2026 NYYC Women's International Championship - Day 3
by New York Yacht Club 17 Sep 22:02 PDT
September 12-19, 2026
Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick and Team Vigilant Extend Lead While Fresh Faces Claim Wins
A couple of fresh faces took race wins on Day 3 of the Women's International Championship presented by State Street Investment Management and SPY. But the dominant position of the leading team, Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick and Team Vigilant, only strengthened as the debut edition of this historic regatta passed the halfway mark with seven of 12 scheduled races in the books.
Team Vigilant now leads the regatta by a remarkable 30 points having finished no race worse than a fourth and averaging just over 2 points per race. Local sailor Hannah Swett and Team MO-Amundson continued its steady climb up the rankings and now sits second with 46 points. But that position is precarious with Michelle Lahrkamp and Fair American in third with 48 points. Right behind Lahrkamp are Sarah Douglas and Team Defiant (49 points), Hannah Diamond and the Thames Swans (50 points), Ragna Agerup and Team Ursa Minor (52 points), Nicole Breault and the She-Wolves (54 points) and Katie Spithill and Shaw and Partners Women Racing (56 points).
While there are still up to five races remaining, this regatta is Team Vigilant's to lose. With seven boats within 10 points of second place, getting on the podium will likely become the primary goal for these teams. Should Grapengeter-Rudnick and her crew continue to carve through the fleet when behind—they were 17th toward the end of the first beat of the third race on Thursday and finished fourth and were as deep at 10th in the first race, which they won—trying to slow them down significantly would seem like a fool's errand.
While Team Vigilant is planning how best to defend a 30-point lead, many of the other 19 teams will be reassessing their goals in view of what's realistically possible. Scoring a top finish in an individual race is often a top goal for a team that finds the podium out of reach at this stage of the regatta. Two teams from the bottom half of the standings checked that box on Thursday.
Christina Wolfe and Cascadia Sailing has struggled to find the groove so far in this event. But for Race 6, they were locked in, grinding away after an average mid-line start and then finally overtaking Spithill just before the finish. The report of the cannon was followed by exuberant cheers from both the sailors and their fans in the spectator boat fleet.
Starting has been an adventure for Karyn Gojnich and the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron team, and Race 7 was no different as the team was one of the last few boats to cross the starting line. The saving grace of a late start, especially toward the windward end, is a clean exit and then an early right shift. Gojnich and her crew, which is led by helm Mina Ferguson and tactician Annie Wilmot, got both and were sharp enough to take advantage. A bold lay line call got them around the mark in fourth. Laura van Veen and DutchSail dominated the early part of this five-leg race, but struggled around the first leeward gate and allowed the rest of the fleet to catch back up. Gojnich took over the lead at the second windward mark. While it was never comfortable, the Australian team was able to defend first on the final upwind and take the gun for Race 3 of the day.
From the Sailors:
"I think the third race today was the culmination of all three races. Each time we got better, and we were certainly telling ourselves we've got to get off the line, and we've got to get a clear lane. And we managed that. Once we were able to get the boat going, I have to say, well done to our team in the middle, the trim team, because we're pretty happy with our speed around the course. And then, our tactician Annie just placed in the right spot.", Karyn Gojnich, Helmswoman, Team Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron
"As a team, we started practicing and training for this about March of 2025. So it's been a long time coming where we've nailed down the roles of the boat, understanding our strengths and weaknesses and working on those weaknesses. Time in the boat really pays dividends when you're actually spending a lot of time on the water with all of our teammates, as well as surrounded by other boats. The IC37 class throughout the last two summers is a really strong fleet, so being able to line up with them five times over the summer was a really nice opportunity for us to train for this event.", Carmen Cowles, Crew, Team Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick and Vigilant
"We have been working really hard on our boat speed. A lot of the people in the speed team on our boat have more ocean sailing experience, so working on keeping a tight lane has been our focus, and today in that second race today, we really figured that out. We had our speed. It felt great, so that was awesome.", Analucia Clarkson, Crew, Team Christina Wolfe and Cascadia Sailing
Results after Day 3:
| Pos | Team | Country | Boat No. | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | Megan Grapengeter‑Rudnick | USA | 19 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 16 |
| 2 | Hannah Swett | USA | 13 | 14 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 46 |
| 3 | Michelle Lahrkamp | USA | 14 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 3 | 48 |
| 4 | Sarah Douglas | CAN | 7 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 49 |
| 5 | Hannah Diamond | GBR | 11 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 8 | 50 |
| 6 | Ragna Agerup | NOR | 15 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 52 |
| 7 | Nicole Breault | USA | 1 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 54 |
| 8 | Katie Spithill | AUS | 20 | 10 | 6 | 20 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 56 |
| 9 | Laura van Veen | NED | 6 | 8 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 70 |
| 10 | Ida Svensson | SWE | 17 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 73 |
| 11 | Karyn Gojnich | AUS | 4 | 5 | 17 | 20 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 1 | 81 |
| 12 | Dominique Provoyeur | RSA | 18 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 88 |
| 13 | Lisa Ross | CAN | 12 | 4 | 9 | 16 | 18 | 14 | 17 | 11 | 89 |
| 14 | Lena Weißkichel | GER | 5 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 8 | 18 | 18 | 12 | 92 |
| 15 | Christina Wolfe | USA | 3 | 17 | 16 | 8 | 19 | 16 | 1 | 17 | 94 |
| 16 | Megan Thomson | NZL | 9 | 19 | 18 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 95 |
| 17 | Katrina Williams | BER | 2 | 16 | 14 | 19 | 20 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 96 |
| 18 | Lijia Xu | CHN | 8 | 20 | 10 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 13 | 19 | 100 |
| 19 | Marie Klok Crump | DEN | 16 | 12 | 19 | 13 | 6 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 107 |
| 20 | Eliane Fierro | MEX | 10 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 9 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 123 |
*1-point penalty
**contact penalty
What's Happening on Friday:
The forecast calls for a northwesterly with winds in the range of 10 to 15 knots, gusting to 20 knots. Warmer temperatures and sun in the afternoon. The ideal late-summer day.
About the New York Yacht Club International Women's Championship
The inaugural edition of the New York Yacht Club International Women's Championship Presented by State Street Investment Management SPY will take place September 12 to 19 at the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, R.I. The regatta will utilize the Club's fleet of 20 IC37s. The 37-foot keelboat was designed by Mark Mills to a brief developed by the Club. The IC37 is a powerful, sporty platform that rewards cohesive crew work and athleticism. The Women's International Championship is also supported by founding partner Rolex, regatta sponsor Helly Hansen and official suppliers Tiffany & Co. and Palm Beach Motor Yachts. The list of competing skippers can be viewed here.
Find out more at nyyc.org/2026-womenschamp