06/02/2025
The Royal Irish Yacht Club has nominated Dave Maguire's 'Team Valkyrie' to represent the Club at the 2025 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup this September.
Unusually, three top Irish sailing teams, two from Dublin and one from Cork, will contest the Cup this September off Rhode Island. In addition to Royal Irish Yacht Club, Royal Cork Yacht Club and Howth Yacht Club are in the line-up of twenty teams from 14 countries competing. The RCYC has competed in every event since its inaugural event in 2009. This will be the first year that RIYC has competed in the Cup and the Club has selected a team that has real potential to podium.
The Rolex NYYC Invitational Cup is a biennial event hosted by NYYC in Newport Rhode Island. This prestigious regatta is widely regarded as the World Championships of One Design Big Boat Corinthian (amateur) racing.
In the lead-up to the Invitational Cup, Maguire and his crew are competing on the Cape 31 Race Circuit with a crew of seven. The Regatta will be raced in the IC37, a high-performance boat with a crew of nine to eleven. Both yachts are designed by Irish designer Mark Mills.
Maguire says the final crew panel for the Invitational Cup is almost complete, with seven of the nine on-the-water crew confirmed. Team Valkyrie is selected from some of the best talent in Ireland with Dan O’Grady (former Olympian in the Soling class), and former Olympic 49er skiff campaigners Seafra Guilfoyle and Johnny Durcan in the lineup. O’Grady and Maguire have competed against one another in their teens in dinghies and more recently in separate Cape 31s, Valkyrie and Aja. 2024 saw them combine forces on the Cape 31, Valkyrie in the IRC European Championships hosted by RIYC in September. This was the first time they have sailed together and cemented the desire to compete for the Invitational Cup representing the Royal Irish Yacht Club. Maguire commented “we are honoured to receive the nomination to represent the Royal Irish Yacht Club and hope to do the Club proud at the 2025 Invitational. We have assembled a strong crew this year and are not going to make up the numbers.”
Commodore of RIYC, Tim Carpenter is no stranger to one design racing with many years competing in the Dragon fleet. The Commodore stated; “ We were honoured and delighted to receive the invitation from the New York Yacht Club to compete in the 2025 Rolex NYYC Invitational Cup. I am very much looking forward to following the Team and watching the event this September.”
The Regatta will comprise an optional practice period beginning September 3rd, registration and more optional practice on September 6th, two days of mandatory practice racing on September 7th and 8th, and five days of racing beginning September 9th. The memorable Rolex Awards Banquet will be held September 13th on the lawn of the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court.