On a picture-perfect weekend in Newport, RI, the St. Francis Yacht Club team showcased their sailing prowess, clinching the Women’s 2v2 Team Race title in thrilling fashion. Entering the second and final day of the competition with an unblemished 9-0 record, the West Coast team held a two-point cushion over their closest rivals. However, the final day proved far from a coast to victory.
The New York Yacht Club led by Emily Maxwell team won twice—beating St. Francis for the second win—and Newport Harbor Yacht Club won once. The New York Yacht Club’s second win of the day came at the expense of St. Francis, cutting their lead and setting up a tense finish.
“Team racing is a game where there are going to be mistakes made, where you can easily lose an advantage, lose control,” said Molly Carapiet, skipper and team captain for St. Francis. “It’s just about kind of shaking it off and moving forward to the next move and what the next play is.”
Regaining their composure, Carapiet and her teammates found their rhythm, winning their next two races. This secured the title for St. Francis with one race still left on their schedule.
“It feels great,” said Carapiet. “We had really great teamwork all weekend. And on each boat, the boathandling was really strong.”
In the final standings, Team Chesapeake emerged from a three-way tie to take second place, followed by New York Yacht Club Maxwell in third and Newport Harbor Yacht Club in fourth.
First run in 2021, the Women’s 2v2 Team Race has quickly become a marquee event in the sailing calendar, attracting top female sailors from across the country. The event, held in early June at the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court, uses the Club’s fleet of 22 identical Sonar sailboats, ensuring a level playing field and a true test of skill and strategy.
While two-on-two team racing shares much with the more familiar three-on-three format seen in scholastic and collegiate sailing, it has its own unique challenges. The last-place-loses format means that no race is decided until the first three boats cross the finish line, making St. Francis’s 9-0 scoreline on Saturday all the more impressive.
“There were a lot of really tight races,” said Carapiet. “It was holding our breath, just taking one race at a time, trying to keep it simple and keep moving forward.”
The penultimate race against Newport Harbor, the two top teams from Saturday’s full round robin, was a highlight of the regatta. It featured aggressive maneuvers and was decided by mere feet, with Newport Harbor ultimately taking the win. Though the race did not affect the final standings—St. Francis was already guaranteed the win and Newport Harbor was set in fourth—it was a thrilling display of competitive sailing.
“It was such a crazy race,” said Carapiet. “We ended up converging with another race at Mark 2, and the wind was a little bit light there, so it was very down-speed. It was quite stressful, but very fun. The depth in women’s team racing has definitely increased over the past few years. I’ve been doing this a long time. It’s really cool to see the next generation coming through, and with women’s college team racing on the rise, there’s another group of women coming who are going to be really hard to beat in the future.”
The smile on Carapiet’s face, however, indicated she’ll be eager to try.
Women’s 2v2 Team Race Regatta June 1-2, 2024 New York Yacht Club Harbour Court, Newport, RI
Final Results:
- St. Francis Yacht Club, San Francisco, Calif. – 9-0, 2-2, 11 points
- Team Chesapeake, Annapolis, Md. – 6-3, 3-1, 9 points
- New York Yacht Club Maxwell, N.Y. – 6-3, 3-1, 9 points
- Newport Harbor Yacht Club, Newport Beach, Calif. – 7-2, 2-2, 9 points
- Ida Lewis Yacht Club, Newport, R.I. – 6-3, 0-4, 6 points
- Larchmont Yacht Club, N.Y. – 4-5, 3-1, 7 points
- Chicago Yacht Club – 3-6, 3-1, 6 points
- Something Chill – 3-6, 2-2, 5 points
- New York Yacht Club Reynolds – 1-8, 2-2, 3 points
- Corinthian Yacht Club, Marblehead, Mass. – 0-9, 0-4, 0 points
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