Shaw and partners women’s racing secures fifth in world-class fleet.
There was a strong Australian performance at the inaugural NYYC Women’s International Championship at Newport, Rhode Island, on 19 September 2026, with the inaugural New York Yacht Club Women’s International Championship bringing 20 teams from 14 countries to Harbour Court for 10 races in the club’s identical IC37 fleet. Katie Spithill and Shaw and Partners Women Racing finished fifth overall and as the leading non-North American team.
The championship attracted more than 200 women and a strong international fleet. Several crews arrived with extensive IC37 experience, including the eventual winner, Team Vigilant, whose campaign had been building for close to two years. Katie’s full team first stepped aboard together in Newport for this regatta.
The team, Katie Spithill, Stacey Jackson, Nina Curtis, Clare Costanzo, Sarah Parker, Juliet Costanzo, Jessica Angus, Tara Blanc-Ramos, Abby Ehler and Emma Roberts, opened with scores of 10th and 6th before a contact penalty in Race 3 resulted in a 20-point score. With no discards in the series, there was no way to remove that result.
A 10th in Race 4 was followed by a strong response: second in Race 5, second in Race 6 and sixth in Race 7. Those results lifted the Australians back into contention and left them eighth overall entering the final day.
On the last day, the team recorded a 12th in Race 8, then finished third in Race 9 to move into fifth overall.
In Race 10, they produced one of their strongest performances of the week, leading for much of the race and rounding the final windward mark in first place. Katie and the team crossed the finish line in third place.
The result secured fifth place overall on 74 points and completed an outstanding recovery from the 20-point penalty earlier in the series.
Final results
1. Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick — USA — 39 points
2. Michelle Lahrkamp — USA — 62 points
3. Hannah Swett — USA — 67 points
4. Sarah Douglas — Canada — 68 points
5. Katie Spithill — Australia — 74 points
5th Place: “The last race was fantastic. We took a bit of time to find our mode in the first race, but second and third race proved that we had our mode. We were so close to first, but we also recognized to protect second, rather than to do something risky for first place. It was a really nice way to finish: to know that we are the first team outside of the North American circle, and to know that this is only the beginning for us. The best thing about our team is we were together, we were saying how do we build and move forward, and we were still talking, we were still laughing. We had some very long debriefs, but we came back together, and that’s the exciting thing about a strong team.”
– Katie Spithill, Helmswoman, Team Shaw and Partners Women Racing
Australia was also represented by the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron team led by three-time Olympian Karyn Gojnich. Their win in Race 7 showed they could compete at the front of this strong fleet, and they finished 11th overall.
Seven of the 10 sailors were RPAYC members, reflecting the club’s investment in youth development, match racing and offshore sailing. Their response to the Race 3 setback was especially impressive. They stayed composed, returned to their routines and worked their way back through the fleet.
Virginia and I were in Newport throughout the championship to support the team. It was a pleasure to see how professionally they prepared and how closely they worked together. Special mention goes to Mark Richards and Palm Beach Marine for their support of the team and the championship. They provided accommodation for the team and the beautiful Palm Beach GT60 as a spectator boat for the racing on Narragansett Bay.
Palm Beach Marine also awarded four sailors an all-expenses-paid trip to Australia to sail aboard the Palm Beach 100 in December 2026.
Shaw and Partners was the principal partner, with valued backing from Palm Beach Marine, Vaikobi, Oroton, Buckingham Marine Services, Platinum Partners and RPAYC, together with the individuals who supported the sailors before and throughout the regatta.
The New York Yacht Club staged an excellent inaugural championship at Harbour Court. The race officials, volunteers and club staff delivered a warm and highly professional event for teams from around the world.
Robert McClelland
Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club
