Issue date
As sailors from 12 nations gather on Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, for the 2025 team racing world championship, the New Zealand squad has arrived with a healthy dose of humility, determination, and an eagerness to embrace the steep learning curve of 2-on-2 team racing in keelboats.
Representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, the Kiwi Team Racing crew may not have the same depth of team racing experience as some of their rivals. Still, their match racing pedigree and adaptability could prove to be valuable assets in this high-stakes format.
The team is led by Reuben Corbett and includes Jordan Stevenson, George Angus, Maeve White, Mason Mulcahy, Luis Schneider, Oliver Lloyd, and Zoe Dawson.
The championships, hosted by the New York Yacht Club in partnership with World Sailing, mark the return of international team racing competition after a decade-long hiatus and introduce a new twist - racing in 23-foot Sonar keelboats using a 2v2 format.
Racing starts today.
"It was fun and chaotic out there," said Stevenson after a day of practice races. "We raced against a team from Great Britain who were really good. We were looking to get the simple stuff down - set a stable foundation, get the boat-handling right, get the comms sorted out and then go from there."
That foundation will be key, as Stevenson and his teammates aim to gain momentum throughout the regatta. While the Kiwi sailors acknowledge their relative inexperience in team racing, they’re not counting themselves out.
"We absolutely have our work cut out for us, and each race is going to be full-on; I don’t think we’ll get a break," Stevenson said. "We’re coming in with no expectations and hoping that we can learn as we go. We'll be quite dynamic and adaptable, and hope to just get better as the week goes on."
Despite a strong international field - including powerhouses from the USA and Great Britain and newer entries from Argentina, Italy and Bermuda - and sporty conditions expected over the first two days, the Kiwis are optimistic.
"I feel like a lot of the teams competing have done a lot of team racing, but maybe they'll come in expecting to be very good and be less open-minded. That could be an advantage for us."
Click here for more information.
