America’s Cup Hall of Fame Announces 2024 Inductees

The Herreshoff Marine Museum and the America’s Cup Hall of Fame have named the 2024 class of inductees. The group includes a journalist, a pit man, a navigator and a genoa trimmer from four different countries: Josh Belsky (USA), Bob Fisher (GBR), Kevin Shoebridge (NZL) and Juan Vila (ESP). The four will be honored at the America’s Cup Hall of Fame induction gala on October 14, 2024, at Spain’s Maritime Museum of Barcelona.

“This year’s class reflects the America’s Cup’s long tradition of friendly international competition,” said America’s Cup Hall of Fame Selection Committee Chair Steven Tsuchiya. “We are celebrating four people from four nations who share deep respect for one another and a lifelong commitment to yachting’s greatest prize.”

Since its founding in 1992, the America’s Cup Hall of Fame has inducted more than a hundred individuals. Eligible candidates include sailors and crew members, designers, builders, syndicate leaders, supporters, chroniclers and others who have made outstanding contributions to the sport and history of the America’s Cup.

“What a remarkable group,” said America’s Cup Hall of Fame President & Executive Director Bill Lynn. “We are honoring a journalist, a pit man, a navigator and a genoa trimmer — each among the best in the world at their roles — and all from countries that have shaped the history of the Cup. The only regret is that Bob Fisher will not be with us for what promises to be an unforgettable celebration in Barcelona.”

The 2024 inductees are:

Josh Belsky (USA) (b. 1966)

Josh Belsky is an accomplished American sailor who raced with five America’s Cup campaigns and earned three Cup victories. A native of Rye, New York, he developed his skills in a variety of one-design and keelboat classes including Dyer Dhows, Blue Jays, Lasers, Solings, Shields and J/24s.

Belsky credits John Thomson Jr., owner of the IOR50 Infinity, as a key mentor who guided his participation in the 1992 San Diego America’s Cup series. Belsky served as a pit person on America3 and Stars & Stripes for U.S. syndicates, and later sailed aboard EF Language, skippered by Paul Cayard, during the 1998 Whitbread Round the World Race. He was also part of Ernesto Bertarelli’s victorious campaigns for the Société Nautique de Genève.

Now retired from professional yacht racing, Belsky remains active outdoors as an avid skier and kite surfer. He divides his time between Aspen, Colorado, and Hood River, Oregon.

Bob Fisher (GBR) (1935–2021)

Bob Fisher’s life was shaped by sailing from an early age; he won his first race at age two, helmed by his father in a Brightlingsea One-Design. Raised on England’s East Coast in Essex, Fisher went on to become a prolific author, broadcaster and respected chronicler of the sport. His book An Absorbing Interest, published in 2007, recounts the many races across his long career.

Fisher wrote or co-wrote 31 books, including the influential Catamaran Sailing in 1968. His competitive record includes World Championship titles in the Hornet and Fireball dinghy classes, a Little America’s Cup victory in 1967, success in trials for the Olympic Tornado catamaran and a strong performance in the two-handed Round Britain & Ireland Race with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston in 1989.

Broadcasting remained central to Fisher’s work; he produced content for the BBC and later worked as a freelance commentator, covering every America’s Cup match from 1974 through 2017. He was on air with Australia’s ABC when Australia II beat Liberty in the historic 1983 Cup. Fisher’s writing and commentary appeared widely in newspapers and magazines around the world, and he earned a reputation as both knowledgeable and passionate about the sport.

Kevin Shoebridge (NZL) (b. 1963)

Kevin “Shoebie” Shoebridge has four America’s Cup wins to his name and brings decades of high-level experience to the Hall of Fame. Now in his tenth America’s Cup campaign after a 40-year career, he has played pivotal roles ashore and afloat.

Shoebridge first gained prominence as a sail trimmer with the Michael Fay–led New Zealand Challenge on KZ-7 Kiwi Magic during the 1987 Cup cycle in Fremantle. He was a member of the New Zealand teams that secured the nation’s first America’s Cup victory in San Diego in 1995 and again in 2000. He later sailed with One World (USA) in 2003.

As a senior leader with Emirates Team New Zealand, Shoebridge oversaw design, construction, sailing operations and logistics during the Cup’s evolution from monohulls to the AC72 wing-sailed foiling catamarans. ETNZ and Shoebridge were central to innovations that shaped the event, including the later development of the AC75 foiling monohull class used in the 2021 Cup. He continues to serve as Chief Operations Officer and remains a key figure in one of the most successful programs in America’s Cup history.

Juan Vila (ESP) (b. 1961)

Juan Vila has been involved in ten consecutive America’s Cup cycles since 1992 and has raced in five America’s Cup matches, earning three victories. Born into Mediterranean sailing, he began on keelboats at age eight and launched a professional career that included multiple offshore races and top-level Cup campaigns.

Vila specialized as a navigator, a vital role in the era before GPS was universally adopted in racing. His early Cup experience included navigating for España ’92 and other Spanish campaigns. He later joined Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi syndicate and celebrated his first America’s Cup win with Alinghi in 2003, marking the return of the Auld Mug to Europe. Vila was again part of Alinghi’s winning team in 2007 in Valencia, and he sailed with Oracle Team USA for the 2013 victory. More recently, Vila sailed with Ineos Team UK in the AC75 class for the 2021 campaign.

Beyond the America’s Cup, Vila has extensive offshore racing experience, including multiple campaigns in the Ocean Race. He was part of the Illbruck crew that won the Ocean Race in 2002, becoming the first Spanish sailor to do so, and he was a member of the team that won the Jules Verne Trophy in 2012 aboard the 40-meter trimaran Banque Populaire V.

The 2024 induction ceremony will celebrate the careers and lasting contributions of these four individuals to competitive sailing and the storied history of the America’s Cup. Their achievements span journalism, crew work, navigation and sail handling, reflecting the diverse talents that sustain this global sporting event.