The International Twelve Metre Association (ITMA) and the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) announced the dates for the 2019 12 Metre World Championship have been changed to July 7- 13, 2019. The 12 Metre Worlds will be held in Newport, R.I., USA and hosted by Ida Lewis Yacht Club (ILYC), which also will serve as the Organising Authority.
ITMA and the New York Yacht Club are also pleased to announce that the 12 Metre Class has been invited to participate in the New York Yacht Club’s 175th Anniversary Regatta July 15-20, 2019, where they will compete in the '12 Metre Jubilee' for a series of historic 12 Metre Trophies.
“We shifted the dates of the 12 Metre World Championship in order to be able to celebrate with the New York Yacht Club on its 175th anniversary and also provide the 12 Metre Class with its own event for its World Championship,” said ITMA President Dyer Jones. “Having both our Worlds and the NYYC’s 175th Anniversary celebration in Newport in July 2019 should attract one of the largest gatherings of 12 Metre yachts ever, and the class is looking forward to both events with great enthusiasm!”
Ida Lewis Yacht Club, located in Newport, R.I., has been host to a number of World and National Championships Regattas over its 90-year history. ILYC has a long association with the 12 Metre Class, beginning in 1958 when the 12s were first selected for the America’s Cup. In recent years, ILYC served as the Organizing Authority and host for the 12 Metre North American Championship Regatta.
New York Yacht Club and the 12 Metre class have been closely associated almost from the class’s inception in the early 1900s. In 1958, when NYYC selected the 12 Metre for the America’s Cup, the two became partners in one of the most memorable periods in the history of competitive sailing. More recently, NYYC has hosted the 12s for many of their notable competitions.
The 12 Metre World Championship is a worldwide competition for 12 Metre yachts.