Ashby joins legends
Australian sailing champion Glenn Ashby has been inducted into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame, recognising his remarkable career and contribution to the evolution of high-performance sailing.
Photography by America's Cup
23 October 2026
Australian sailing legend Glenn Ashby has been inducted into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame, joining an elite group of sailors and innovators who have helped shape the world’s oldest international sporting trophy.
The three-time America’s Cup winner and Team Australia Head of Performance & Design was honoured at a ceremony held at the New York Yacht Club on 16 October 2026, joining the Class of 2026 alongside the Beken Dynasty, Peter Isler and Lowell North.
Hosted by the Herreshoff Marine Museum and the America’s Cup Hall of Fame, the ceremony recognised Ashby’s extraordinary achievements on the water and his influential role in the technological evolution of the competition.
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Across five America’s Cup campaigns with three teams, Ashby has claimed three victories, beginning as multihull coach with BMW Oracle Racing in 2010.
He went on to skipper and trim the wing of Emirates Team New Zealand’s winning catamaran in Bermuda in 2017, before serving as mainsail trimmer aboard Te Rehutai during New Zealand’s successful defence in Auckland in 2021.
His Hall of Fame citation highlights his ability to bridge the gap between sailors and designers during a period of unprecedented technological change, from wingsailed multihulls and foiling catamarans to the sophisticated AC75 foiling monohulls competing today.
Selection Committee Chair Steven Tsuchiya described Ashby as “a superb skipper with a deep understanding of the sport’s technical side”, while Australian committee representative Blue Robinson acknowledged his contribution to transforming how the America’s Cup is raced and perceived.
“It’s an absolute honour to be recognised alongside so many people I’ve looked up to, and to join a group that includes some of the greatest names in our sport,” Ashby said.
The America’s Cup has always been a team effort, and this belongs as much to the sailors, designers, engineers and boatbuilders I’ve been lucky enough to work with over the years as it does to me.
“I’m proud to have started out as a kid sailing catamarans on the lake in Bendigo, and to be inducted as we’re building an Australian challenge – my first for my home country – feels like the perfect full circle moment ahead of Naples next year.”
Raised in Bendigo, Victoria, Ashby left school at 16 to begin a sailmaking apprenticeship, developing the technical knowledge that would underpin his career in high-performance sailing, sail design and aerodynamics.
His achievements extend well beyond the America’s Cup. Ashby has secured 17 world championships across the A-Class catamaran, Tornado and Formula 18 classes, and won an Olympic silver medal alongside Darren Bundock in the Tornado class at the Beijing 2008 Games.
In 2022, he added another remarkable achievement to his record, piloting the wind-powered land-speed craft Horonuku to a world record of 222.4 km/h on South Australia’s Lake Gairdner.
Ashby is now directing performance and design for Team Australia, representing the Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club in the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup, scheduled for Naples in 2027.
Team Australia CEO Grant Simmer said the recognition was a fitting tribute to Ashby’s contribution to international sailing.
Glenn has been at the heart of some of the most significant technical leaps in America’s Cup history, and he has a rare ability to connect what sailors feel on the water with what designers need to know,” Simmer said.
“To have him leading Performance & Design for our challenge is a huge asset that we’re very grateful for, and we’re proud to see him take his place in the Hall of Fame.”
The induction marks another milestone in Ashby’s distinguished career as he turns his attention to helping deliver an Australian challenge on sailing’s biggest stage.
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