Marching toward 6 Metre World Champs

The 2025 International Six Metre World Championships is coming to the USA with racing on September 22-26 in Oyster Bay, NY. Hosted by Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club (SCYC), at least 30 teams traveling from across North America and Europe will compete in either the Open or Classic (built/designed before 12/31/65) divisions.

Founded in 1871, SCYC is America’s oldest yacht club and its association with the Sixes goes right back to the class’s foundation in 1907. An Olympic Class from 1908 to 1952, the rule has been periodically updated to keep the class at the forefront of technical development, whilst at the same time honoring its extraordinary heritage.

The club last hosted the Six Metre World Championships in 1987 and has attracted a fleet split very evenly between the Open and Classic divisions and includes the arrival of many newcomers in the Class, along with three brand new boats.

Open Championship Contenders
Reigning Open World Champion Jamie Hilton, who claimed the title off Cowes in 2023 aboard USA126 Scoundrel, will be racing Rainer Müller’s brand-new Ian Howlett designed SUI144 Eau Vive.

“The Scoundrel team was looking for a Six Metre to charter or borrow for the 2025 Worlds,” explained Hilton. “I had chartered Scoundrel in 2022 and 2023, and the charter had run its course. The team had grown enamored with the Six Metre Class and the people who sail them.

“Last winter good fortune connected me with Rainer Müller. After several conversations, Rainer and I decided to combine the new boat project he’d started with Ian Howlett and boat builder Matt Lingley of Demon Yachts with the Scoundrel crew and me.

“Suffice to say, we are all very excited to have the honor of sailing Ian’s latest creation. Eau Vive is as gorgeous as all of Ian’s boats. Matt built a boat that is absolutely first rate in every detail. Rainer over saw the whole project with an experienced and watchful eye. Now it’s up to the crew of Eau Vive – Addison Caproni, Dave Hughes, Mike Marshall and me – to get all we can out of her.”

The second new boat will be Dennis Connor’s latest Javi Cela design, which is a development of his very successful Ginkgo Too. Conner last sailed in a Six Metre Worlds in 2017 in Vancouver, where he raced USA87 May Be VII to 14th place. He has been racing the boat out of San Diego for the past couple of months and the international fleet is eagerly anticipating the chance to line up against him and his crew in this new boat.

The third brand new boat will be Dieter Schoen’s IVB145 Momo II, a Judel/Vrolijk design only being launched just in time for this regatta. Typically, one would say it takes a couple of seasons to get a Six Metre fully up to speed, but in their original Momo, also a Judel/Vrolijk design, this team won the 2022 World Championship fresh out of the box in Sanxenxo.

Traveling from Finland comes the reigning European Open Six Metre Champion, Henrik Andersin’s Allan Savolainen designed FIN81 Oiva, which was built by Red Sky Yachts. Launched just in time for the last World Championship in Cowes, she finished that regatta in 13th place, but this super strong team brought the boat on in leaps and bounds, and in 2024 they won the European Championship in Sanxenxo, making them another strong contender for this year’s World title.

One boat to always look out for in the Open Division is the legendary SUI77 Junior, also owned by Rainer Müller, which was designed by Pelle Petterson and built by Båtbyggarna Ab in 1981 for Baron Edmond de Rothschild. Junior is widely regarded as one of the most successful Sixes of all time with five World Championship wins to her name. She also enters the regatta as the defending Corinthian Open World Champion.

A strong contingent of some eleven boats will be traveling across North America from the Pacific Northwest, including five boats from Canada. In the Open Class, Erin Parker’s USA125 Tempest, designed by Sparkman & Stephens, built by Eric Goetz Custom and launched in 1986, is a mainstay of the Pacific Northwest Fleet and can expect a strong showing from this hugely committed team.

Classic Championship Contenders
The hot favorite for the Classic title has to be the reigning champion His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain, who will defend his title aboard the Arvid Laurin designed ESP16 Bribon, which was built by Plym in Neglinge, Sweden for Harry Nystrom in 1947.

She underwent a significant rebuilt at Eric Jespersen Boatbuilders in the mid 2000s, and in 2009 won her first Classic World Championship, skippered by Eric Jespersen, who was crewed by both his father and his son. His Majesty took over the boat in 2017, winning his first Worlds in her in Vancouver that year, his second in Hanko in 2019 and his third in Cowes in 2023. Bribon is also the reigning Classic European Champion.

At 103 years old, the oldest boat competing is Robert & Farley Towse’s USA14 Syce. Designed by John G Alden, built by G Lawley & Son of Massachusetts and launched in 1922, SYCE’s last World Championship outing was in 2009 at Newport, RI.

The second oldest boat will be USA21 Madcap, which was designed by C Sherman Hoyt, the renowned America’s Cup helm, yacht designer, and sailing broadcaster, and built by the Henry B Nevins of City Island, New York. Launched in 1924, she has been beautifully restored and maintained and still puts in a racing performance that belies her 101 years under the leadership of local Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club members Hugh Jones and Russell Byers.

Also fast approaching her centenary is Willets Meyer and William Mooney’s USA40 Saleema, which was launched in 1928 and is another Hoyt/Nevins collaboration. Saleema was a member of the victorious USA Team for both the 1932 and 1936 British American Cups and will once again race for Seawanhaka CYC.

From Spain comes Mauricio Sanchez-Bella’s stunning ESP72 Titia, which was designed by David Boyd and built in 1952 by Woodnuts in Bembridge, Isle of Wight, UK, for Sir Kenneth Preston and Robert Steele, to represent Great Britain at the 1952 Olympics. In the 1960s, she came under Canadian ownership with Fred Brock, and she raced from the Rothsay Yacht Club for many years, before being sold to Nantucket in the early ‘70s.

She was discovered by Matt Cockburn and brought to Cornwall in the UK, where she was beautifully restored by Brian Pope and Andy Postle. At her first post restoration outing in 2006, she won the French Classic Championships, winning six of the nine races. A regular podium finisher at major championships, Sanchez-Bella will be hoping that this is finally the year he can engrave his name on the Classic Worlds trophy.

Matt Brooks will be racing the stunningly restored USA55 Lucie. Launched in 1931 by Nevins to Clinton H Crane’s final and arguably best Six Metre design for legendary America’s Cup Skipper Briggs Cunningham, Lucie was part of victorious US Teams in the 1932, 1934, and 1936 British American Cups.

After a successful 75-year racing career, she was rebuilt to match her original construction, which included shellac between her double planked hull, by Brion Rieff’s boatyard in Maine.

Matt Brooks purchased Lucie in 2011 and oversaw the completion of her restoration in time to ship her to Helsinki for the 2011 World Championship, where she finished in sixth place and won the Baum + Koenig Trophy for the highest placing boat with a wood mast and Dacron sails.

International Six Metre Association President Louis Heckly will be racing his Olin Stephens designed FRA11 Fun, which was built by Nevins in 1937 and was also part of the 1938 winning USA Team in the 1938 British American Cup. Heckly won the 2022 Classic World Championship in Sanxenxo aboard his previous Six, Dix Aout, and finished fifth sailing Fun at last year’s Classic European Championship.

Event information – Race details – Entry list