Lightning and torrential rain kept competitors ashore for what was meant to be the first day of mandatory practice for the 2026 NYYC Women’s International Championship, presented by State Street Investment Management / SPY. The disappointment didn’t last: teams gathered instead for a post-racing party hosted by Palm Beach Motor Yachts, where sailors who’d followed each other’s careers from dinghies through keelboat campaigns finally shared the same room.
“There are multiple women here that we have followed for years on social media, their entire campaign through dinghies and keelboat sailing, so it is a little starstruck to be faced with people that we’ve followed for years,” said Robyn Patrick, co-captain of Dominique Provoyeur and Team Granate RSA. “It’s incredible that we’re all going to be on the start line, that so many incredible women have managed to gather in one space.”
Practice picked up under sunny skies the following day, with the fleet running starts and practice races off Halfway Rock in a north-westerly breeze. Organizers say the forecast turns lighter for the opening days of racing, a shift that could favour crews less experienced sailing the IC37 in heavy air. Racing begins September 15, running through the inaugural championship’s close on September 19 at the New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court in Newport.
