Talented field for women’s championship

The inaugural edition of the New York Yacht Club Women’s International Championship will be held September 12-19, 2026, at the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, RI. Twenty teams will compete in the Club’s fleet of IC37s … here are three of the skippers coming:

• With three world championships, two Olympic medals and the legacy as one of China’s greatest sailors, Lijia Xu knows plenty about athletic success. But she knows significantly less about achieving it with a group. All of her past sailing successes have come in singlehanded boats, particularly the Optimist and ILCA 6 (née Laser Radial). – Full report

• Aside from the host country and neighboring Canada, the only other country that will have multiple teams is faraway Australia. Rhode Islanders learned more than 40 years ago to never underestimate competitors from Down Under, and these two teams—helmed by decorated match racer Katie Spithill and three-time Olympian Karyn Gojnich—are making all the right moves to mount formidable challenges to this historic event, all while advocating for Australian female sailors along the way. – Full report

Details: https://nyyc.org/2026-womenschamp

Twenty teams will compete in the inaugural edition of the New York Yacht Club Women’s International Championship on September 12-19, 2026, at the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, RI. The regatta will utilize the Club’s fleet of IC37s, a 37-foot keelboat designed by Mark Mills to a brief developed by the Club.

Invited skippers:
Ragna Agerup (NOR)
Nicole Breault (USA)
Marie Klok Crump (DEN)
Hannah Diamond (GBR)
Karleen Dixon (NZL)
Sarah Douglas (CAN)
Eliane Fierro (MEX)
Karyn Gojnich (AUS)
Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick (USA)
Ida Swensson (SWE)
Michelle Lahrkamp (USA)
Dominique Proyoveur (RSA)
Lisa Ross (CAN)
Katie Spithill (AUS)
Hannah Swett (USA)
Laura van Veen (NED)
Lena Weißkichel (GER)
Katrina Williams (BER)
Christina Wolfe (USA)
Lijia Xu (CHN)

Source: NYYC