Winter sailing season in Miami, Florida is warming up. The M32 class is leading the charge by welcoming teams to Biscayne Bay for the 2021 M32 World Championships. The regatta is scheduled for November 18-21 with a two-day Pre-Worlds regatta scheduled on the 15th and 16th, but the teams have already been putting in time to get familiar with the local waters and prepare for the competition.
A competitive warm up regatta with new teams on the podium
The National Championships on October 23 and 24, which served as a preview for the World Championships, did not disappoint. Dutch team Bliksem, driven by Pieter Taselaar showed their strengths across a range of conditions to secure the national title. They welcomed their celebratory champagne wearing bright red hats emblazoned with the letters “MBGA,” for Make Bliksem Great Again.
Taking home 2nd place was Swedish team Inga helmed by Richard Goransson. Goransson and his crew were pleased to keep pace with the American teams who raced all summer for the competitive Midtown Cup in Newport, RI. “Really good racing, just great to see that there wasn’t a massive difference between us and the American teams,” said Chris Draper, tactician for Inga, 49er bronze medalist and veteran America’s cup sailor.
Expect drama at the Worlds
Notably absent from the podium at the National Championship were perennial contenders Convexity and Convergence, led by the siblings Don Wilson and Jen Wilson, respectively. Convexity struggled to find the pace while Convergence is still looking to find their form as a team after a long break. The Wilson siblings may have been out of the picture in October, but expect both of these teams to come out of the gates swinging when the World Championships begins.
Up against a strong field of competitors vying for the top spot is a brand new boat named Pursuit. Owner Bill Ruh and his crew began showing promise towards the end of this summer. “The reason the boat is named Pursuit is that I am in pursuit of doing better in the class,” said Ruh. And, with Sail GP athlete Rome Kirby as their tactician, you certainly can’t count out this young team. Kirby will be looking to stay ahead of his SailGP teammate Andrew Campbell, who is sailing the world championship with team Midtown Racing. The field is ready to race, drinks are on ice, and there is warm Miami weather in the forecast. This event is stacking up to be a great one.
Find full results during the event at m32world.com/results
It could be you at the next Worlds – M32 Demo Boat
The M32 Demo Boat is the perfect way to get introduced to M32 racing in a way that is tailored to your background in racing and other classes. Maybe you have your own racing team and just need a few hints on M32 specifics; or maybe you need help getting started in multi-hull racing with an experienced M32 crew.
This is the way most of our class members got introduced to the boat. The most common answer to the question “Why did you start racing the M32?” has always been, “I tried it, and then I was hooked.” The demo boat will be available this winter in Miami, Florida, and La Spezia and Garda, Italy.
