Please select your home edition
Edition
Hella Dual Colour Floodlights - Top 728 x 90px - 002 gif

12 Metre World Championship scheduled for Newport, Rhode Island in 2023

by Barby MacGowan 9 Dec 2022 09:17 PST July 31 - August 5, 2023
Enterprise (US-27) and 2019 12mR World Champion (Modern Division) Challenge XII (KA-10) vie for position while Freedom (US-30) nips at their heels during the 2019 12mR World Championship in Newport, R.I. All three 12 Metres will be returning to Newport © Ian Roman

Next summer in Newport, R.I., an exciting schedule of competitive sailing will be punctuated by the 2023 12mR World Championship, an International Twelve Metre Association (ITMA) event organized by the 12 Metre Yacht Club Newport Station (official home of ITMA's Americas 12mR fleet) in partnership with Organizing Authority Ida Lewis Yacht Club.

With racing set to take place July 31-August 5, an international fleet of 12 Metres will converge on Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound much as they did in the years between 1958 and 1983 when many of these awe-inspiring sailboats competed here for a chance to become a contender in the renowned America's Cup and, more recently, when they vied for class titles at their 2019 12mR Worlds. (The most recent 12mR World Championship was held in 2021 in Helsinki, Finland.)

"It's very special that this event is returning to Newport, especially because of the rich history this city shares with the America's Cup," said Peggy Hersam, Executive Director of the 12 Metre Yacht Club Newport Station. "A large concentration of 12 Metres, many of which have ties to the Cup, make their home in Newport; however, the fleet is worldwide and going strong. It will be amazing for visitors and locals alike to encounter these iconic boats tuning up for and competing in this most important event."

Leading up to the 2023 Worlds, the fleet will be busy racing a full schedule of regattas and practices out of Newport, including two class-sanctioned regattas, the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta, June 9-11 and the Sail Newport Regatta, July 7-9 (serving as the 12 Metre Pre-Worlds). The fleet will be divided into four divisions — Modern, Traditional, Vintage, and "Spirit of Tradition"— and have healthy representation in each, including returning 2019 World Champions Columbia (US-16, Traditional Division) and Challenge XII (KA-10, Modern Division). Other teams expected to compete include American Eagle (US-21), Courageous (US-26), Defender (US-33), Enterprise (US-27), Freedom (US-30), Gleam (US-11), Intrepid (US-22), Nefertiti (US-19), Onawa (US-6), and Weatherly (US-17).

Weatherly's owner/skipper Steve Eddleston, who also serves as Commodore of the 12 Metre Yacht Club Newport Station, said his work will be cut out for him. "It's always exhilarating to be out on the water with our beautiful boat and our skilled and determined team sailing against other world famous 12 Metre yachts of such historic distinction," said Eddleston. "To paraphrase John F. Kennedy from 60 years ago when he spoke in Newport about the America's Cup duel between Weatherly and Gretel, 'We are most certainly racing against each other, but we are also racing with each other against the wind and the sea.' Nothing comes close to competing in a 12 Metre World event!"

A base camp for the teams during the five days of Worlds competition will be established at the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS). Organizing Authority Ida Lewis Yacht Club will provide another stellar Race Committee and support volunteers for a variety of posts during the regatta, while a cadre of all-star international judges will fly in for this prestigious event.

Social events are planned for every evening of the Worlds, including the Opening Ceremonies, a 'Legends' Dinner at the Clarke Cooke House, post-racing socials, and an Awards Gala at IYRS. The 12 Metre Yacht Club will further involve the community through its partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Rhode Island, giving underserved children a chance to learn about the boats, their history, and the crews and science that drive them.

Spectator and sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, contact Peggy Hersam, 12 Metre Yacht Club Executive Director, , +1 (203) 807-1066. Notice of Race and other race information available at www.12mrworlds.com.

Related Articles

Cowes Classics Week discount entry ends soon
31st May is last date to benefit, before the July event Those wishing to benefit from a discount when they enter for Cowes Classics Week 2023 may still do so, but time is running out. The discount ends at midnight on Wednesday 31st May. Posted on 22 May
12 Metre World Championship: 3 months to go
Ten or more historic yachts will race on Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound Less than three months away and on the heels of the Ocean Race stopover, the 2023 12mR World Championship will be the next world sailing competition in Newport, R.I. Posted on 15 May
Announcing The 12 Meter Heritage Regatta 2023
Harvard, Princeton and Columbia Alumni are forming teams. Will Yale be left behind? The 12 Meter Heritage Regatta is coming back to New York Harbor for the third year in a row. This year, racing has been added to Thursday and Friday evenings so that corporate teams and people who work in the city can participate. Posted on 2 May
Cowes Classics club-based social program update
The spirit of the week is Corinthian racing followed by a varied social calendar The Royal London Yacht Club, organiser of Cowes Classics Week, is delighted to reveal that its popular club-based social program will this year include events at six local yacht clubs. Posted on 31 Mar
Oakcliff trainees to race historic 12m Courageous
Expanding diversity in the sport at the World Championship Oakcliff Sailing will campaign the historic 12 Metre Courageous for the 2023 World Championship in Newport, Rhode Island, Oakcliff executive director Dawn Riley has announced. Posted on 24 Mar
Shirley Robertson talks with Alex Thomson
Alex Thomson talks Vendee Globes, Ocean Rescues and those Viral Social Media Campaigns Shirley Robertson's Sailing Podcast continues this month with one of offshore sailing's most active campaigners, a sailor whose career spans two decades at the highest level of the sport and includes a record equaling five Vendee Globe starts. Posted on 9 Mar
Entries open for Cowes Classics Week 2023
Early-bird rates are available now The world's largest classic yacht regatta of its kind welcomes a wide range of yachts and its club-based social programme, including afternoon tea kindly provided by Evelyn Wealth Managers, is very popular with visitors to Cowes. Posted on 1 Mar
Shirley Robertson reports from Alicante
Shirley Robertson talks to key sailors in The Ocean Race ahead of the start in Alicante This month's edition of Shirley Robertson's Sailing Podcast comes from the Spanish port of Alicante, long time home to the Ocean Race, as the fourteenth edition of this famous round the world adventure gets underway with a dramatic new look. Posted on 19 Jan
Shirley Robertson talks with Tom Slingsby
Tom Slingsby: "I said right then and there that I want to be a part of this arena." Tom Slingsby: "I was getting yelled at by Russell Coutts, and I still remember sitting there thinking 'I can't believe I'm sitting there with these legends, Grant Simmer, Jimmy (Spithill), Ben Ainslie, Russell Coutts', I remember I was really in awe!" Posted on 9 Dec 2022
Becoming the owner of Dame Pattie (KA-2)
An International 12-metre class racing yacht built for the America's Cup Challenge Series in 1967 Dame Pattie is an International 12-metre class racing yacht built for the America's Cup Challenge Series in 1967. She was designed by Warwick Hood and built by W.H. Barnett in New South Wales, Australia. Posted on 5 Nov 2022
C-Tech 2021 (Spars-QFX Racer) 728x90 BOTTOMVisit Pensacola 2023 FOOTERDoyle Sails 2020 - Built for Adventure 728x90 BOTTOM