American YC will host Women’s Keelboat Champs

Rye, NY (May 6, 2016) – With spring having arrived and the summer sailing season around the corner, American Yacht Club announces that it will be hosting the 2016 International Women’s Keelboat Championship.

Formerly known as “The Rolex,” the Championship will take place from Aug. 14 through Aug. 20 in the waters off Milton Point in Rye, New York, with the skyline of New York City on the horizon. Twenty-four teams from the U.S., Canada, and around the world will compete for the Bengt Julin Trophy, sailing in the J/70 class.

This championship will offer women keelboat and offshore sailors high quality racing on the international stage without the need to provide their own boats or sails. To ensure a fast and competitive racing format, the championship will be contested under the Champions League format.

The format consists of fleet racing with a twist. The championship features two flights of 12 boats each with teams rotating after every two races. Each team will race an equal number of races against the others. Races will be approximately 15 minutes in duration. Host clubs will ensure quick rotations and on-the-water judging, in addition to an improved viewing experience for spectators.

The Magenta Project will host a clinic led by three-time International Women’s Keelboat Champion, Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, and Olympian Sally Barkow on Monday 15 August. Barkow will host a presentation on her experience as a competitor in the 2015 Volvo Ocean Race that same evening.

Event Website

Report by Event Media

About the Bengt Julin Trophy
The trophy is named for Bengt Julin, an international judge and strong supporter of women’s sailing. A modest man and sailing philanthropist, Julin championed the event from its inception and was instrumental in making it an international competition. Julin presented the very first trophy to Betsy Alison and retired the original to her after she had won it three times consecutively. Alison, of Newport, Rhode Island, had an unbroken winning streak competing against teams from a dozen or more nations from 1991 through 1997. In 2007, Sally Barkow matched Alison by winning the championship for the third time.

About the International Women’s Keelboat Championship
Inaugurated in 1985 at the instigation of US Sailing’s Women’s Championship Committee, of which Helen K. Ingerson was a long-time Chair, the International Women’s Keelboat Championship quickly became the premier women’s sailing event in the U.S. and worldwide. Held biennially, the event provides women keelboat and offshore sailors high quality racing and an opportunity to compete with the top national and international sailors. The Ida Lewis Yacht Club of Newport, Rhode Island, became host for the event and hosted the championship until 2001, when it began to move around the country. The International Women’s Keelboat Championship is slated for Bermuda in 2017.

About American Yacht Club
Founded in 1883, American Yacht Club is located on Milton Point in Rye, New York. The club has a long history of hosting and competing in premier sailing competitions, including AYC’s annual High Performance Dinghy Open, Spring Series and Fall Series.