Report: RPAYC
Photos: Margaret Fraser-Martin, Margs Yacht Photos
Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club is proud to support Shaw and Partners Women Racing as the team prepares to represent the Club at the inaugural New York Yacht Club Women’s International Championship.
Racing in 20 identical one design ILC 37s will take place over 5 days from 12-19 September, with the championship attracting 20 topflight women skippers and crews from 14 nations.
This championship marks a significant milestone for international sailing, with the New York Yacht Club hosting a dedicated women’s invitational event for the first time. Previous editions of the event have been contested as open competitions, with RPAYC’s Team Revolver representing the Club in last year’s championship.
The squad is proudly anchored by RPAYC, with the majority of the team being Club members. Representing Women's Racing are:
- Katie Spithill – Co-Founder & Skipper – RPAYC Member,
- Stacey Jackson – Co-Founder, Crew Boss & Trimmer – RPAYC Member
- Emma Roberts – Team Communication & Logistics Manager, Mast
- Nina Curtis – Trimmer – RPAYC Member
- Tara Blanc-Ramos – Bow
- Clare Costanzo – Tactician – RPAYC Member
- Alice Tanawaski – Runners / Strategy – RPAYC Member
- Sarah Parker – Mainsheet – RPAYC Member
- Juliet Costanzo – Grinder – RPAYC Member
- Abby Ehler – Pit
Founded by RPAYC sailors, Katie Spithill and Stacey Jackson, Shaw and Partners Women Racing brings together some of Australia’s most accomplished female sailors with a shared vision of creating meaningful opportunities for women to compete, develop and succeed at the highest levels of sailing.
Co-Founder and Skipper Katie Spithill said Women's Racing had always been about building something much bigger than a single campaign.
“Women's Racing was never intended to be a single campaign or a single regatta. It was created to bring together exceptional women, create opportunities, and build a platform that continues to grow long after the finish line. The inaugural New York Yacht Club Women’s International Championship is an incredible place to begin that journey, but it’s only the first chapter of what we hope Women's Racing will become.”
Co-Founder and Crew Boss Stacey Jackson said the opportunity to represent Australia was matched by the responsibility to help create more opportunities for women in the sport.
“We’ve all spent our careers chasing opportunities to compete at the highest level. The Shaw and Partners Women Racing campaign is about making sure those opportunities continue to grow for the women coming after us. To be part of the inaugural New York Yacht Club Women’s International Championship is incredibly special, and I’m proud to be part of a team that’s focused on both performance and the bigger picture. Doing it alongside crew who are also great mates makes it even more rewarding.”
Also supporting the campaign alongside the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club is Buckingham Marine Services, together with Supporting Partners Vaikobi, Oroton and Platinum Partners, Palm Beach Motor Yachts, helping create a sustainable platform for high-performance women’s sailing that extends well beyond a single regatta.
The team’s first international campaign will see Shaw and Partners Women Racing compete in the inaugural New York Yacht Club Women’s International Championship, bringing together leading yacht clubs from around the world for one of the most significant new events on the global sailing calendar.
The official launch was held at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron before the team departed for a training session on Sydney Harbour, marking the formal beginning of the campaign under the new name.
Looking beyond New York, Spithill said the campaign represented another important milestone in the continued evolution of Women Racing.
“Women Racing has always been about creating opportunities for exceptional women to come together, challenge themselves and compete at the highest level. This team is the next chapter in that journey. The inaugural New York Yacht Club Women’s International Championship gives us an incredible opportunity to showcase what’s possible, while continuing to build something that extends well beyond a single event or campaign.”
Women Racing combines Olympic, world championship and elite sailing experience with a commitment to fostering participation, excellence and long-term growth in women’s sailing. The team brings together athletes from across Australia who share a passion for elite competition while creating greater visibility and opportunities for women in the sport.
The squad includes Olympians, world champions, Admiral’s Cup winners, Women’s America’s Cup and SailGP competitors, world record holders and internationally recognised sailors, demonstrating the depth of Australian female talent while creating a platform that supports both high performance and the next generation of women entering the sport.
Crosbie Lorimer of Bow Caddy media spoke to then RPAYC Commodore Robert McClelland and incoming 2026-27 Commodore Julia Hornsby at the launch who outlined the club's initial involvement in Women's Match Racing:
''As a yacht club, our initial involvement goes back to 1992 when we began our Youth Development program. '' Robert said
''Over the ensuing 30 odd years, we've developed a lot of very good sailors, and here today we see some of the fruits of that as seven of the 10 sailors on there came through on Katie's boat, and came through our YD program.
Crosbie: Tell us a bit more about that, Julia. That's an important piece in any yacht club, isn't it?; Keeping the young folk coming through in competitive fleets.
Julia: ''It's a really important part of any yacht club because it teaches the young, it upskills the young people. It teaches them teamwork and self discipline and exposes them to the global world of yacht racing. We've had sailors that have gone on to compete around the world. We've had Olympians, we've had world champions and they've now learned to give back to our future youth sailing and that's very powerful.''
Crosbie: Robert, the [RPAYC] has had a good reputation for kind of democratising that through the club. You've got people like Richard Hudson who brought a lot of these people on through Pretty Woman and others.
Robert: Yes, that's right. Richard on Pretty Woman, a number of the sailors, Ellis and Sarah and Claire and Juliet have all done a Hobart or two or three maybe with Richard and he's taught them navigating skills. He's taught them seamanship skills that really you can't get just by sailing around a harbor. That's a really fantastic program that Rich has run over the number of years on Pretty Woman out of our club.
Crosbie: Finally, how do you think we're going to go Julia?
Julia: We have two very good teams and I have every confidence that we're going to leave our mark over in New York.
As Shaw and Partners Women Racing begins its first international campaign, the team hopes to inspire more women and girls to pursue competitive sailing while demonstrating the strength, professionalism and depth of female talent within Australian sailing.
You can follow the team at: www.instagram.com/womenracingaus
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Emma Roberts and Patrick Langley, Founder & CEO at Vaikobi, Warriewood (founded here in 2012) with incoming RPAYC Commodore Julia Hornsby, at the official launch on July 19 2026 at RSYS. The RSYS has links with Pittwater going back to 1890's Basin Regattas
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Olympian Nina Curtis forms part of the Shaw and Partners Women Racing team
Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron Team
Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (RSYS) Vice Commodore and three-time Olympian Karyn Gojnich is among the invited skippers and will lead the RSYS campaign. Gojnich said the opportunity marks a significant milestone for women's sailing at RSYS:
"The NYYC Women's International Championship is an extraordinary opportunity for the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron to accelerate our already strong women's sailing program. It represents the pinnacle of the RSYS pathway program, from learn to sail, to the LOTS Coaching Regatta, Tuesday Twilights, one design sailing and both inshore and offshore opportunities. Many of our female members, including our Academy and Squadron Keelboat Program sailors are already competing nationally, and internationally. The NYYC Regatta caps that pathway to elite sailing.
''We've had a training Squad of more than 20 women on the water since April, bringing together a wide range of experience — from Olympic hopefuls to national competitors and emerging talent. Every member has shown tremendous enthusiasm, commitment to learning, and a drive to develop as a high performing team. We are proudly a development team, and I'm excited to see how far we can progress in the months ahead and on the start line in Newport.
''Every sailor in this squad has played an important role in our journey. Whether sailing, coaching, supporting or stepping into different crew positions, each has contributed to the culture, standards and camaraderie that define our program. I am proud to introduce our full squad." Karyn said
Representing the RSYS team in Newport will be:
- Karyn Gojnich OLY – Team leader, Co-helm and Float, RSYS Vice Commodore and three-time Olympian
- Annie Wilmot – Tactician, 49erFX sailor campaigning for LA 2028 Olympics, port trimmer on Andoo Team Australia for the first ever Women's America's Cup.
- Mina Ferguson – Co-helm, WAZSP Female Vice World Champion, currently campaigning for Moth World Championship
- Emily Keg – Main trimmer, RSYS SKP graduate, Australian Women’s Match Racing winner and regular crew on RSYS Kerr 40 Minerva
- Annabel Connery – Jib/Spinnaker Trimmer, RSYS SKP graduate, Sailing Champions League Youth Team member, J/70 sailor, regular crew on RSYS Kerr 40 Minerva
- India Gilbert – Jib/Spinnaker Trimmer, RSYS SKP graduate, 420s, 470s, 49erFX, World Match Racing tour, Women’s World Match Racing tour, J70s, Etchells and yacht fleet racing. Campaigning in the International 470 for LA 2028 Olympics
- Clare Crosswaite – Pit, Elliott 7 skipper, Elan S3, Far East 28, Etchells and J70 sailor.
- Susan Hardy – Mast, Fleet racer, including RSYS yacht Andiamo!, 2026 RSYS Crewperson of the Year.
- Vicki Kornman – Bow, One design sailing including ILCA Nationals, J70 State and Nationals
The crew is supported by project manager and reserve sailor Susan Metcalf (Sydney 38 co-owner and skipper), and shore manager Amanda Hicks (Jeanneau 349 owner and skipper). Also, on standby in Newport will be Alexandra Ford, Danielle Gerace, Michelle McGrath and Angela Morrison.
Our preparation has been helped enormously by Scott Lawson and David Ferguson making their IC37 Mittere available for us to train on. Scott and RSYS Coach Nev Wittey have also generously shared their time and knowledge to build our skills on the boat. Also supporting us laying marks and videoing manoeuvres has been Alistair Metcalf and Jono McCray.
New York Yacht Club
The inaugural New York Yacht Club Women’s International Championship will be held from 12 to 19 September 2026 at New York Yacht Club Harbour Court in Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
Invited Skippers: Ragna Agerup (NOR), Nicole Breault (USA), Marie Klok Crump (DEN), Hannah Diamond (GBR), Sarah Douglas (CAN), Eliane Fierro (MEX), Karyn Gojnich (AUS), Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick (USA), Ida Svensson (SWE), Michelle Lahrkamp (USA), Dominique Proyoveur (RSA), Lisa Ross (CAN), Katie Spithill (AUS), Hannah Swett (USA), Megan Thomson (NZL), Laura van Veen (NED), Lena Weißkichel (GER), Katrina Williams (BER), Christina Wolfe (USA) and Lijia Xu (CHN).
The New York Yacht Club said:
''The first group of invited skippers included Marie Klok Crump (DEN), Hannah Diamond (GBR), Karleen Dixon (NZL), Michelle Lahrkamp (USA) and Katie Spithill (AUS).''
''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.”
More at: nyyc.org/2026-womenschamp