Spanish sailors Diego Botín and Florian Trittel, Olympic and world champions in the 49er class, will join the French “La Roche Posay” team for the upcoming America’s Cup in Naples next summer. The move comes after they helped “Los Gallos” – Spain’s SailGP crew that includes Nicole van der Velden, Joan Cardona and Joel Rodríguez – reach the SailGP final in Abu Dhabi at the end of November.
Both athletes have already mastered a range of high‑performance boats: the 49er skiff, the F50 foiling catamaran, and the AC40 monohull used in SailGP. Their new assignment will see them crew the AC75, the latest generation of foiling monohulls that will contest the 38th America’s Cup, the world’s oldest sporting trophy.
Why the switch matters
Botín and Trittel’s versatility makes them valuable assets for any campaign. Their experience on symmetric and asymmetric foiling platforms gives the French challenge a boost as it prepares for the Naples preliminaries, where the fleet faced thermal breezes and land‑based winds along the Chiaia waterfront.
What comes next
The French team will continue training on the AC75 throughout the spring, aiming to refine tactics before the main event in the summer. Meanwhile, “Los Gallos” will regroup after their SailGP finale, planning the next season while celebrating the sailors’ historic crossover into the premier monohull competition.