2026 EUROPEAN & SOUTH AMERICAN REGIONAL CONFERENCE
March 27–31, 2026
Yacht Club Punta del Este
Highlights from the 2026 European & South American Regional Conference
The 2026 European and South American Regional Conference, hosted by Yacht Club Punta del Este, drew 21 Member Clubs and two guest clubs from four corners of the sailing world, all gathered on one stretch of the Uruguayan coast.
From South America, Salinas Yacht Club, Veleiros do Sul, Yacht Club Punta del Este, Yacht Club Argentino and Yacht Club Peruano attended. From Asia Pacific, Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and Royal Varuna Yacht Club traveled the furthest to join. North America was represented by Chicago Yacht Club, Cruising Club of America, Long Beach Yacht Club, Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, Royal Canadian Yacht Club and Royal Victoria Yacht Club. And from Europe, delegates from Clube Naval Cascais, Royal Danish Yacht Club, Royal Swedish Yacht Club, Royal Malta Yacht Club, Royal Southern Yacht Club, Monte Real Club de Yates de Baiona, Norddeutscher Regatta Verein and Gstaad Yacht Club were welcomed. Two guest clubs were also hosted, Yacht Club Higuerillas and Club de Pesca y Vela de Cartagena, both of whom brought fresh energy to the conversations.
RECAPS & SELECT PRESENTATIONS
SESSION 1 – Introduction to the ICOYC: Mission and History
Leif Sigmond, ICOYC President, Chicago Yacht Club
Inge Strompf-Jepsen, Vice President Asia Pacific, Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club
No matter where we are in the world, many of our clubs encounter the same issues. Membership, sponsorship, capital planning, good governance. The ICOYC was founded in 2005 to serve as a networking platform to unite yacht clubs around the world.
SESSION 2 – Century and Beyond: 102 Remarkable Years of YCPE
Juan Etcheverrito, Commodore, Yacht Club Punta del Este
Daniel Sielecki, Vice Commodore, Yacht Club Punta del Este
To orientate ICOYC guests, the leadership of Yacht Club Punta del Este shares a slideshow of photographs, historic and contemporary, that tells the story of the club’s geography and 102-year history.
VIEW SLIDESHOW >>
SESSION 3 – From Gorriti to the Graf Spee: A Maritime History of Punta del Este
Juan Antonio Varese, Author
Punta del Este’s location in Bahia de Maldonado is historically and geographically significant, having been the landfall for hundreds of years of explorers and conquerors, and featuring one of the widest river mouths in the world, attracting ships and, consequently, many shipwrecks and conflict.
SESSION 4 – Introducing New Member Club Veleiros do Sul
Frederico Roth, Commodore, Veleiros do Sul
The ICOYC community meets new member club Veleiros do Sul, based in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Commodore Frederico Roth shares the club’s story, from its founding in 1935 by sailors exploring and seeking safe port on the Guaíba River, to its modern facilities and operations today that include a sailing school, bar, event space, docks and accommodations.
WATCH VIDEO >>
SESSION 5 – Sponsorship: Building Long-Term Partnerships in Private Yacht Clubs
Gonçalo Esteves, Clube Naval de Cascais
Mark Napier, Royal Malta Yacht Club
Juan Etcheverrito, Commodore, Yacht Club Punta del Este
Sofia Clement, Urufama
Paola Satragno, Sura
Two clubs with Rolex relationships and two high profile brands presented on various considerations when pursuing sponsors. Questions explored included how the opening moves are made when pursuing a sponsor and when to hire professionals to manage the sponsor relationship versus club management.
SESSION 6 – World Class Sailing Events
Moderator: Patrik Salén, Commodore, Royal Swedish Yacht Club
Laura Sigmond, Commodore, Chicago Yacht Club
Gonçalo Esteves, Commodore, Clube Naval de Cascais
Alvaro Robaina, Race Committee President, Yacht Club Punta del Este
Thomas Whitcraft, Vice Commodore, Royal Varuna Yacht Club
What does it take to host a world class event? How can you enhance the quality of the onshore experience to augment the yacht racing, whether it’s a long-distance ocean race or short course dinghy sailors? Different types of racing and sailors will be looking for different amenities and support, in addition to outstanding conditions on the water. How does the membership base affect the types of events you can best host?
SESSION 7 – The Importance of Affordable Club Boats
John Higham, Commodore, Royal Varuna Yacht Club
Club boats are vital to offering sailing opportunities for members. The most affordable boat may not be the cheapest boat—focus should be on the value you get from the boat over its lifetime. Clubs can provide a platform for sailing for members who may not want the burden of boat ownership, or are just getting started in the sport. This will beget more sailors, and more members, in the long run.
SESSION 8 – The Fleets of South America
Moderator: Fernando Gomez, Salinas Yacht Club
John Wiener, Commodore, Salinas Yacht Club
Aurelia Zulueta Rivas, Club de Yates Higuerillas
Rodolfo Porto Méndez, Sailing Committee, Club de Pesca y Vela de Cartegena
Gonzalo Diaz de Rávago D’Onofrio, Vice Commodore, Yacht Club Peruano
Frederico Schramm Roth, Commodore, Veleiros do Sul
Alvaro Robaina, Race Committee President, Yacht Club Punta del Este
In South America, there’s little government support for sailing, so yacht clubs play a key role in providing youth opportunities in the sport. Once young sailors move on from Optimists, it’s difficult to keep them sailing, so what fleets best support sailors as they progress in skills and age? How do you balance traditional and common fleets with trends in the sport and high-performance boats? Can partnerships and commissions be leveraged to access new and different boats?
SESSION 9 – Club Fundraising
Matthew Richardson, Commodore, Royal Southern Yacht Club
Daily operations, maintenance, major renovations and equipment replacement—running a club requires a steady financial stream. Are routine dues increases enough to cover the costs of upgrades and aging infrastructure? What other fundraising opportunities are available to club management? How do you balance needs with nice to have? Royal Southern Yacht Club considers these questions as they look to raise funds for several identified capital projects.
SESSION 10 – Introducing New Member Club: Yacht Club Argentino
Meet Yacht Club Argentino, the newest member club to join the ICOYC. Founded in 1883 in Buenos Aires, the club maintains several facilities and hosts some of the leading regattas in the region.
WATCH VIDEO >>
SESSION 11 – Making Adventurous Use of the Sea
Bruce Johnston, Cruising Club of America
A club without a clubhouse, members of the Cruising Club of America are qualified bluewater sailors who remain connected by station outposts throughout the United States. The club is host to the biennial Newport Bermuda Race, publishes cruising guides and provides extensive cruising and safety resources online.
SESSION 12 – Introducing Guest Clubs: Club de Yates Higuerillas of Chile & Club de Pesce Marina of Columbia
Aurelia Zulueta Rivas, President, Club de Yates Higuerillas
Rodolfo Porto Méndez, Sailing Committee, Club de Pesca y Vela de Cartegena
The ICOYC meets two clubs in the South American region that both serve as centers to grow the sport of yachting in their respective regions— Club de Yates Higuerillas in Chile, and Club de Pesca y Vela de Cartegena in Columbia.
WATCH CLUB DE YATES HIGUERILLAS VIDEO >>
WATCH CLUB DE PESCE MARINA VIDEO >>
SESSION 13 – Adaptive Sailing
Mariana Foglia, Yacht Club Punta del Este
Developing an adaptive sailing program has proven inspiring for both the organizers and the sailors, and can have an incredible impact on improving lives and lifestyles. One developer of such a program describes what it takes to bring it from idea to action, including adapting boats and how to assist sailors on the water.
SESSION 14 – Cultivating Talent: YCPE Success in International Competitions
Gustavo Musante, Head Coach, YCPE Sailing School
Uma Beal, Bautista Ramirez, Lavinia Ceccarelli, Santiago Gattas; Sailing School Students
A spotlight on Yacht Club Punta del Este’s youth sailing program through the voices of four young sailors, ages 12-16, who received scholarships to attend the YCPE sailing school. Each brought several years of racing experience and a clear passion for the sport.
VIEW SUMMARY >>
SESSION 15 – Introducing Yacht Club Peruano
Gonzalo Diaz de Rávago D’Onofrio, Vice Commodore, Yacht Club Peruano
Yacht Club Peruano has come a long way since its founding in 1938 in collaboration with the Peruvian Navy. Located in the district of La Punta in close proximity to the main Peruvian port of Callao, the clubhouse and docks are a main draw for sailors traveling in the region and the membership are known for their love of yachting.
WATCH VIDEO >>
SESSION 16 – Women’s Interclub and Match Racing
Anna Sophie Munk-Hansen, Commodore, Royal Danish Yacht Club
What happens when the guys step aside? More women sailing events, programs and initiatives are born. Several clubs discuss their individual women-focused programs and female team quotas, and many mention that all-women regattas and invitationals at other clubs are what prompted development of women teams at their own clubs.
SESSION 17 – Club Support for Olympic Athletes
Mariana Foglia, Yacht Club Punta del Este
Leif Sigmond, ICOYC President, Staff Commodore Chicago Yacht Club
Patrik Salén, Commodore, Royal Swedish Yacht Club
Royal Swedish Yacht Club is singularly focused on sailing excellence and employs a full-time administrator and former Olympian who works with an Olympic Council to guide their prospects, funded by member donations and support from the Swedish Olympic committee and Swedish sailing foundation. This is how they win medals.
SESSION 18 – The Future of the ICOYC in South America
Gonçalo Esteves, ICOYC Vice President Europe & South America, Clube Naval de Cascais
The addition of more Member Clubs to the ICOYC from Latin America, the Caribbean and South America, could change the makeup of the region within the ICOYC organization, a reflection on the growing importance of alliances between clubs within their localities.