New York Yacht Club International Women's Championship: Invited skippers announcement no. 3
by New York Yacht Club 14 Jul 18:42 BST
September 12-19, 2025
New York Yacht Club International Women's Championship © Rolex / Daniel Forster
While there is no nationality requirement for the crews that will compete in the 2026 New York Yacht Club International Women's Championship, a number of teams are embracing the opportunity to wave their respective national flags at the debut edition.
"I imagine that we will be an all South African team," says Dominique Provoyeur. "Even though we do not have to all be from the same country, this will be an incredible testament to the depth of talent in our country."
Provoyeur represented her home country in the 2008 Olympics and is also an accomplished endurance athlete having competed in events including the Cape Epic mountain bike race and Expedition African adventure race.
"Even if I wasn't part of the sailing team, I knew South Africa needed to be represented one way or another," she says. "Having competed at the prestigious Rolex International Woman's Keelboat Championship in J/22s a few times, I feel obliged to introduce more South African woman sailors to the international scene, to open doors and help them realise what opportunities are available for anyone who wishes to race competitively. For me to be able to again represent my country, and expose a team of South African sailors to this race, will be an honor."
The third group of invited skippers for the 2026 New York Yacht Club International Women's Championship includes Nicole Breault (USA), Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick (USA), Dominique Proyoveur (RSA), Laura van Veen (NED) and Lijia Xu (CHN).
The inaugural edition of the New York Yacht Club International Women's Championship will take place September 12 to 19, 2026, 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.
Lijia "Lily" Xu made history in 2008 when she won a bronze medal for China in the Laser Radial class at the Beijing Olympics. It was China's first sailing medal in something other than a windsurfer. She cemented her legacy four years later when she won gold in the same class at the London 2012 Games. She hopes to break new ground again by leading a team of Chinese sailors representing the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club to victory in the International Women's Championship.
"This is an event that gathers the top level of female sailors all around the world and celebrates women's sailing, while hopefully encouraging more girls to try out the sport," Xu says. "I believe this event will inspire more girls to join the sport and pursue their sailing dreams. Racing in one-design keelboats will be a true test of each team's skills and teamwork at the highest level."
Laura van Veen will skipper the DutchSail entry and will benefit from from a very deep pool of accomplished Dutch sailors from which to fill out her crew.
"From the moment [fellow Dutch sailor] Saar van Bemmel mentioned the International Women's Champoinship, we knew that it would be a great opportunity for us to bring together a team that blends seasoned sailors with a new generation, many of whom have gained offshore experience through the Rotterdam Offshore Sailing Team," says van Veen, who has done more than 45,000 miles offshore on blue-water racing machines such as a Volvo 65 and DK46. "Since 2018, the Netherlands has ranked as the world's leading sailing nation in Olympic classes and has proven itself in match racing, The Ocean Race and the PUIG Women's America's Cup. That's why we're confident—and proud—to compete at this World Championship."
Among the sailors expected to join van Veen are Olympic medalists Annemieke Bes and Annette Duetz.
As a long-time resident of the San Francisco Bay area and a top-ranked match racer, Nicole Breault is hoping that the late summer of 2026 brings some fresh breeze to Newport to spice up the regatta.
"I love throwing down in the arena with great competition," says Breault, a four-time national match-racing champion and former college All-American at Yale University. "This event promises to assemble top-shelf competition from around the globe. The IC37 will be an outstanding platform for us to show our stuff!
"My team will consist of members and allies of the St. Francis Yacht Club. Some have been an essential part of Vela Racing including Molly Carapiet, Molly O'Brien Vandemoer, McKenzie Wilson and Dana Riley Hayes. Battling together in match racing over the years with these ladies has dialed us into a well-oiled machine."
US Sailing's Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year award is one of the top honors in the sport. Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick hopes that having three former winners on board—Carmen and Emma Cowles and two-time Olympian Stephanie Roble—will set her team on a path to the podium. The team will represent Sail Newport.
"We're developing a team of incredible women sailors who represent a diverse background of experience," says Grapengeter-Rudnick, who has skippered an IC37 in New York Yacht Club regattas the past two summers. "The Vigilant team has dinghy, keelboat, offshore and one-design racers all together in one boat. Some of our team members are recent college graduates and some are well into their sailing careers; all of us are thrilled to add the experience of training for and competing in the International Women's Championship to our belt.
"We started preparing for this event months before we received an invitation in the hopes of getting the team on the water together as early as possible. In March 2025, we hosted an intensive training weekend with coaches in Fort Lauderdale, where most of the Vigilant team came together to establish a high-performance team culture in a wide range of wind conditions. Team Vigilant has already participated in the IC37 Kickoff in June, as well as the Annual Regatta and Around-the-Island Race. We plan to train together throughout the rest of the 2025 season and are looking into winter training options."
The final group of invited skippers for the 2026 New York Yacht Club International Women's Championship will be announced next week.
Invited Skippers:
Ragna Agerup (NOR), Nicole Breault (USA), Marie Klok Crump (DEN), Hannah Diamond (GBR), Karleen Dixon (NZL), Sarah Douglas (CAN), Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick (USA), Julia Gross (SWE), Michelle Lahrkamp (USA), Dominique Proyoveur (RSA), Katie Spithill (AUS), Hannah Swett (USA), Laura van Veen (NED), Christina Wolfe (USA) and Lijia Xu (CHN).