YoungBlood claims back-to-back season titles with M32 North American Championship victory
by M32 World 19 Aug 16:56 BST
The M32 regular season is complete, and Miles Julien's YoungBlood comes away with the champagne spray.
YoungBlood closed out the summer with victory at the 2026 M32 North American Championship in Newport, holding off defending champions Tuuci after 14 races to claim the Hayden Goodrick Trophy.
The championship came down to the final beat of the final race of the final day. YoungBlood entered Sunday with an eight-point advantage, but Tuuci came charging back, winning the day with a 1-3-6-3-1 scoreline and cutting the final margin to just three points.
M32 North American Championship for the Hayden Goodrick Cup
1. YoungBlood, Miles Julien | 46 points
2. Tuuci, Cy Thompson | 49
3. Midtown Racing, Larry Phillips | 61
Alongside tactician Carlos Robles, Bernardo Freitas, Leonard Takahashi and Moritz Spitzauer, Julien has steadily worked his way from newcomer and youngest skipper in the fleet to one of its teams to beat. Much of that progress has come from keeping a consistent group together over several seasons, building trust, communication and experience regatta by regatta. Now, YoungBlood has a target firmly on its back.
The North American title also carried another layer of meaning for the M32 community. The championship is dedicated to the late Hayden Goodrick, a longtime sailor in the class, with the winner receiving the Hayden Goodrick Cup.
"Hayden was a beloved sailor and friend of the M32 class and many other sailors around the world," said Dave Doucett. "It is a great honor to host the North American Championship with his legacy on the trophy, which is a gigantic Dark 'n Stormy. Friends of Hayden would know he would have appreciated that."
The regatta was the final stop of the three-event Newport Summer Series, and YoungBlood and Tuuci finished the season tied on 40 points. YoungBlood earned the series title on a tiebreak, completing a sweep of both M32 seasonal championships in 2026.
M32 Newport Summer Series
1. YoungBlood - 40
2. Tuuci - 40
3. Pursuit - 37
The YoungBloods' 2026 titles now include the M32 Winter Series, Newport Summer Series, and North American Championship.
With that, the regular season is over. Now comes the postseason.
The M32 fleet stays in Newport for the biggest prize of the year, the 2026 M32 World Championship.
YoungBlood arrives with plenty of momentum. Surge won plenty of events this year. Tuuci remains right on their heels. Pursuit and Midtown both had podium finishes this weekend. And after a North American Championship decided by only three points, there is very little separating the teams at the top.
Worlds is next.