Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick and Team Vigilant Seize Control as Leaderboard Shuffles on Day 2

By Sailing Times Newsroom·17 September 2026·4 min read

NEWPORT, R.I. As the southwesterly breeze built through Day 2 of the Women’s International Championship presented by State Street Investment Management and SPY, so did the confidence of Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick’s Team Vigilant. The team scored just five points in three races, moving from third to first in the regatta, and now owns a nine-point advantage over second place.

While the breeze was demonstrably stronger and steadier than yesterday, it was still tricky racing on Rhode Island Sound with plenty of passing lanes and opportunities to see hard-fought gains slip away. Ida Svensson’s team, which won yesterday’s race and carried the yellow leader’s spinnaker on Day 2, found itself battling in the middle of the fleet all day and fell to seventh overall. Yesterday’s runner-up, Ragna Agerup and Team Ursa Minor, looked on track for another strong day until it all came apart in the third race. An 18th dropped the Norwegian team to third overall, 18 points off the lead and nine points out of second.

So who moved up into the vacuum created on the podium? Hannah Diamond and the Thames Swans team was rarely outside the top five today and now sits second. Michelle Lahrkamp and Fair American climbed to fourth while Hannah Swett and Team MO-Amundsen won the day’s final race and now sit fifth overall.

Three other teams to note are Marie Klok Crump and Team North American Station of the Royal Scandinavian Yacht Clubs, Lilly Xu and Team Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, and Eliane Fierro and Team Avante. Each of those teams, after struggling with double-digit scores in the first three races, broke into the top 10 in today’s final race, possibly auguring some stronger performances over the final three days of competition.

From the Sailors:

“Our mantra for the day was trust the process, which I think we did quite well. We’ve had a lot of training, we’ve put a lot of time in the bank together, and we just had to trust that we’ve done all that we can to prepare for a day like today. I think we felt really solid, really confident in all of our settings and made some good decisions and it ended up being great.”
— Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick, Helmswoman, Team Vigilant representing Sail Newport

“The fleet is certainly pushing the starting line, which is challenging. Defiant and many others were over. So, just recognizing where are the opportunities that we can climb back? Where can the speed team focus on going as fast as possible, and how can we just continue to get more boats back and focus on our speed. Speed was everything today. I think with the waves, and for us, we had some experience in the IC37, I think it paid off. I think the teams that have had experience in the IC37 really showcased their skills today.”
— Sarah Douglas, Helmswoman, Team Defiant

“We’ve still got so much to learn about these boats, so we knew we just had to keep figuring things out as we went, and every point counts because there’s no drops this series. But we’re feeling like we’re landing the boat really well, and just having a really awesome time. I think we’re finding with this fleet and these boats, that the mistakes, especially on the downwind with your positioning, are really, really punishing. So you’ve just got to make sure you’re in clear air. Finding some space on the course to go fast is huge. The fleet can get quite congested just because it’s so closely contested. So anytime you can get free, then that’s a huge help.”
— Hannah Diamond, Helmswoman, Team Thames Swans

The inaugural edition of the New York Yacht Club International Women’s Championship presented by State Street Investment Management and 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.

Results

1. Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick (USA) (3,1,2,2; 8)
2. Hannah Diamond (GBR) (6,7,1,3; 17)
3. Ragna Agerup (NOR) (2,3,4,17; 26)
4. Michelle Lahrkamp (USA) (8,8,5,5; 26)
5. Hannah Swett (USA) (14,2,11,1; 28)
6. Sarah Douglas (CAN) (16*,5,6,4; 31)
7. Ida Svensson (SWE) (1,11,7,16; 35)
8. Nicole Breault (USA) (14*,4,2,14; 35)
9. Lena Weißkichel (GER) (9,12,15*,8; 44)
10. Laura van Veen (NED) (8*,15,10,11; 44)
11. Katie Spithill (AUS) (10,6,20**,10; 46)
12. Lisa Ross (CAN) (4,9,16,18; 47)
13. Dominique Provoyeur (RSA) (11,13,12,13; 49)
14. Marie Klok Crump (DEN) (12,19,13,6; 50)
15. Lijia Xu (CHN) (20,10,15,7; 52)
16. Karyn Gojnich (AUS) (5,17,20,15; 57)
17. Megan Thomson (NZL) (19,18,9,12; 58)
18. Christina Wolfe (USA) (17,16,8,19; 60)
19. Eliane Fierro (MEX) (18,20,17,9; 64)
20. Katrina Williams (BER) (16,14,19,20; 69)