Please select your home edition
Edition
Doyle_SailWorld_728X90px-01 TOP

New York Yacht Club announces biennial International Women's Championship in IC37s

by New York Yacht Club 31 Oct 08:38 PDT September 12-19, 2026
New York Yacht Club announces biennial International Women's Championship in IC37s © Scott Trauth / www.ScottTrauthPhotography.com

The New York Yacht Club is pleased to announce the inaugural International Women's Championship, a female-only competition that will be sailed in the Club's fleet of 37-foot IC37 yachts, September 12 to 19, 2026.

"The New York Yacht Club envisions that this event, like the very successful Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, will emerge as one of the sport's top events," says L. Jay Cross, Commodore of the New York Yacht Club. "The IC37 keelboat was designed to reward talented crews who can execute exquisite teamwork, speed transitions and excellent tactics, regardless of size or gender, so we're excited to put these great boats into the hands of the world's top female sailors."

Teams of nine or more sailors are invited to request an invitation regardless of country, yacht club affiliation or amateur status. As with other provided-boat events hosted by the New York Yacht Club, the International Women's Championship will feature the ultimate level playing field, a combination of provided one-design boats and sails maintained to the highest racing standard with uniform rig tuning and on-the-water umpiring. The winning skipper will receive a Rolex timepiece. The regatta will take place on a biennial basis.

"The New York Yacht Club International Women's Championship will be an amazing opportunity for female sailors across the globe to compete on an even playing field in an exciting format not usually available to all-female teams," says Sarah Douglas, of Canada, a two-time Olympian in the ILCA 6. "I have been a supporter and spectator at three editions of the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup and have always been extremely jealous that, as a professional sailor, I was not able to compete in such an incredible amateur-only event. I can't wait to race these incredible, one-design IC37s with an all-female crew against the best women in the world."

The 2026 New York Yacht Club International Women's Championship will feature two days of mandatory practice and five days of racing. Social activities each evening on the new Harbour Court waterfront along with a formal awards banquet will create a truly memorable regatta experience.

"Our goal is to attract a truly international field of top competitors," says event chair Cory Sertl. "We are hopeful that top professional sailors from the Olympics, Women's America's Cup and other top competitions will field teams and compete alongside top amateur keelboat sailors. The IC37 is a great platform that can accommodate sailors of all sizes and ages while still facilitating a robust and athletic competition."

The request for invitation form is open and can be found here. The deadline for the initial round of invitations is April 15.

"The International Women's Championship, featuring the top women sailors from around the world, could be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and showcase the extraordinary talent and skill that women bring to our sport," says Guilia Conti, a four-time Olympian for Italy and winning helmswoman at the 2024 PUIG Women's America's Cup. "This event is essential for advancing women's development in sailing, pushing boundaries and highlighting the commitment and dedication that we invest in this sport. It's inspiring to see the New York Yacht Club taking steps towards equal representation and opportunities in sailing."

For more information on the 2026 New York Yacht Club International Women's Championship, including the NOR, please visit here.

Related Articles

NYYC American Magic Women miss out
Demonstrating moments of promise in the Puig Women's America's Cup Despite flashes of quality, the American Magic Women's team fell short of qualifying for the final series at the Puig Women's America's Cup. Posted on 11 Oct
Aiming to End General Recalls
With RTK GPS-Based Race Management System With the goal of removing one of sailing's most time-consuming and frustrating conundrums—the general recall—the NYYC partnered with leading sailing electronics producer Velocitek to create the first centimeter-accurate starting-line management system. Posted on 10 Oct
ORC World Championship overall
New (and Old) Winners Prevail After six days of competitive inshore and offshore racing within three classes, two new and one returning team have been crowned ORC World Champions at the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court. Posted on 5 Oct
ORC World Championship Day 5
Another perfect day of racing today sets up final showdown Another perfect day of racing today sets up final showdown tomorrow for podium positions. Posted on 5 Oct
ORC World Championship Day 4
Racing tightens after two more races and discards applied A delayed start to wait for wind today still yielded two more windward-leeward inshore races at the 2024 ORC World Championship held at New York Yacht Club Harbour Court. Posted on 4 Oct
ORC World Championship Day 3
Perfect inshore racing day at New York Yacht Club's Harbour Court Today the weather was the star. A rather gloomy forecast of a 6- to 8-knot easterly blossomed into 10 to 12 knots and what many locals called some of the best conditions of the season. Posted on 3 Oct
First results are in for Long Offshore Race
At the 2024 ORC World Championship 2024 After 23 to 30 hours of racing and sailing courses varying in length from 157 to 203 miles, the fleet has now finished, and the results are in for the first race of the 2024 ORC World Championship held at the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court. Posted on 1 Oct
Fast offshore start to the ORC World Championship
Testing skills in navigation, strategy, sail selection as well as boat speed After an impressive spinnaker start out of Newport Harbor, the first several hours have shown great progress into first race at the 2024 ORC World Championship held at New York Yacht Club. Posted on 1 Oct
Offshore Race to kick off 2024 ORC Worlds
Starting at 1000 local time within Narragansett Bay After three days of inspections, the first race of the 2024 ORC World Championship organized by the New York Yacht Club in cooperation with the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) will start tomorrow with a long race designed to test the offshore skills. Posted on 30 Sep
NYYC American Magic Youth Team misses out in final
The American crew fought valiantly in a highly competitive match NYYC American Magic Youth delivered a performance to be proud of in today's UniCredit Youth America's Cup final, where they faced off against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in a winner-takes-all showdown. Posted on 26 Sep
Savvy Navvy 2024Cyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTERLloyd Stevenson - AC INEOS 1456x180px BOTTOM