The migration begins: M32 Snowbird Season starts now
by Hannah Lee Noll / WindDance Creative 10 Jan 17:55 GMT
M32 World Miami Winter Series 3 © Stephen R Cloutier
The high-flying M32 fleet has returned to its winter home on Biscayne Bay, with an arsenal of catamarans assembling at Shake-A-Leg Miami for the 11th edition of the M32 Winter Series.
This season, the M32 Class is taking a sip from the fountain of youth. There's a fresh new face in the fleet and a few noteworthy promotions—all under 30.
Teenager Charlie Julien is taking the helm on the Marstrom racetrack for the first time this weekend. Charlie is a young ILCA sailor, fresh off the Orange Bowl regatta in Miami.
"We are really excited to sail with Charlie this year," said longtime Rated X tactician Keith Swinton. "He has some big shoes to fill following his older brother Jake's success. It's going to be a new challenge for us, which we are all looking forward to. We are fortunate to keep the rest of the team unchanged: Rhys Mara, Julius Hallström and Jeff McCooey. We have great chemistry so it will be fun adding Charlie to the mix. I think it's going to be a fun year on the Rated X!" Under the leadership of Jake Julien, the Rated X team are back-to-back M32 World Champions.
Ava Wilson is making her debut as skipper this weekend. After eight years crewing on M32s, the recent college graduate now steps into a leadership role alongside her experienced crew: tactician Adam Minoprio, Ted Hackney, Kinley Fowler, and Sam Loughborough, sailing Convexity.
Miles Julien's Young Blood team has a young new play caller onboard: Fresh off his Youth America's Cup campaign, Severin Gramm makes his tactician debut this weekend, the youngest tactician in the fleet.
Newcomers set to shake up the scene
Jon Desmond dips his toe into the multihull scene for the first time this week, driving Team Tucci. The New York Yacht Club member hailing from Cohasset, Mass., is the owner of PAC52 Final Final.
The M32 Class is eager to welcome a brand-new, high-profile German entry to its ranks this season, set to debut at Event 2. Follow M32 World on social media for the big reveal.
M32 Miami Winter Series Event 1 starts today and continues through Sunday, setting the stage for the ultimate showdown: the M32 World Championship, happening on these very waters less than a year away, November 17-22, 2025.
The Miami season is officially open! Join M32 for three more Miami regattas this winter. One event each month. Potential new owners have an opportunity to demo a boat with the M32 Academy.