Two-time Olympic medalist Lijia Xu of China will be among 20 international skippers competing in the inaugural New York Yacht Club Women’s International Championship this September at Harbour Court.
The regatta will be sailed Sept. 12-19 using the club’s fleet of 20 identical IC37 yachts. The 37-foot keelboat, designed by Mark Mills to a brief developed by the club, is typically sailed by nine to 11 people. Rolex is the founding partner, and Helly Hansen is the regatta sponsor.
For Xu, who will lead a team representing the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, the event represents a new kind of challenge. With three world championships and two Olympic medals to her name, all of her past sailing success has come in singlehanded boats, particularly the Optimist and ILCA 6, formerly known as the Laser Radial.
“Taking charge of the communication with a group of people, making plans and making things happen, just the beginning stage of being a skipper is already quite demanding for me,” Xu said. “The biggest challenge is the transition from just doing my own things well to now needing to look after a group of people. I am certainly not very used to it.”
Xu said her Olympic background will help her adjust. “The Olympic campaign experience equipped me with all the discipline needed to do things in the best way I can,” she said. “It is something I find as my strength everywhere I go and everything I do nowadays after retirement.”
Access to an IC37 can be difficult outside of Newport, though similar boats exist around the world. Despite limited practice time together, Xu said she is confident in her team’s ability to mesh quickly.
Another team navigating the logistical challenges is Team Aurora, helmed by Germany’s Lena Weißkichel and supported by The Magenta Project. The crew of 10 sailors represents seven countries, with additional women handling media, weather and data analysis.
“We’ve had several virtual/dry trainings to coordinate maneuvers and communication ahead of any on-water training, as well as monthly virtual team building sessions with The Magenta Project mentor Marjoleine Hulshof,” said Megan Bowling, the team’s onshore support.
The team has secured support from Long Beach Yacht Club, the Seattle Yacht Club Foundation and private donors.
“An aurora is a rare phenomenon created when powerful energies meet across hemispheres,” Bowling said. “Like the lights that unite the world’s skies, our team brings together elite women sailors from across the world to shine as one.”
The full list of invited skippers includes Ragna Agerup of Norway, Nicole Breault of the United States, Marie Klok Crump of Denmark, Hannah Diamond of Great Britain, Sarah Douglas of Canada, Eliane Fierro of Mexico, Karyn Gojnich of Australia, Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick of the United States, Michelle Lahrkamp of the United States, Dominique Proyoveur of South Africa, Lisa Ross of Canada, Katie Spithill of Australia, Ida Swensson of Sweden, Hannah Swett of the United States, Laura van Veen of the Netherlands, Weißkichel, Katrina Williams of Bermuda, Christina Wolfe of the United States and Xu.
Sailors interested in joining a crew can submit information through the Women’s International Championship Crew Finder, which will be made available to qualified skippers.
