by Delaney Conlogue, ICSA Communications Committee
Photography by US Sailing's Lexi Pline
At a national championship where no lead ever felt secure, Brown University battled through two days of shifty breeze and intense pressure from a talented fleet to win the 2026 Open Fleet Race National Championship–while the Bears took home the 2019 Women’s Fleet Race Championship this is their first open fleet racing national title since 1948.
Consistency across divisions defined the regatta, and teams needed strength on both sides of the rotation to stay in contention. Stanford University, who won A-Division, finished close behind in second overall, while Yale University, which saw fourth place finishes in both divisions, surged late in the regatta to round out the championship podium.
Day one of the Open Fleet Race National Championship Finals tested the fleet’s patience and precision. Light southwest breeze ranging from 5–9 knots created unstable and highly tactical conditions. With the seabreeze never fully settling in, pressure remained inconsistent across the course all day creating lots of reshuffling throughout the fleet. Teams fought aggressively to power up and accelerate off the line and spectators could see the tension rising in crowded starts and close-quarters contact as competitors searched for a bit of momentum in a crowded fleet. By the end of eight races per division and the sunset on day one, Brown and Stanford Universities had begun to separate themselves slightly at the top of the standings, with Brown holding just a two-point advantage over Stanford, and the fleet tightly compressed behind them.
Race officials moved day two’s first warning signal up to 8:30 a.m. to capitalize on a stronger forecasted morning breeze. The decision paid off as sailors launched into a steady 9–11 knot southeasterly that allowed the fleet to complete racing through 12A before conditions once again deteriorated near midday. As predicted, the wind faded sharply around noon, forcing competitors ashore before B-Division could complete race 12B.
At the postponement, Brown and Stanford were still locked into a direct battle for the championship title but had successfully created a cushion between them and the fight for the final spot on the podium. The University of Pennsylvania sailors continued one of the breakout performances of the championship, climbing into third overall after narrowly qualifying from the Western Semi-Final. The Quakers held only a four-point edge over Naval Academy, with Tulane University, Dartmouth College, and Yale University all within striking distance.
As the anxiously awaited seabreeze filled, racing resumed in 12B with one of the tightest packs of the regatta– the entire fleet rounding the gate within just a few boatlengths of each other, compressing the field and creating opportunities to shake up the standings. In the building breeze and the pressure of the final races, small gains and losses could make or break a team’s momentum.
Through it all, the Brown sailors remained remarkably steady.
“Our B-Division skipper Blake Behrens absolutely killed it, which made it pretty low pressure for us” said Brown senior skipper Gutherie Braun. “We were able to know that with such a dog-fight in A-Division that if we just keep it consistent Blake will take care of the rest.”
Braun recalled crying as he watched Behrens and Caroline Keeffe-Jones, B-Division crew, rally after a turbulent gate-rounding in the last race as the Stanford team came dangerously close to recapturing the championship.
“I was thinking a lot of our teammate Liam [O’Keefe] who we lost two years ago,” said Braun. “He was on track to be the most decorated Brown sailor probably ever…and left some pretty big shoes to fill. I’m just happy that we did something to really make him proud.”
Low Point A Division: Thomas Sitzmann and Cardinal Callie Hammond, Stanford University
Low Point B Division: Blake Behrens and Caroline Keeffe-Jones, Brown University
Brown University
Guthrie Braun, Vera Allen, Blake Behrens, Caroline Keeffe-Jones
Stanford University
Thomas Sitzmann, Callie Hammond, Vanessa Lahrkamp, Alice Schmid, Reade Decker, Abby Baird, Piper Blackband, Kit Harned, Freddie Parkin, Dylan Sih , Thomas Whidden, Lucas Woodworth
Yale University
Morgan Pinckney, Annabel Woodworth, Dorothy Mendelblatt, Julia Miller, Audrey Foley, Carly Kieding, Sarah Moeder, Mathias Reimer
