215 days before the start of the 38th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup, the La Roche-Posay Racing Team, representing the Société Nautique de Saint Tropez, became the first team to launch an AC75 and sail in the Bay of Naples.

It was a significant moment for the French team, which had been training in Lorient, in northwest France, all summer and transported its AC75 by road to Naples, after discarding numerous alternatives, and even considering air transport and a helicopter transfer at one point!

Finally, the AC75 was taken by 'Convoi Exceptionnel' to the port of Sète, on the southern coast of France, before being transferred by barge to Naples.

The team's AC75, a sister ship to Emirates Team New Zealand's 'Taihoro' yacht, winner of the 37th Louis Vuitton America's Cup, arrived in Bagnoli just before the Preliminary Race and was craned to its new home base.

 

 

There, it has been outfitted and fine-tuned for the competition, and the team expects to train throughout the Mediterranean winter as it prepares for the Louis Vuitton Cup, which begins on May 22, 2027. In the Apolitao district of Bagnoli, the La Roche-Posay Racing Team opened its doors to the world and welcomed local dignitaries and the wider America's Cup community to witness the launch and maiden voyage of the yacht with which they hope to bring the America's Cup to France for the first time in its 175-year history.

For the La Roche-Posay Racing Team, this is a momentous occasion, as they are the first to sail an AC75 in the waters of the host city. In the last America’s Cup, the team was always racing against the clock and was the last to set sail in Barcelona. This campaign is very different. The entire talented sailing team was also present and met with the authorities, including skipper Quentin Delapierre, co-helmsman Diego Botín, and trimmers Jason Saunders, Leigh McMillan, Florian Trittel, and Maëlenn Lemaitre. Also in attendance were team coach Philippe Presti, Amélie Grassi, Enzo Balanger, and Timothé Lapauw.