From January 17–19, 2026, fifteen C420 team race squads gathered in Miami to compete for the Liam O’Keefe Trophy at the C420 Team Race Midwinters. This year marked the highest attended edition of the event to date and the second time the Liam O’Keefe Trophy has been awarded. The O’Keefe Trophy is awarded in memory of beloved and truly talented sailor, Liam.
The event followed a double round-robin qualifying format before splitting into a Gold Fleet (top six teams) and Silver Fleet (remaining nine teams), using the same 3v3 team racing format commonly seen in college sailing. Sailors faced a wide range of conditions over the weekend, with rain and delays ultimately preventing the Gold and Silver Fleet stage from being fully completed. Even so, an impressive 140 races were sailed.
When the racing wrapped up, Team Apex emerged victorious with 19 total wins. Congratulations to team members Estella Morris, James Pine, Nathan Pine, Gabriela Mascarenhas, Danielle Lynch-Smith, and David Coates on a well-earned win. ClarkFleet 1 finished close behind in second place with 16 wins, while Show Ponies rounded out the podium with 14 wins.
At this level, picking up one or two wins can significantly alter the leaderboard. The tight margins in the results underscore the importance of consistency over the course of a regatta.
The depth of competition at the top of the fleet suggests that many of these sailors are well positioned to continue developing in team racing, with a number of them likely to make an impact in the college sailing scene in the years ahead.
Full results can be found HERE. Photos by Allison Chenard are available HERE.
Leave a Reply