By Mal Butler
There is now uncertainty over whether the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS), in Cowes, will be able to retain its position as Challenger in the 38th edition of the America’s Cup, likely to take place in 2027.
This follows the shock split between four-time Olympic champion, Sir Ben Ainslie, from Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Britannia team, which was announced this week. Sir Ben was Ineos Britannia’s team principal and skipper, having formed a partnership with Sir Jim in 2018, in a bid to deliver a first win for Great Britain in the yacht race which started in the Solent in 1851. Billionaire Sir Jim is the chairman of the INEOS chemicals group, which he founded in 1998.
The Ineos Britannia partnership won the Louis Vuitton Cup last year to become the challenger in Britain’s first America’s Cup final since 1964, before losing to Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, 7-2.
Immediately after the defeat, the RYS announced it would challenge again, a bid which was accepted. However, there is now uncertainty, not only over which boat will challenge New Zealand, but also whether the RYS will be able to retain its position as Challenger of Record.
Sir Ben, a former Seaview resident and honorary member of the RYS, was reported to be “astounded” by the decision and considering legal action. He has announced that his America’s Cup sailing team will now be known as Athena Racing.
Ineos said, in a statement, that they could ‘not find agreement’ with Sir Ben on ‘terms to move forward’ and have appointed a new CEO, Dave Endean.
Isle of Wight Observer