USA wins Team Racing World Champs

Corinthian Yacht Club (Marblehead, MA) prevailed to win the 2025 Team Racing World Championship, held May 28-June 1 at New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, RI. Held in Sonars using 2v2 format, this was the return of an event last held in 2015.

CYC (above) held the lead from Day 1, maintaining their poise as conditions increased through the four-day event, with sustained winds in the low 20-knot range and choppy seas closing out the event.

“Conditions were really challenging, and there were a lot of good teams out there,” said CYC skipper Will Bailey. “It was important to be consistent throughout the event. We started really well and tried not to lose back-to-back races, and I think that was the difference. It was total combat out there.”

Following the completion of Stage 1 on the final day, the top six of 12 teams advanced to Stage 2, a single gold Round Robin including New York Yacht Club (USA), Kiwi Racing (NZL), Newport Harbor Yacht Club (USA), Baltimore SC (IRE), Corinthian Yacht Club (USA), and West Kirby Hawks (GBR).

Finishing with 17 points each, a tie break for second, third and fourth resulted in Kiwi Racing placing second, Baltimore SC in third, and West Kirby Hawks in fourth; notably, a different nationality in each of the top four positions.

To prepare for the Worlds, CYC skippers Bailey and Tim Wadlow, who won the Team Racing World Championship in 2005, raced in the Global Team Race Regatta and the Baldwin Cup, and put in many practice weekends over the past few months to finesse the game.

“This week went a long way to help us understand the 2v2 format, and it was great to see all the international teams get up to speed quickly; I think it’s a keeper,” noted Bailey. “The Sonars are great boats for team racing and we love what the New York Yacht Club is doing here; CYC has just bought a fleet of Sonars so we look forward to doing more of this.”

Kiwi Racing had a slow start to the regatta sitting mid fleet for the first few days before finding their pace. What they lacked in team racing experience compared to other top-tier teams they made up for in characteristic Kiwi common sense and hard work.

“It was probably good for us to lose races early on because we learned a lot,” says Jordan Stevenson, skipper. “We had three days to build and build which really helped; this is a whole new game for us and overall, I think we sailed really well.

“It felt like we were the team who improved the most throughout, which is what we were aiming for. There were times when our match racing experience translated well, like in the start box where we were really confident. We want to do more of this, especially the 2v2 keelboat racing. It’s more fun than dinghy sailing and you don’t get as wet!”

Baltimore SC slowly but surely clawed their way to the top of the fleet throughout the regatta. They proved to be as strong contenders as anticipated. The team has been sailing together for a long time, which they attribute to their success.

“It was a team effort; knowing each other well has definitely helped this week,” offered BSC skipper Johnny Durcan. We’d like to do more 2v2 racing and will try to get to the east coast for more of these international team racing regattas. While we’re 3v3 traditionalists, 2v2 is growing on us!”

While it’s not the result that they would have liked given their previous winning performances in Team Racing World Championship events, the team representing New York Yacht Club is finding their groove with the 2v2 team racing format.

“We feel exhausted, we sailed hard and the best we could but we are a little disappointed; we came here to win, and we didn’t get that accomplished,” says Clay Bischoff, skipper. “CYC was a better team, they were more prepared and more consistent at the beginning and end of races. When someone sails that well, you have to tip your hat to them.

“I’m liking 2v2 more and more, it’s an acquired taste! It’s the last runs and the four boats tailing each other off the racecourse – that takes some getting used to, but it’s certainly exciting and action packed. The whole crew gets involved, which is the great thing about it.”

Reviving World Sailing’s Team Racing World Championship after a ten-year hiatus has come at a time when the niche is gaining traction worldwide as indicated by the mix of countries present at this year’s edition of the event.

“We believe that we had the most diverse group of countries here this week than any previous Team Racing World Championship events and we’re excited to have them come from as far away as New Zealand, South America, the Caribbean, and Europe; it was very exciting,” says event co-chair Susan Daly.

“We had phenomenal racing across incredible conditions from fog and rain to big breeze, no breeze, you name it. I think everybody sailed well, and certainly when we got to the final gold fleet Round Robin, we saw team racing at its best.

“We had amazing support on and off the water from all the volunteers, Race Committee, umpires and certainly the Sailing Office and the House; the staff here really know how to do this the best. It’s really obvious that Team Racing is very much at the core of New York Yacht Club, and we are really excited to have been able to put on this show.”

Event information – Team rosters – Facebook

Racing for the 2025 Team Racing World Championship was held May 28-June 1 on the East Passage of Narragansett Bay between Rose Island and Goat Island in Newport, RI. Using the 23-foot Sonar keelboat, 12 teams from 10 different countries used the two-on-two format to determine the title.

Source: NYYC