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Tuesday, October 27, 2026
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Dias helps Tulane Secure Yale Fleet Race Podium Finish
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Bermudian sailor Sophia Dias played a key role as Tulane University mounted an impressive showing to secure a third-place overall finish at the Yale Women’s Fleet Race in New Haven, Connecticut.
Competing across two divisions on the waters of Granite Bay, the Green Wave took on a competitive 18-team collegiate field, tallying a combined final score of 146 through 13 rotations to land a spot on the regatta podium.
Tulane's consistent execution in testing conditions saw the team register 15 top-five finishes, highlighted by four race victories across the weekend.
The foundation for the podium finish came via a dominant performance in the B Division, where skipper Paige Tillson joined forces with crews Perrin Mueller and Winnie Young to set the pace. The trio took outright honours in their division, accumulating just 56 points while taking three race victories from their 13 starts.
Dias took to the water in the A Division, splitting duties across the rotations. The young Bermudian skippered alongside crew Caitlin Briggs, while Lola Kohl paired with crew Skye Terrell to share the helm for the Green Wave.
The four-sailor unit maintained a steady rhythm against top-tier opposition, finishing fifth in the A Division with a total score of 90 to ensure Tulane remained firmly in the upper echelon of the overall standings.
The performance caps another accomplished collegiate outing for Dias and the Green Wave ahead of their upcoming championship schedule.
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Tuesday, October 27, 2026
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Meyers Leads Bermuda Contingent in South Americans
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Bermuda’s young sailors have launched their campaigns at the 2026 Optimist South American Championship in Punta del Este, Uruguay, navigating a fiercely competitive 180-boat fleet on opening day.
Six young island sailors—five boys and one girl—took to the waters of Maldonado Bay as fleet racing got underway, with Heath Meyers setting the early pace among the contingent.
Meyers produced a consistent opening round, crossing the line ninth in race one before following up with a 19th-place finish in race two. That leaves him on 28 net points and 37th overall in the expansive international fleet.
Rex Henagulph looked poised to challenge near the front after a fine start, claiming sixth in the opening heat. However, a standard penalty in race two relegated him to 42nd, leaving him on 48 points in 64th position.
Jesse Savage sits 95th overall on 66 points after recording finishes of 30th and 36th, while Aaron Riker holds 132nd spot with 86 points following a 41st and 45th.
Elaine Jones, the sole female sailor in Bermuda's travelling squad, carded 39th and 54th to sit 146th on 93 points, with Alfie Jansma rounding out the group in 156th after logging a 49th and 51st (100 points).
Fleet racing continues through the week in Punta del Este, with up to ten races scheduled alongside a dedicated team racing championship.
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Friday, October 23, 2026
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Taylor-Nagel Offshore Veteran Steering Bermuda's Gold Cup Ambition
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Some sailors simply join a crew. Others help build it from the keel up.
For Emily Taylor-Nagel, SSL Team Bermuda was little more than an ambitious concept when she first got involved. Now, as the island ramps up preparations for the 2026 SSL Gold Cup in Rio de Janeiro, the seasoned offshore sailor finds herself at the very heart of the campaign.
Taylor-Nagel’s connection to the water began at the age of 10, when a family friend introduced her to an Optimist dinghy at Mangrove Bay. A quick affinity for the sport soon transitioned into competitive racing in RS Fevas while attending boarding school in the United Kingdom, laying the groundwork for an elite international career.
Her defining milestone arrived during the 2017–18 Volvo Ocean Race, where she navigated the treacherous waters around Cape Horn. Enduring a gruelling edition defined by immense physical toll and heartbreak, rounding the Horn alongside a close-knit crew fulfilled a lifelong ambition that, for Taylor-Nagel, surpassed any podium silverware.
That hard-won offshore pedigree is now being channelled directly into Bermuda’s national effort on the high-performance SSL47 yachts.
"We may be small, but we are mighty," Taylor-Nagel said. "Bermuda can compete with the best, even when many of our sailors are balancing full-time jobs with their passion for sailing."
The Gold Cup format demands razor-sharp coordination aboard the 47-foot monohulls—a steep learning curve for crews with restricted preparation windows. For Taylor-Nagel, the objective extends beyond results to mentorship: exposing local talent to grand-prix keelboats and watching the next generation of Bermudian sailors gain confidence at the international level.
With time on the water strictly limited ahead of the qualifying stages, Taylor-Nagel insists that securing dedicated coaching will be vital to bridging the gap against full-time professional outfits.
"A coach will be crucial to accelerating learning, providing an outside perspective and holding everyone accountable," she added. "There is always something new to learn, whatever your experience."
Bermuda has never lacked natural maritime talent or grit. Yet as the countdown to Rio quickens, the focus shifts to fine margins—maximising limited training slots, sharpening crew manoeuvres, and ensuring the island's punchy squad arrives in Brazil ready to ruffle feathers on the global stage.
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Thursday, October 22, 2026
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Dalhousie claim Québec Championship Honours
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Dalhousie University Sailing continued their fine form on the Canadian collegiate circuit, capturing the Québec Championship and McGill Invitational regional title after a composed regatta off the Pointe-Claire Yacht Club.
The Halifax-based university, featuring Bermudian sailors Nicole Stovell and Laura Hupman among its ranks, delivered a clinical showing across the weekend to top the fleet in tricky waters on Lake Saint-Louis.
Hosted by McGill Sailing, the regional regatta served as an early-season test of tactical precision and boat speed. Faced with shifting breeze and sharp chop off the Pointe-Claire shoreline, Dalhousie’s crews adapted quickest to the conditions, piecing together a remarkably consistent series to pull clear of host outfit McGill and a competitive collegiate field.
The triumph reinforces Dalhousie’s standing as one of the powerhouse programmes in the Canadian Intercollegiate Sailing Association (CICSA). Both Stovell and Hupman have established themselves as pivotal figures in the team’s recent championship campaigns, bringing valuable international pedigree to the collegiate racing stage.
With the regional silverware secured in Québec, Dalhousie now turn their attention to the upcoming national championship fixtures on the CICSA calendar, with momentum firmly on their side.
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Thursday, October 22, 2026
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Ocean Racing Veteran Brown Targets SSL Team Bermuda Stage
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From cutting his teeth in local dinghy fleets to braving Force 7 gales across the Atlantic, Ruairí Brown has spent a lifetime preparing for the ultimate test in international sailing.
Now, the versatile offshore specialist is back on the world stage as trimmer for SSL Team Bermuda, returning to the fold having previously played an integral role in steering the island to qualification for the 2023 SSL Gold Cup.
For Brown, the sea has always been second nature. With offshore racing woven deeply into his family pedigree, he first took the helm of an Optimist in Bermuda at the age of just four.
His craft was further refined on Irish waters, where he immersed himself in competitive one-design fleets, coached the next generation of young talent, and took on an increasingly demanding slate of offshore assignments.
His pedigree spans some of the most tactically demanding designs in the sport—including International One Designs (IODs), the Dragon Class, J/109s, and Bermuda’s storied Fitted Dinghies.
Yet it is the crucible of ocean racing that has most vividly shaped Brown's reputation as a cool head in high-stakes environments.
His resume includes standout performances in the Newport Bermuda Race, highlighted by a gritty third-in-class finish during the 2022 edition aboard a J/125.
Navigating through Force 7 conditions, Brown and his crew weathered an aggressive broach and emergency mid-ocean engine repairs before clawing their way onto the podium.
It is precisely that tenacity and tactical versatility that SSL Team Bermuda will lean on as they prepare to take on the world's sailing elite.
"It’s an honour, especially on an upcoming platform," Brown said of representing the island once more. "I'm honoured to be a part of the team and looking forward to sending it with my teammates."
Looking ahead to the campaign, Brown is relishing the prospect of stepping into a cauldron of rising competition, exploring the host venues, and testing the island's mettle against top-tier national squads.
However, the seasoned trimmer is equally candid about what it will take for Bermuda to transition from competitive underdogs to consistent contenders on the international circuit: dedicated, top-level coaching.
While the Bermudian squad boasts no shortage of individual sailing pedigree, Brown believes an experienced coach would prove pivotal in synthesising daily lessons, providing an objective tactical eye, and holding the crew to exacting standards.
"A dedicated coach would help bring everything together," Brown noted, pointing out that fine-tuning communication, race strategy, and synchronised boat handling could prove the difference between podium finishes and early exits.
As the SSL campaign gathers momentum, Brown and his crewmates stand ready to fly the flag, determined to turn a lifetime of hard-won sea miles into global silverware.
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