VX One Class Association

2021 VX One Women’s Championship



2021 Women’s Championship Competitors (Andes Visual Photo)

This past weekend, 11 teams made up of 33 women gathered to compete in the inaugural VX One Women’s Championship in Newport, RI. The event was designed to promote sportboat participation among female sailors while also using the regatta as a learning platform for the sailors. The VX One is a rapidly growing amateur sport boat fleet that is 19ft long, requires 2-3 sailors, is super fun and manageable in a big breeze, making it the perfect boat for an event like this.
The event kicked off on Friday, August 13, 2021 with an evening clinic led by VX guru Hayden Bennett. With nearly every team in attendance, Hayden led the fleet through a series of starts and short courses. This allowed competitors to hone in on their boat handling and speed test against the other teams. For many of the sailors, this was their first time in a VX and first time sailing as a team. After two hours of on water coaching focusing on upwind trim (and the serious importance of vang and active main trim) and downwind boat handling the teams felt confident going into the first day of racing.
Day 1 of the event started slow when a postponement to allow weather to pass kept teams on land. Near noon, race committee dropped AP and the fleet towed out to Potters Cove to begin racing. The eagerness to race was met with another postponement until a light 5-7kt southwesterly filled for the first two races. Race 3 was a different game, the breeze went right
and built, making for a more dynamic race course and closer racing. After day 1, Alie Toppa in 329 was leading. Sunday’s racing was much more exciting, with the first two races having a gorgeous 12-15kt northerly. The breeze allowed the VX One to show teams its higher speeds and sporty nature. The northerly breeze hung on for the last two races but dropped in velocity, making teams transition modes and refocus. The final races were sailed in 6-10kts making downwinds and clean lanes the name of the game. The left played out consistently and Toppa was able to hold her lead after eight races to become the first ever VX One Women’s Champion alongside crew member and sister Holly Toppa and Kate O’Donnell.
This is what the Women’s Champ Alie Toppa had to say about the regatta; “We had an epic time sailing this weekend in the VX One Women’s Championship! The conditions were tricky and with such good competition, it made for some tight racing. It was awesome being part of such a
great event with a lot of enthusiasm and support from the class!”
The VX One class is extremely excited about the success of the event and is already looking forward to a similarly structured event next year on August 12-14, 2022. Thank you to our 2021 sponsors; The Magenta Project, Whalers Brewing Company, Streamline Marine and Stringdrop.