CYCA Member Mark Griffith has helmed Team Aftershock to win the 2026 11 Metre One Design World Championship at Hankø Yacht Club in Norway.

Griffith was co-skipper of the all-Australian crew that also featured members from RPAYC and Port Douglas Yacht Club.

The championship brought together a strong international fleet, with Olympians, world champions and “professional” sailors scattered throughout the competition.

The winning crew brought together considerable experience, although remarkably the team only sailed together for the first time two days before the championship began.

Griffith has been sailing 11 Metre One Designs at RPAYC for approximately five years, providing valuable class-specific knowledge.

Three of the five days produced tides ebbing out of the nearby river in a south-westerly breeze, and combined with well-set start lines, the Australians were able to put their strategy into practice.

The combination of good starts, smart positioning, strong downwind sailing and polished crew work ultimately delivered the Australians the 2026 11 Metre One Design World Championship title.

Of ten races, Griffith and Team Aftershock won twice, finished second three times and third once to lock up the title.

It was an impressive result for a crew that had barely sailed together before arriving at the championship – and another international title with strong connections to Sydney’s CYCA and RPAYC sailing communities.

Report by CYCA and mysailing.com.au, image mysailing.com.au