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DEFENDEREmirates Team
New Zealand
Sailing for the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in Auckland, Emirates Team New Zealand traces its America’s Cup origins back to 1987. After three earlier campaigns, the team claimed the trophy in 1995, famously making it “New Zealand’s Cup”, and successfully defended it on home waters in 2000. Following periods of Swiss and American successes, the team, led by CEO Grant Dalton since 2003, dramatically reclaimed the Cup in Bermuda in 2017, showcasing groundbreaking innovation such as pedal-powered ‘Cyclors’ on their foiling catamaran. Since then, the Kiwis have successfully defended the trophy twice more: in Auckland in 2021 against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and in Barcelona in 2024 against INEOS Britannia. With five overall victories, including an unprecedented three consecutive wins, they stand as the most successful team of the modern era and were named World Sailing’s “Team of the Year” in 2025.
DEFENDEREmirates Team
New ZealandSailing for the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in Auckland, Emirates Team New Zealand traces its America’s Cup origins back to 1987. After three earlier campaigns, the team claimed the trophy in 1995, famously making it “New Zealand’s Cup”, and successfully defended it on home waters in 2000. Following periods of Swiss and American successes, the team, led by CEO Grant Dalton since 2003, dramatically reclaimed the Cup in Bermuda in 2017, showcasing groundbreaking innovation such as pedal-powered ‘Cyclors’ on their foiling catamaran. Since then, the Kiwis have successfully defended the trophy twice more: in Auckland in 2021 against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and in Barcelona in 2024 against INEOS Britannia. With five overall victories, including an unprecedented three consecutive wins, they stand as the most successful team of the modern era and were named World Sailing’s “Team of the Year” in 2025.
DEFENDER
NEW ZEALAND
ROYAL NEW ZEALAND YACHT SQUADRON
NO. OF CAMPAIGNS: 12
NO. OF WINS: 5
Sailing for the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in Auckland, Emirates Team New Zealand traces its America’s Cup origins back to 1987. After three earlier campaigns, the team claimed the trophy in 1995, famously making it “New Zealand’s Cup”, and successfully defended it on home waters in 2000. Following periods of Swiss and American successes, the team, led by CEO Grant Dalton since 2003, dramatically reclaimed the Cup in Bermuda in 2017, showcasing groundbreaking innovation such as pedal-powered ‘Cyclors’ on their foiling catamaran. Since then, the Kiwis have successfully defended the trophy twice more: in Auckland in 2021 against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and in Barcelona in 2024 against INEOS Britannia. With five overall victories, including an unprecedented three consecutive wins, they stand as the most successful team of the modern era and were named World Sailing’s “Team of the Year” in 2025.
For the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup, Emirates Team New Zealand remains a benchmark for performance and innovation. Olympic medallist Nathan Outteridge steps into the skipper role for 2027, leading an experienced and evolving sailing squad that blends proven America’s Cup talent with rising stars. Behind the scenes, a deeply experienced organisation, including long-time Chief Operating Officer Kevin Shoebridge, supports a flat, high-performance culture. The team is rebuilding and refining its 2024-winning AC75 Taihoro to meet new technical regulations while continuing to advance foils, aerodynamics, systems, and racecraft. Having pioneered the foiling AC75 and introduced the AC40 as a development platform, the team continues to push design boundaries under Chief Designer Dan Bernasconi. With five titles secured and aiming for a fourth consecutive win, Emirates Team New Zealand now prepares from its home base in Aotearoa New Zealand before defending sailing’s greatest prize in Naples in 2027.
America’s Cup Participations
2027 AC38 Naples . Defender
2024 AC37 Barcelona . WINNER
2021 AC36 Auckland . WINNER
2017 AC35 Bermuda . WINNER
2013 AC34 San Francisco . AC Match Finalist
2007 AC32 Valencia . AC Match Finalist
2003 AC31 Auckland . Defender
2000 AC30 Auckland . WINNER
1995 AC29 San Diego . WINNER
1992 AC28 San Diego . Louis Vuitton Cup Finalist
1988 AC27 San Diego . Deed of Gift Match (Finalist)
1987 AC26 Fremantle . Louis Vuitton Cup Finalist
Sailing Team
Nathan Outteridge Skipper
Andy Maloney Sailor
Jo Aleh Sailor
Chris Draper Sailor
Blair Tuke Sailor
Iain Jensen Sailor
Sam Meech Sailor
Seb Menzies Sailor
Josh Armit Sailor
Jake Pye Sailor
Ray Davies Head Coach
CREW
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Nathan OutteridgeSkipper and Starboard HelmOver the past 20 years, Nathan has been at the very top of sailing and at the vanguard of the foiling generation. He has held no less than nineteen world championship medals across a variety of classes – including the Moth, 29er, 49er, Farr 40 and Nacra 17. At the London 2012 Olympic Games, alongside fellow ETNZ sailor Iain Jensen, the pair won gold before competing again at the Rio 2016 Games and securing silver. For the 2024 America’s Cup in Barcelona, Nathan joined Emirates Team New Zealand and co-helmed Taihoro to victory.
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Seb MenziesHelmAfter a stellar career in Optimists and 420s, Seb won the coveted Hempel Youth Sailing World Championships in 2019 Gdynia before winning the 29er European Championships in 2022. Now sailing the Olympic 49er class he is one of the top-ranked sailors in the world and eyeing the gold medal in Los Angeles in 2028. Sailing with crew George Lee Rush, the team are the current European 49er European Champions and were crowned World Champions just a week before the Sardinia Prelim Regatta. Seb has also competed in the highly competitive International Moth single-handed foiling dinghy and placed a respectable 4th at the 2024 World Championships in Manly, New Zealand.
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Andy MaloneyTrimmerBorn in 1990, Andy is from the Murrays Bay Sailing Club and has spent most of his life in the Laser class winning multiple medals at World Cup events and narrowly missing out on the final selection for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. He was a member of the winning New Zealand Red Bull Youth America’s Cup Team from San Francisco in 2013 and joined Emirates Team New Zealand sailing team in 2016 for the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda. After winning the Auld Mug he jumped back into another Olympic campaign chasing a participation at the 2020/1 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Andy has been in the 2021 and 2024 winning America’s Cup teams and is back with the sailing team for his fourth America's Cup campaign
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Iain JensenTrimmerJensen, a veteran of multiple Cup campaigns, has officially joined the Kiwi defence, bringing a wealth of high-performance experience to the deck of the AC75, Taihoro. One of the most compelling narratives of Jensen’s arrival is his reunion with long-time sailing partner Nathan Outteridge. The pair famously dominated the 49er class, claiming Olympic Gold in London 2012 and Silver in Rio 2016, and have shared the cockpit through various Cup cycles in San Francisco and Bermuda.