Racing for the 9th Rolex NYYC Invitational Cup starts tomorrow

by New York Yacht Club 9 Sep 05:53 NZST September 6-13, 2025

Rolex NYYC Invitational Cup © New York Yacht Club

April showers bring May flowers, but September showers, especially in New England, often leave behind a spate of dry late-summer perfection: crisp evenings, warm days and pleasant breezes.

So, while no one was excited for yesterday's three-hour practice race session on Narragansett Bay in the occasionally pouring rain, it seems a small price to pay for a week of great weather for the portion of the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup that counts.

Today, all 20 amateur teams competing for Corithian yachting's more prestigious trophy are on Rhode Island Sound for a second and final day of mandatory practice racing. Tomorrow, at 11 a.m., the ninth edition of the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup will get under way with the first of up to 12 races. The forecast for the week, with the rain now in the rearview mirror, is for mostly sunny skies, seasonable temperatures and predominantly light to moderate winds. It's the sort of conditions where almost every team feels comfortable. That collective confidence, combined with the expertly maintained fleet of matched IC37s, means all teams tend to go the same speed and often arrive at the first windward mark en masse. It's great for spectators, less so for the umpires and boatwrights who have to sort out the legal and structural ramifications of any incidents.

John Greenland, helmsman for the Royal Thames Yacht Club - photo © Allison Chenard / NYYC

"You can sail your very best and still [have a few] small errors and you lose boatlengths," said John Greenland, helmsman for the Royal Thames Yacht Club and a seven-time Invitational Cup veteran. "And once you're losing boatlengths and you're in the middle of the fleet, it's really hard to get out get out of the bubble. For us, we just want to make sure we do our best to keep things clean, especially in the first half of the regatta. Hopefully that sets us up as the event develops."

Twenty teams from 12 countries will compete in the ninth Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, a biennial regatta hosted by the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, R.I. Since the event was first run in 2009, it has attracted top amateur sailors from 52 of the world's most prestigious yacht clubs from 23 countries.

After five editions in the Swan 42 class, the 2025 event will be the fourth sailed in the IC37, designed by Mark Mills. The strict one-design nature of this purpose-built class, combined with the fact that each boat is owned and maintained by the New York Yacht Club, ensures a level playing field not seen in any other amateur big-boat sailing competition. The regatta will run from Saturday, September 6, through Saturday, September 13, with racing starting on Tuesday, September 9. A live broadcast on Facebook and YouTube, starting on Wednesday, September 10, will allow fellow club members, friends, family and sailing fans from around the world to follow the action as it happens. The 2025 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup is brought to you by title sponsor Rolex and regatta sponsors Helly Hansen, Safe Harbor Marinas and Peters & May.

Yesterday's practice, while soggy, provided competitors with a surprisingly broad range of conditions. The northerly wind ranged from the upper teens early to the single digits by the end of the afternoon and the tide, which is always a factor when racing inside Narragansett Bay, switched midway through the practice session. The ebb that had kept competitors off the line in the first set of practice starts, suddenly became a flood tide that pushed nearly half the fleet over during one of the later practice starts.

Johanna Sommarlund, helmswoman for the Royal Swedish Yacht Club (Bow No. 8) - photo © Allison Chenard / NYYC

"[Sunday's practice] was really good for us," said Johanna Sommarlund, helmswoman for the Royal Swedish Yacht Club. "We had a little bit of current and practiced in that to get the starts going in those conditions. I also think that it was really good to get some light winds. Earlier this week we had quite a lot of wind, and we really like that. So we needed that light-wind practice."

The starting practice—and learning how to best utilize the Velocitek RTK Race Management System, which automates the calling of the starting line—was also a highlight of the day for the Howth Yacht Club team.

"Everyone was quite accurate with the starting practice, so it really meant you had to get off the line well and then pick your shifts," said Ewan McMahon, the tactician for Howth. "I think just good starts and getting off the line clean [are a key for HYC this week]. I think we have good speed and once we're out in front, we know how to get around the racecourse well."

Ewan McMahon, the tactician for Howth - photo © Allison Chenard / NYYC

In addition to practice racing, the fleet of nearly 200 sailors enjoyed a speed and boathandling session with North Sails sail designer and one-deisgn world champion Mike Marshall and a local knowledge seminar with Spencer Ogden.

"We took away some good things today," said Sommarlund. "I think the weather briefing was really good for us as well to try to tune into what the current's supposed to be doing. We never know what it's going to look like when we're actually out there."

Racing in the ninth edition for the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup runs from Tuesday through Saturday, starting at 11 am each day. The competition will take place on Rhode Island South, south of Newport, or in Upper Narragansett Bay, north of Gould Island. A live broadcast on Facebook and YouTube, starting Wednesday, will cover each race of the final four days.

2025 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, invited clubs: