level up your i420 game, this Maine clinic looks like a solid tune-up. Two days of sailing, video breakdowns, and proper nerding out on sail shape and boat speed, led by legit coaches with national titles and international experience. It’s part training camp, part pre-regatta prep for Wickford, so expect focused drills and honest feedback. Bonus: club boats available if you don’t have your own. Bring a partner, bring lunch, and be ready to get faster.

Sustainability

Class40 reduces its carbon footprint and strengthens commitment to more sustainable offshore racing (4 min read)
Offshore racing isn’t exactly known for being green, but Class40 is quietly cleaning up its act. The class just cut emissions by over 6% while actually growing its fleet, with a massive drop in air travel doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Boats and sails still make up the biggest chunk, but there’s real effort going into smarter logistics and lower-impact materials. The goal now is another 7% cut per team by 2027. Not perfect, but it’s one of the more serious attempts to make offshore racing less brutal on the planet.

Tech & Gear

On the right wavelength – the rise of Radio Sailing (6 min read)
Radio sailing is having a quiet boom, and it’s not just retirees tinkering in ponds. From budget-friendly one-designs like the DF65 to the ultra-technical International One Metre class, it’s become a legit way to stay sharp without the cost, logistics, or aching knees of full-size boats. Big names like Nigel Barrow and Steve Cockerill are all in, hooked on the tight racing and surprisingly intense tactics. Bonus twist: the tech behind it is starting to mirror the America’s Cup. Turns out tiny boats are a pretty big deal.

Foiling

WASZP All-Stars and NSW States (4 min read)
The WASZP class is going full send with its first-ever All-Stars showdown in Pensacola, packing 15 of the world’s best foilers into a no-discard, multi-format shootout with prize money on the line. Think slalom, distance, and SailGP-style racing where consistency is everything and mistakes hurt. It’s also a legit pathway moment, with SailGP opportunities dangling for top performers. Meanwhile in Australia, Louis Tilly grabbed another NSW title after a chaotic weekend that flipped from drifting to full send sea breeze racing. Classic WASZP chaos, just faster.

Sailing Highlight of the Day

A 6.5m Mini foiler blasting across the Atlantic at 30 knots is pushing the limits of solo sailing, and influencing the next generation of cruising boats. Benoit Marie’s radical designs, from foiling Minis to scow-shaped cruisers, show how performance and comfort are starting to merge, while offshore racing continues to deliver tight, unpredictable finishes.