‘She-Wolves’ Prepare for NYYC’s Women’s International Championship

Nicole Breault and an all-star team of Bay Area women sailors will head to Newport, Rhode Island, this September to compete in the inaugural New York Yacht Club (NYYC) Women’s International Championship. Representing the St. Francis Yacht Club (StFYC), Nicole and her self-styled She-Wolves team will be up against 19 other teams from 14 countries racing the IC37 sailboats supplied by the host club.

The stakes are high, and the competition includes Olympic champions, world titleholders and ocean-racing veterans. From the moment she heard it announced, Breault knew that she wanted to participate. “They’re going to showcase what women can do by putting us on the same platform as the New York Yacht Club Rolex Invitational,” Breault tells Latitude. “I saw it as a great concert that I wanted my band to rock in!”

To launch a world-class campaign, you need world-class backing. Enter Bruce Smith, the “Big Wolf” of the operation. Smith is a proven benefactor who previously led StFYC to victory in two Morgan Cups and four Masters regattas. Recognizing their potential to podium and being dedicated champions of women in sailing, Smith and his wife Debby have stepped up as the primary financial supporters of the She-Wolves, putting them on a track to excellence. Given the scope of the campaign, Smith pulled in Sydney 2000 Olympian Russ Silvestri to serve as the team’s general manager and advocate. “Russ has been an incredible asset to us,” Breault tells Latitude. “He has a lot of experience in management, and in competing and winning. He is especially skilled at asking for help from club members who love the sport and want us to do our best.”

With solid financial backing behind the effort, Breault built a powerhouse roster. Molly Carapiet (tactician), Molly Vandemoer (upwind strategy/spin trim), and Katie Pettibone (coach) formed the initial core of the team. Together they recruited McKenzie Wilson (jib trimmer), Claire Dennis (main trimmer), Collette Zaro (bow), Kate Shiber (mast), Dana Riley Hayes (pit) and Lucy Wilmot (runners). Breault describes this crew as women with “the strength, experience, and proven competitive drive to handle the physical demands of the IC37 platform while playing the game at the highest level.”

Breault designed a multi-phase training program for the team, maximizing local resources while seeking out boat-specific experience. So far, the She-Wolves have relied on San Francisco Bay’s competitive J/105 fleet aboard Arbitrage, the boat on which Breault won the 2025 Rolex Big Boat Series.

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