On Saturday and Sunday September 7^th and 8^th, seven talented crews will set sail at the Eastern Yacht Club for the first Women’s IOD Invitational Regatta. 

The all-female teams will compete in evenly matched International Class sloops, one of the most storied of all Marblehead one-design classes. The regatta is organized by the Eastern Yacht Club and the Marblehead IOD Fleet.

Competitors include teams led by ex-USA Olympian Isabelle Farrar, Baltimore-based match racer Jordan Hecht, recent IOD World Championship helmsperson Mia Thompson, Bermudian Amelia Lewis, and three teams featuring local skippers – Carolyn Corbet, Hanna Vincent, and Emily Jennings.  The Race Committee will be led by the EYC’s Susie Schneider, and the Chief Judge is Danielle Lawson, a US Sailing National Judge (who will be supported by Nancy Glover and Charlyn Feeney.

The International Class has been a fixture in Marblehead Harbor since 1938. These beautiful boats are known world-wide for their strict attention to one-design principles – not only are the hulls and spars identical from boat to boat, the sails the boats carry are also identical. As a result, the racing in Internationals becomes a true test of sailing skills, not equipment.  

The boats that make this event possible were generously loaned by the Marblehead owners.  All of the boats that are actively raced in Marblehead were made available for the regatta.  The boats include two 1937 woodies – #45 POMPANO and #76 SPIRIT, three from the late 1950s: and #1 VAGABOND,  #7 GYPSY, and #49 KUNGSORNEN, one of the last (possibly THE last) woodie built at the Aas yard, #46 VIKING; and glass boats #2 ELEKTRA, #16 TANGO, #29 (#29!), and #130 JAVELIN.  The willingness of our owners to support this new event cannot go unacknowledged.  Thank you for your help.  We know our visiting sailors will treat your boats well. 

2024 has been a very competitive season in Marblehead. All of our boats have led races, and all but one found itself on the podium at some point during the summer. The boats are sailing well, and sailing evenly.  On Sunday evening the winning team at the Women’s Invitational will have earned their prize – they will have proven to be the team that made the most of the winds and waves, and handled their boat the best.