Women in Sailing
When Annalise Murphy of the National Yacht Club won the Dinghy Division of Sailing’s Championship of the Champions in Ireland last Sunday (October 4th) after two days of racing in Melges 15s at the Royal St George Yacht Club in…
Pauline Courtois and her Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team have won a sixth consecutive World Sailing Women’s Match Racing World Championship after dominating the 2026 title decider on San Francisco Bay. The French skipper and crew Maëlenn Lemaitre,…
Irish offshore sailor Pamela Lee will be the focus of a special Dún Laoghaire gathering next Tuesday (October 6) as she prepares for her historic solo challenge in November’s Route du Rhum. As first reported by Afloat last month, Lee…
Twelve of the world’s leading women’s match racing teams will line up on San Francisco Bay this week for the 2026 World Sailing Women’s Match Racing World Championship. Hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club from September 30 to October 4,…
Former Naval Service lieutenant commander Marie Gleeson has received the inaugural “Bean na Mara/Woman of the Sea” award for her outstanding contribution to the maritime community. The award which recognises “leadership, resilience and innovation” was presented to Gleeson in Galway…
Twelve of the world’s leading women’s match-racing teams will contest the 2026 World Sailing Women’s Match Racing World Championship on San Francisco Bay from 30 September to 4 October. As previously reported by Afloat, the invitation-only championship will be hosted…
The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) has been selected to host two World Sailing championships in Auckland in November 2027. The World Sailing Youth Match Racing World Championship will run from 15-20 November, followed by the World Sailing Women’s…
Pamela Lee to Become First Irishwoman to Race Route du Rhum
12th September 2026 La Route du Rhum Race
Irish offshore sailor Pamela Lee will make history as the first Irishwoman to compete in the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe when she lines up in the race’s largest division, the 49-boat Class40 fleet, this November. The 38-year-old will race…
Three-time defending champion Johnie Berntsson will return to Hamilton Harbour in October seeking an unprecedented fourth consecutive Bermuda Gold Cup as the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club confirms an expanded 12-skipper field for the 2026 event. The October 13-18 regatta will…
Ballyholme Bay’s Emma West-Hurst has been crowned British National Female Champion while her younger brother Leo secured third overall after an outstanding showing at the Topper British Nationals in Weymouth. The Ballyholme junior sailors were among more than 100 young…
The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) and Women’s World Match Racing Tour (WWMRT) Finals will be staged together for the first time at AMAALA Yacht Club in Saudi Arabia this November, with equal $200,000 prize purses announced for the two…
NI 49erFX Duo McElwaine and Barbour Launch Crowdfunding Drive for LA 2028 Olympic Campaign
9th August 2026 LA 2028
Northern Ireland youth sailing duo Erin McIlwaine and Ellen Barbour have launched a crowdfunding drive for their campaign to compete in the 49erFX class at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The pair were added to Irish Sailing’s senior squad…
Britain's Women's America's Cup Team has unveiled a new identity as Cobham-Ultra GB2, aligning more closely with Britain's principal America's Cup team, GB1. The rebrand marks the next phase of the British campaign ahead of the Women's and Youth America's…
A screening of the documentary Women from the Sea is one of the highlights of a Mná na Mara event in Galway in early September. Former Naval Service officer and author Marie Gleeson will also be in conversation and will…
A new perpetual trophy recognising the highest-finishing female helm will be introduced at the 2026 Melges 24 World Championship in Harbor Springs, Michigan. The Meier Trophy has been donated by Regatta Chairman Tom Meier and his family and will be…
French offshore sailor Alexia Barrier is set to become the first woman to compete in the ULTIM class at the Route du Rhum–Destination Guadeloupe. Barrier will line up for the 2026 transatlantic race at the helm of the legendary IDEC…
