Yachting calendar treading water

The yachting calendar is treading water as international chaos has created safety concerns. It began in Mexico when drug cartels were stirred by recent government action, with the U.S. Department of State listing significant coastal regions as high-risk travel areas.

For California, this led to the cancellation of the Puerto Vallarta Race and has the Newport to Ensenada Race in April watching the headlines. And now the recent conflict with Iran has several prominent events wondering what the impact will be later in the year.

The 2026 finale for the World Match Racing Tour and the Women’s World Match Racing Tour are both to be held in November at Amaala on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast. AMAALA is also hosting The Ocean Race 2027 finish.

On the other side of the peninsula, the SailGP league has bigger problems as their final two events of the 2026 season are also in November, and across the Persian Gulf from Iran in the United Arab Emirates.

“If it’s like it is now, there’s no way we’re going there,” noted Australian skipper Tom Slingsby. “We’ll just have to wait and see. Those decisions are way above my pay grade but I’m sure they’re already looking at it. Everyone will be watching how that all progresses.”

Standing by…