ICSA Women's Team Race National Championship

As teams arrived for Day 1 of the 2026 Women's Team Race National Championships, a large line of ominous weather was also moving through the area. The prudent call to postpone before rigging was made as the line brought heavy rain, winds gusting to 37 knots with very large waves, and a terrific lightning show.

After the storms passed, we waited to receive the all clear of lightning and then sent teams to the water.

At 11:45am, racing began with a lumpy sea state and an ESE breeze at 6-10 knots. Throughout the day, the breeze shifted right until settling in a SSE direction and gradually built to 7-13 knots..

Throughout the afternoon the conditions were terrific for team racing with shifts and pressure differences leaving all races never in doubt until the finish.

At 6pm the decision was made to call it for the day, mainly due to fatigue. In all 66 races were completed of the 126 race format. Teams will be starting Day 2 with an earlier start of 9:00am.

A big thank you to our PRO Kyle Assad and his RC team, along with Bill Simon and his team of umpires who were on Day 4 between the Open and Women's Championships.

Teams arrived for Day 2 to absolutely stellar conditions: Sunny skies, temps hitting the mid-80s, and breeze already 1t 7-13 knots with a promise to build throughout the day.

Racing got under way promptly at 9:00am. In only 3 hours, PRO Kyle Assad and his team were able to complete the remaining 39 races in Round 1. Teams were given a 15 minute break before Round 2 for the top 6 teams began.

Round 2 was especially tight, as the teams were quite evenly matched. As has been the case for the past few days, nearly every race came down to the finish. The breeze was no averaging 13 knots, with puffs hitting upper teens on occasion.

At 3:00pm the final four teams had been decided. After another short break those teams returned to the water for the final 6 races.

By now the breeze was truly up, with regular puffs in the upper teens and a couple actually hitting 22 knots. The team racing was at an exceptionally high level. In the end, the Stanford Cardinal pulled out a dominant win with a 21-1 record. The Yale Elis and Brown Bears rounded out the podium with 18-4, and 13-9 records respectfully.

Again, a big thank you to Southern Yacht Club for hosting these championships as well as the Race Officials, volunteers, and staff for running these events.

Congratulations to the Stanford Cardinal on their dominant win at the 2026 ICSA Women's Team Race National Championship!