Newport, Rhode Island – The 2025 Team Racing World Championships are officially underway. Among the international mix of seasoned team racers and fresh-faced contenders, one squad stands out not for their past results – but for their potential to turn heads and shake things up.

Enter the Kiwis.

Led by experienced campaigner and former Performance Sailing Manager Reuben Corbett, the New Zealand team includes a dynamic mix of sailors, including Mastercard Youth Training Programme graduates;
Jordan Stevenson, George Angus, Maeve White, Mason Mulcahy, Luis Schneider, Oliver Lloyd, and Zoe Dawson.

Kiwi Team Racing at the New York Yacht Club, Newport Rhode Island. Photo: Craig White

While this group admits they’re a bit green when it comes to 2v2 team racing, don’t mistake that for a disadvantage. Their collective backgrounds in elite match racing offer the kind of tactical sharpness, boat handling, and composure under pressure that will serve them well in this fast-paced format.

Match Racing Minds, Team Racing Challenge

“We’re coming in with no expectations and hoping that we can learn as we go,” says Jordan Stevenson. “We will be quite dynamic and adaptable and hope to just get better as the week goes on.”

Jordan and his teammates got their first taste of the competition during today’s practice session, sparring against a sharp British team in several short races around the Newport course.

“It was fun and chaotic out there,” he said. “We were looking to get the simple stuff down – set a stable foundation, get the boat-handling right, get the comms sorted out – and then go from there.”

That foundation will be key, as the regatta promises intense, rapid-fire racing with no room for error.

“We absolutely have our work cut out for us and each race is going to be full-on; I don’t think we’ll get a break.”

What the Kiwis lack in traditional team racing mileage, they may make up for in mindset. The team is embracing their role as learners, rather than leaning on expectations.

“A lot of the teams competing have done a lot of team racing,” Stevenson noted. “But maybe they’ll come in expecting to be very good and maybe be less open-minded – so that could be an advantage for us.”

With an eagerness to evolve with every race, this crew from New Zealand could surprise a few teams this week.