Newport, R.I. — Elite-level international women’s keelboat competition will return to Newport, R.I., in late summer of 2026 when the New York Yacht Club hosts the inaugural International Women’s Championship. Top professional and amateur female sailors will compete in the Club’s fleet of 20 matched IC37 yachts, with identical sails, standardized rigging and on-the-water umpiring creating what many consider to be the most level playing field in the sport. Among the first batch of five teams being announced today are women that competed in the PUIG Women’s America’s Cup last fall and on the SailGP circuit, have won Olympic medals, earned college sailor-of-the-year honors and have raced around the world.
“The interest in this regatta was nothing short of astounding,” says Cory Sertl, the event chair. “The selection committee had the very difficult job of whittling down a field of 48 applications to create our list of 20 invited teams. We then had to break the disappointing news to some very talented sailors. But we’re so pleased with our final list. These 20 teams include some of the best sailors in the world and come from all corners of the globe.”
The inaugural edition of the New York Yacht Club International Women’s Championship 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 International Women’s Championship is supported by founding partner Rolex and regatta sponsor Helly Hansen.
The first group of invited skippers includes Marie Klok Crump (DEN), Hannah Diamond (GBR), Karleen Dixon (NZL), Michelle Lahrkamp (USA) and Katie Spithill (AUS). The remaining 15 will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Katie Spithill’s introduction to sailing came at the age of 5 when she started crewing for her brother James, who went on to make a name for himself in the America’s Cup. Katie Spithill developed into an accomplished match racer in her own right, finishing on the podium at two editions of the Women’s Match Racing World Championship. Of late, she has led all-female teams to top finishes in some of Australia’s most prestigious big-boat competitions, including the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. Among the credentialed athletes that will be joining Sptihill’s Women’s Racing AUS squad is Ocean Race veteran Stacey Jackson.
“We were drawn to the 2026 International Women’s Championship because it represents a landmark moment in high-performance women’s sailing,” says Spithill. “With elite all-female teams from around the world, including Olympians, world champions, SailGP athletes and America’s Cup sailors, the event promises a high level of competition. It’s a chance to help write sporting history, showcase Australian sailing talent and support the global push for greater female representation in elite sport.”
Drawing on a deep well of Scandinavian and American talent is the entry led by Danish native Marie Klok Crump and representing the North American Station of the Royal Scandanavian Yacht Clubs and Nyländska Yaktklubben of Finland. Crump has been competing internationally for 30 years and was ranked as high as No. 2 on the World Sailing’s Women’s Match Race Rankings. Among the crew are two Olympic medalists—Helle Jespersen and Katja Salskov-Iversen—and two royal yacht club commodores.
“Having competed in the inaugural edition of the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup in 2009 as the only female skipper, I was excited to see an event of this caliber getting launched and knew it would draw the absolute best sailors in the world,” says Crump. “We are planning a disciplined training program despite our team being spread between five countries, primarily in Europe. We will have training sessions in Newport, as well as Stockholm and Monaco to make logistics easier. We have set a slightly larger team to accommodate a longer training period with the event more than a year away and many of us having other competitions to train for and compete in.”
Between them, Michelle Lahrkamp and her younger sister Vanessa have won three Women’s College Sailor of the Year awards and six national collegiate championships. Next fall they will turn their attention toward leading a youth-infused American Yacht Club team into the International Women’s Championship. The Long Island Sound yacht club has acquired an IC37 on which the team will train for the next 15 months.
“We are proud to field a full American Yacht Club team aboard Fair American, our newly named IC37,” says Michelle Lahrhamp, who will be the skipper. “At AYC, we have an extensive women’s membership, spanning generations and disciplines, that is excited to join this team. The result is a crew of all-star talent from within AYC who are driven, collaborative and deeply committed to preparing together for this world-class competition.
“This summer, our focus is on refining boat handling and competing in Long Island Sound regattas. We’ve scheduled practices with experienced coaches from within our club—many of whom have raced at top international levels and are familiar with the IC37. We plan to participate in IC37 events in Newport next summer to sharpen our one-design starting and tactical execution. Our training plan is thoughtfully designed to build team cohesion to maximize our performance.”
Hannah Diamond was one of the helmswomen for the Athena Pathway team that finished second in the PUIG Women’s America’s Cup last fall and raced around the world on Vestas 11th Hour Racing. She will lead a team drawn from the ranks of the venerable Royal Thames Yacht Club. Joining her on the boat is Saskia Clark, a double Olympic medalist in the 470 class.
“The Royal Thames Yacht Club has a number of female sailors with international accolades within their membership,” says Diamond. “The core of the team is formed of sailors who have competed across the breadth of the sport and achieved international success and will be complemented further by utilizing the talent within the membership who have experience in similar keelboats.
“We will be putting together a solid plan of how to complete the selection of our team and will be getting out on the water as much as we can to gel as a team and make sure we put ourselves in the best position to put in our best performance on race day! We know we will face some really tough competition so we will need to be strategic in how we use our time in the buildup to the regatta.”
Karleen Dixon will aim to carry forward the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron’s impressive legacy of global yachting success at the International Women’s Championship.
“Many of us have sailed in Newport over the years and absolutely loved it—it’s an iconic sailing venue and holds a lot of great memories,” says Dixon. “We’re all really keen to return for some high-level racing. Some of us competed in the Rolex Women’s Keelboat Championship, and it was such a standout experience. Women’s keelboat racing has dropped off globally in recent years, so this is an incredible opportunity to bring it back to the forefront: 20 one-design boats, the best female sailors in the world…who wouldn’t want to be part of that?
“Our core team has been sailing together for over 30 years. We’re not just teammates, we’re lifelong friends who’ve been through births, deaths, marriages, divorces and everything in between. The strength of our bond on and off the water is pretty special, and we’re excited to take that energy into this regatta.”
The remaining 15 invited skippers will be announced in the coming weeks.
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