Howth Yacht Club’s team made a strong statement last weekend in Newport, Rhode Island, racing in the 2025 Safe Harbor Regatta, the perfect warm-up for next month’s Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup.

With three days of on-the-water training followed by three fiercely contested race days, the regatta gave the team the chance to fine-tune boat handling and lock in their pace against some of the best Corinthian competition in the world. Racing in the same Narragansett Bay waters that will host the Invitational Cup gave HYC a real-world rehearsal under similar conditions.

Skipper Darren Wright was pleased with the progress:

“It went exactly to plan and we progressively refined our boat handling skills over the six days of sailing to demonstrate a real turn of speed both upwind and downwind. This top-10 result gives us real confidence going into next month’s event and sets us up nicely for the final training sessions immediately before it. Whilst we were pleased with our performance and result, we also know where we left a few places on the water and we’ll be focusing on a further improvement before the Cup in September’.

A 9th-place finish overall capped off a solid performance, and the team’s hard work was further rewarded with the Best Performance on Day 3 prize, a testament to their ability to adapt and excel as the week progressed.

For full regatta standings, visit: 2025 Safe Harbor Regatta Results

The 2025 ROLEX New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup will be held September 6 to 13 at the New York Yacht Club Harbor Court in Newport, R.I. For more event information: nyyc.org/2025-rolex-nyyc-invitational-cup

Header photo credit: Steven R Cloultier