2025 Six Metre World Championships at Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club - Overall
by Fiona Brown 27 Sep 2025 15:11 BST
September 22-26, 2025
Three races for both divisions on the penultimate day of the 2025 Six Metre World Championships at the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, produced some great competition and a new race winner.
With six of eight possible races completed the single discard comes into play, and the leading packs are now becoming established.
Racing was initially delayed for two hours to allow some squally rainstorms to go through, but threatened lightning failed to materialise. At 12.30 Race Officer Shannon Bush and the SCYC Race Committee got proceedings under way in the last of the rain and a broadly southerly breeze, which varied from around 6 to 20 knots and shifted constantly as the various fronts rolled through.
In the Classic Division His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain, sailing for the Real Club Nautico de Sanxenxo, and crewed by Ross MacDonald, Alejandro Abscal, Alberto Puga, Roi Alvarez and Eduardo Marin claimed the new Copa Rey Juan Carlos and also retained the historic Djinn Trophy. This is His Majesty's fourth Classic World Championship win, but for Bribon herself, previously known as Gallant, it's her fifth. Her first was under skipper Eric Jespersen in 2009 at Newport, and with His Majesty she was victorious in 2017 in Vancouver, 2019 in Hanko, 2023 in Cowes and now in Oyster Bay. She also won the Classic European Championships in 2012, 2018, 2021 and 2022, making her one of the most successful Sixes of all time.
Speaking on behalf of team Bribon, Team Manager Pedro Campos said "Well, it couldn't have gone any better for us, because winning is the best thing that can happen to you. And on top of that, we've been very solid. Finishing first four times and third once says it all.
"Today we didn't even need to sail the last race to win the championship, and the racecourse here is very, very tricky. In our case, since fortunately the boat's tactics work quite well, the fact that the racecourse is so difficult doesn't affect us as much. But the main strength - the rival's secret - is that the boat is totally versatile. It sails well in light air, it sails well in strong breeze, and it sails well in medium winds. Other boats, in their conditions, can be just as good or even better, but only in one set of conditions—while ours performs in all three.
"This week, honestly, we've seen him [His Majesty] looking really good. He has been out sailing almost every day, enjoying it enormously, and it always gives us a huge boost to see him there - with his years, and still racing, winning, and building a great team.
"A title always carries a lot of weight—you connect it with great memories—but what's really special is the place itself. This venue has wonderful things. It is similar to Galicia. But it also has sailing conditions that, as I said, are tough but make it very, very attractive. And then the people are very kind, in general. And of course, being just over an hour from New York, the families and guests, who are very important, have also been able to enjoy themselves a lot."
Also crowned with a race in hand was the 2025 Six Metre Open World Champion Momo II, sailed by Dieter Schoen of the Royal British Virgin Islands Yacht Club, crewed by Markus Wieser, Eberhard Magg, Mattias Paschen-Schauenburg and Alvaro Marinho. Momo II was only launched shortly prior to the regatta, making their achievement all the more impressive. She is a Judel/Vrolijk design and a development of Schoen's first Six which came from the same design office and with which he won both the World and European Championships in 2022.
Speaking prior to the Prize Giving, Dieter Schoen paid tribute to his team for their work in getting this new boat ready for the worlds. "We won the World Championship a few years ago. It's a big achievement. It took us a lot of effort to make it possible to be here with our new boat. There was some work to be done to get the boat ready in the boatyard and Nipper took care of this. He did an excellent job together with Federico who was responsible for the rigging.
"We designed a lot of new details for the boat, so there was a lot going on in the last nine months to be ready to race here. We had the chance to sail not more than four or five days in Kiel before we came. It's a good atmosphere is the class with competitive sailing, and this is what I like, so to win a World Championship that's an achievement for us We were quite sure that the boat was going well. We had a good feeling already in Kiel, although there was not a lot of sailing, but our feeling that the boat was performing well was quite good."
Whilst the two champions were able to sit out the final race, the remaining places were yet to be decided so both fleets were back under starters order. The breeze held just long enough for three legs of the course to be sailed, with the Race Committee shortening at the top of the second beat as the wind began to die.
In the Classic Division a second place in race seven ensured that the silver medal went to Mauricio Sanchez-Bella sailing for the RCN Sanxenxo aboard Titia, which was designed in 1952 by David Boyd to represent Britain at that year's Olympics. The bronze medal was won by San Diego Yacht Club's Greg Stewart in his beautiful C H Crane designed Sprig, which was built in 1930 by Henry B Nevins and finished fourth in the final race.
Classics race seven winner was Madcap, sailed by Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club's Hugh Jones and Russell Byers, who were also leading when the first attempt to run race seven was abandoned. For Hugh in particular, it was a lovely way to end the regatta as he has Chaired the SCYC's Regatta Committee for this event and played a huge role in bringing the Worlds back to the club for the first time since 1987.
Open Division silver and bronze medal all rested on the final race, with just three points separating second to fourth placed Duclop, Eau Vive and Aera. It wasn't long before reigning Open World Champion Jamie Hilton and his team aboard Rainer Müller's Eau Vive had found the front of the fleet, but in the unpredictable breeze holding the lead was going to be the challenge. She needed to beat Laurence Clerc's Duclop of the SN Geneve, skippered by Eric Monnin, by two places and keep Foti Lykiardopolu's Aera of the Royal Yacht Squadron behind her to secure the title. At the bottom of the run Eau Vive was still just ahead of the pack, but Duclop remained in striking distance. Duclop gave it her all on what was to be the final beat, but ultimately, she could do no better than third, allowing Eau Vive to claim the silver medal, while Duclop took bronze.
Back ashore the teams came together under the marquee on the SCYC's spectacular harbourside lawn to enjoy cocktails, a delicious gala dinner, celebrate their champions and enjoy one final evening of camaraderie. Alongside the main trophies a number of special trophies recognising boats built to different iterations of the Six Metre Rule, crews including young people and female sailors, and Corinthian (all amateur) competitors were also presented.
The Lucie Trophy goes to the highest place boat that includes a woman in the crew, and this year was won by second placed Classic Titia, whose crew includes Alicia Freire.
The Nelson Trophy is presented to the first boat in the Open Division constructed prior to 6 September 1979, and went to Adam Henley's Scallwag from Port Townsend YC, which was built by Carl Eichenlaub to a Gary Mull design in 1979.
The Robbe & Berking Trophy goes to the first Classic yacht sailing with cream/white sails and a wooden rig and was awarded to Sprig, which was without doubt one of the prettiest boats in a fleet of very beautiful yachts.
The IYRS Astor Cup is for the highest placed boat with a crew member aged 25 or under and was won by Aera, whose bowman is New Zealand International Moth sailor Sam Street.
The Tim Street Perpetual Trophy for the first Classic racing with a certificate issued under Appendix A went to Sprig.
The Open Corinthian (all amateur) Trophée Pierre-Paul Heckly went to Rainer Müller's Max'Inux skippered by Peter Wealick of the Royal Vancouver YC, and the May Be VI Classic Corinthian Trophy was won by Thomas Kuhmann's Flapper of the Bayerischer Yacht-Club.
The Open Division Shipshape Trophy for the practice race was won by Momo II, and the Maharadjah du Djeezupuhr Trophy for the Classic practice race went to Bribon.
Speaking at the gala dinner, International Six Metre Association President Louis Heckly paid tribute to the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club for creating a truly outstanding championship. In particular, he thanked them for their warm hospitality and the great friendships that the event has fostered. He also reminded everyone that whilst the 2025 Six Metre World Championship may be over, there is still plenty of Six Metre sailing to come this season. And he invited everyone to join him at the 2026 Six Metre European Championships at the Société Nautique de Genève on Lake Geneva, Switzerland from 15 to 24 July 2026, and for the 2027 World Championships at the Nyländska Jaktklubben, Helsinki, Finland from 8 to 14 August 2027.
You can find copies of all this regattas news and further information about the Six Metre Class on the ISMA's Instagram and Facebook channels and via 6metre.com.
Overall Results: (top five)
2025 International Six Metre Open World Championship
1. IBV145 - Momo II - Dieter Schoen - 2, 2, 1, 3, 1, 1, (DNS/18) = 10pts
2. SUI144 - Eau Vive - Rainer Müller/Jamie Hilton - 1, 4, 3, (5), 3, 2, 1 = 14pts
3. SUI100 - Duclop - Laurence Clerc/Eric Monnin - (8), 1, 5, 1, 2, 3, 3 = 15pts
4. GRE1 - Aera - Foti Lykiardopulo - 4, 3, 2, 2, 5, 4, (8) = 20pts
5. USA105 - Jane Ann - Basil Vasiliou - 6, 5, 4, 4, 7, (8), 2 = 28pts
2025 International Six Metre Classic World Championship
1. ESP16 - Bribon - Real Club Nautico Sanxenxo - 3, 1, 1, 3, 1, 1, (DNS/13) = 10pts
2. ESP72 - Titia - Mauricio Sanchez-Bella - (11), 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 = 13pts
3. US43 - Sprig - Greg Stewart - 5, 5, (6), 1, 3, 5, 4 = 23pts
4. USA171 - Flapper - Thomas Kuhmann - 6, 4, 3, 6, 4, 4, (8) = 26pts
5. US56 - Jill - Alessandro Maria Rinaldi - 1, 6, 4, 6, 5, (7), 5 = 27pts