The International Women’s Keelboat Regatta (IWKR) was hosted by American Yacht Club in Rye, NY the second week of August. Sixteen international teams consisting of four women each competed in J/70s. The regatta saw typical Long Island conditions – mostly light, shifty winds and strong currents.
The IWKR was one of the first US regattas to use the Championship Series concept that is popular in Europe. Two Stages were planned leading up to the final Championship Stage. Short courses (~0.2 mile windward legs) with a max time limit of 25 minutes as well as back to back racing with as little as five minutes between races kept the action lively and all the crews working hard. At the end of three days of racing (one race day was abandoned), thirty five (35) races had been completed and all scores counted toward the final results!
Our team consisted of Stacey Szabo, Molly Vandemoer, Alli Bell, and Giselle Camet Nyenhuis. The team worked well together and sailed consistently throughout the stages. After the Championship races, Team SDYC was awarded fourth place overall!
Although the regatta was the first time the team raced together, Team SDYC had the good fortune of having a handful of training session leading up to the regatta aboard Dave Vieregg’s J/70, Soggy Dollar. During these sessions, they had coaching support from Alex Camet, George Szabo, and Chris Nesbit. Their J/70 specific tricks and time on the water with the team were invaluable!
We’d like to thank SDYC for all their support along the way. The support was overwhelming and we felt like we had so many SDYC members rooting for us every day. Thank you for letting us represent the San Diego Yacht Club and we look forward to the opportunity to compete again next year!