US team pitching for inaugural Youth Foiling World Cup

While COVID-19 restrictions led to the cancellation of the 2021 Youth America’s Cup in New Zealand, the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC) in partnership with the Hong Kong Sailing Federation and Persico 69F have organized the inaugural Youth Foiling World Cup to be held in Hong Kong from February 19 through March 12 in 2021.

Hoping for 12 to 16 teams, the plan is for crews of 3 or 4 aged 18 to 25 years to be racing the new 6.9 meter foiling monohull Persico 69F supplied for the event, with the format to be fleet race heats of 4 to 5 boats with a knockout and repechage system.

But nothing is simple or cheap. Despite an entry fee of USD $12,500, a visa process of 6 to 8 weeks, and a mandatory quarantine in a hotel for 14 days upon arrival, organizers are reporting that 19 teams from 15 countries have signed up, with an initial entry payment of USD $5,000 due by November 25.

Among the teams seeking to compete is Southern Challenge representing Southern Yacht Club (New Orleans, LA) but there is a campaign budget of USD $70,000 standing between them and Hong Kong. Here’s their pitch:

We are so excited to be participating in next year’s Foiling Cup and are working hard getting our crew prepared and ready to go! The race will bring young-adult sailors from all of the world’s most elite sailing nations and the competition will be nothing less than exceptional!

Langston Goldenberg

Although the competition will no doubt be fierce, we plan to bring a challenge to the rest of the teams, which is the center of our campaign. We are still working on finalizing our crew, but are proud to present skipper Langston Goldenberg and crew members Cam Farrah and Harrison Menszer.

Langston is a very accomplished sailor. He has been a devoted member of the Southern Yacht Club all his life and has been sailing for them for many years. He, most notably, was invited to sail with SYC in the 2019 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup and the 2020 Resolute Cup. He is also a member of Tulane’s Naval ROTC program and was selected to be a Squad Leader for the 2021-2022 school year, a very respected and prestigious role.

Cam Farrah

Cam is from Destin, Florida where she has been a member of the Fort Walton Yacht Club for most of her life. However, when she decided to come to New Orleans as a student at Tulane University, Southern Yacht Club was so happy to gain another well respected and very accomplished sailor.

Aside from being a member of Tulane’s sailing team, Cam, most notably, came in 10th overall at the US Multihull Championships where she also was the top youth and female finisher. Cam is a true foiler at heart, racing both her Nacra 17 and A Class Catamaran!

Harrison Menszer

Harrison grew up surrounded by boats and has been a competitive sailor for over 10 years. When he was 13, Harrison and his team represented the USA in the 2016 Topsort Vlaanderen Regatta, in Nieuwpoort, Belgium. He finished 7th overall, top USA sailor, beating over 100 other competitors from around the world.

Harrison is 17 years old and currently attends Jesuit High School. He also coaches a team of young sailors where he enjoys sharing his knowledge and experience! We are so excited to have Harrison on board as a member of our team!

We have recently opened our GoFundMe to collect donations for travel expenses, boat equipment, promotional materials and more! We kindly ask our supporters to consider donating to our campaign using this link: https://gf.me/u/y7dkh2

We are asking for $70,000 for these purposes and are hoping that you, our fans, and supporters can help us get there!

If you would like to learn more about sponsorships or if you are a corporation looking to donate, please email us at southernchallengeusa@gmail.com.

Team website: https://southernchallenge.squarespace.com/

UPDATE: The event has been moved to Gallipoli, Italy. Other news includes how there will be no quarantine because athletes have an exception , the USA team has raised 20k so far and they have secured Zhik as their gear provider.