2025/26 Season

Sail+ Racing aims to build on our performance from the previous season in both the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) and the Sailing Champions League (SCL).

This season, we are already ahead of our schedule, having won the SCL Asia-Pacific Finals for the third time. Our next goal is to qualify for the WMRT Final in China at the start of the 2026 season, with the hope of securing a place on the WMRT season podium.

Sail+ Racing 2025/26 Calendar


Event Breakdown

Photo: Sailing Champions League

2025 Sailing Champions League Asia Pacific Final

Sail+ Racing won their third Sailing Champions League Asia-Pacific Championship at the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club in Australia. 
 
The event took place over 3 days on the river in the city centre. This drew a large crowd of spectators but made conditions tricky to navigate due to the turbulent air caused by the high-rise buildings surrounding.
 
Despite the challenging conditions, Sail+ Racing won 14 out of 22 races! 
 
Event Overview
Boats: Elliot 6 (symmetrical)
Place: 1st 
Team
     Helm – Zac West 
     Main – Garth Bickford
     Trim – Gretel Payne 
     Bow – Katina Casimatey
 

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Photo: Bronny Daniels

2025 Ficker Cup

Sail+ Racing made their first trip as a team to the Long Beach Yacht Club in California, USA, for the Ficker Cup. 
 
Held from April 25-27, the Ficker Cup is the second stage of the World Match Racing Tour. In true long-beach fashion, we had a light to medium sea breeze every day with lots of geographic shifts around the islands. The Long Beach pier was a major feature for most of the pre-starts, providing teams with a continuing obstruction to play cat and mouse with. 
 

Event Overview
Boats: Catalina 37s
Place: 7th
Team
     Helm – Zac West 
     Tactics – Megan Thompson
     Main – Dan Little
     Trim –  Zach Fong
     Pit – Tiana Wittey
     Mast – Ryan Fitzgerald
     Bow – James Hayhoe 

Photo: Long Beach Yacht Club

2025 60th Congressional Cup

Held from April 30 – May 4 at the Long Beach Yacht Club in America, the Congressional Cup is stage three of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) and a World Sailing Grade WC (World Championship sailed on the Catalina 37s. 

Sail+ Racing is looking to book their place at the ‘granddaddy’ of modern world-class match racing by competing at the 2025 Ficker Cup the week before.
 

Photo: World Match Racing Tour

2025 GKSS Match Cup

The GKSS Match Cup held in the iconic harbour of Mastrand on the North Sea in Sweden is the fifth stage of the WMRT. This event is one of five World Championship Events on the tour, presenting teams with vital double points towards their WMRT Rankings.
 
The 2025 GKSS Match Cup will be held from June 30 to July 5, raced on the Fareast 28R high-performance keelboats. This is the only event on the tour that coincides with the Women’s World Match Racing Tour, competing for the Nordea Women’s Trophy.
 

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Photo: Sailpt

2025 US Grand Slam Series Oakcliff International

The Oakcliff International, held out of the Oakcliff Sailing Centre in New York, USA, was the first World Match Racing Tour event for the Sail+ Racing team back in 2024. We are returning again this season to race on the Swedish Match 40s on the scenic Oyster Bay. 
 
This event kicks off the US Grand Slam Series, taking place from August 4th to 7th.
 

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Photo: Sailpt

2025 Thompson Cup

Held out of the prestigious Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club in New York, the Thompson Cup is the second event in the US Grand Slam Series. The event is sailed on the same Swedish Match 40s as the Oakcliff International. 
 
This event was the first podium for the Sail+ Racing team on the World Match Racing Tour back in 2024. 
 

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Photo: World Match Racing Tour

2025 Bermuda Gold Cup

The final stage on the World Match Racing Tour, preceding the Final in China, is the King Edward VII Gold Cup. Commonly referred to as the Bermuda Gold Cup, this event is rich in tradition, being the oldest one-design match racing trophy in the world. 
 
The event will be held in Bermuda onboard the iconic International One Design Keelboats from October 21st to 26th. The event, like the Congressional Cup and GKSS Match Cup, is a World Championship Event, meaning double points are available towards the WMRT rankings.
 

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Photo: Zac West

2025 World Match Racing Tour Final 

The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) Final is the climax of the 2025 season, where the top 12 ranked teams on the tour come together to battle it out in a winner-takes-all regatta to be crowned the WMRT 2025 Champion. 
 
Like the past two years, the WMRT Final will be held in Dachan Bay, in the Shenzhen Baoan region of China, in the Fareast 28R high-performance keelboats in December 2025.
 
After a highly successful first season on the WMRT, Sail+ Racing competed in the WMRT 2024 Final, finishing 9th overall.
 

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Photo: World Match Racing Tour

2026 Macao Match Cup

The first stage of the 2026 World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) will take place at the Macao International Regatta, held in Macao, SAR, China. The event features three competitions: the Macao Match Cup (WMRT), the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Cup, and the Lotus Cup, attracting approximately 200 athletes from around the world. 
 
The Macao Match Cup is the first World Championship event on the 2026 WMRT calendar, with double points awarded towards the WMRT rankings, setting teams up for success in the new season. This event will be held in January 2026 on the Fareast 28R Keelboats.
 

Click here for the event website

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