Mark Richards, the sailor behind nine Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race line honours victories, has teamed up with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia to back the next wave of offshore racing talent. Palm Beach Motor Yachts, the company Richards founded in 1995, has signed on as a partner of the CYCA's Youth Sailing Academy for the next three years.
Central to the agreement is Palm Beach Motor Yachts' sponsorship of one of the CYCA's Elliott 7s, with Richards himself committing to provide guidance and on-water opportunities for YSA sailors. That includes time aboard Palm Beach XI, the newly reborn 100-foot Supermaxi that Palm Beach Motor Yachts recently acquired. The announcement came only days after Palm Beach XI successfully validated her radical new C-foil configuration, flying up Sydney Harbour at almost 30 knots.
Richards has spent decades at the sharp end of competitive sailing, combining his record as a skipper and yacht owner with his role as founder and CEO of one of the world's leading luxury motor yacht brands.
CYCA Commodore Dr. Sam Haynes welcomed the partnership and the involvement of Richards.
"Mark Richards is one of sailing's most iconic figures and to have him partner with the CYCA and our Youth Sailing Academy is an incredible opportunity and one that will no doubt leave a legacy on the next generation of young offshore sailors," Dr. Haynes said.
"Mark's record as a sailor and skipper speaks for itself, but his commitment to innovation with Palm Beach Motor Yachts is something everyone in the industry can learn from and we are grateful to have his experience and knowledge behind the YSA."
Richards was equally enthusiastic, pointing to the deep connection between the CYCA and his own career on both the water and in business.
"Partnering with the CYCA and the Youth Sailing Academy means a lot to me and Palm Beach Motor Yachts," said Richards. "The CYCA has been such an amazing supporter for both my sailing and business career, in fact, the whole industry. I feel very honoured to be able to give back to the club through supporting youth sailing, and I very much look forward to having these talented academy students aboard Palm Beach XI between the Blue Water Series and lead up to the 2026 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race."
Established in 1993, the CYCA Youth Sailing Academy is recognised globally as one of the world's leading full-time sailing academies. More than 500 sailors have graduated from its programme, many going on to compete at the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, the Olympic Games, the America's Cup, the World Match Racing Tour, SailGP, and The Ocean Race.
Its alumni include Will Ryan, who claimed Olympic gold and silver in 2020 and 2016 respectively, Olivia Price and Lucinda Whitty, who took Olympic silver in 2012, and Sam Newton and Kyle Langford, both part of SailGP championship-winning Team Australia in 2021 and 2022. Langford also featured in The Ocean Race and was a member of ORACLE Team USA's 2013 America's Cup-winning squad.
Beyond producing elite competitors, the YSA has opened the sport to young sailors at every level, whether they are learning the fundamentals for the first time or making the transition from dinghies to keelboat sailing. Through winter squads, holiday camps, and school and community programmes, the academy has brought families together and ignited a passion for sailing in hundreds of young people, many of whom remain active participants and proud CYCA members.
Palm Beach Motor Yachts was founded in 1995 from Richards' background in ocean racing and yacht construction. The brand's entire range draws on that racing heritage, combining elegant, timeless lines with advanced composite construction and meticulous craftsmanship. The company's proprietary V-Warp Technology® underpins each build, delivering exceptional efficiency, balance, and stability alongside significantly reduced fuel consumption and emissions.
The current range spans the Classic, GT, and GT RS series, with each yacht designed and built at the company's state-of-the-art factory and supported by sales and service offices across North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Palm Beach Motor Yachts operates as a subsidiary of Grand Banks Yachts Ltd. (GBY:SP) and is publicly traded on the Singapore Exchange.
Palm Beach XI sits at the heart of the company's performance strategy, serving as a proving ground where lessons learned on the racecourse feed directly back into the motor yacht range, ensuring owners benefit from technologies tested at the highest levels of competition. Her recently validated C-foil configuration places Palm Beach XI at the forefront of high-performance, semi-foiling design, a direction Richards and the Palm Beach team regard as central to the next evolution of the broader industry.
