Gale force winds at Lysekil Women’s Match

Lysekil, Sweden (August 9, 2016) – Gale force winds are giving the organizers of the Lysekil Women’s Match, the 2nd event on the 2016 WIM Series, a headache. Tuesday’s scheduled start of the round-robin had to be postponed until Wednesday morning. “Safety is always our highest priority. With too much wind the risk for boat damage or crew injuries gets higher, so today’s call to postpone was an easy one” says Anna Holmdahl White, event project leader.

Winds as strong as during Monday and Tuesday are not very common on the Swedish west coast in early August. In Lysekil Women’s Match a whole day of racing has been lost only once before, since the premiere in 2004. “Mother Nature doesn’t always want to cooperate, but the forecast looks hopeful for the rest of the week and we will work hard to get the complete schedule in” WIM Series manager Liz Baylis comments.

Skippers in the 2016 Lysekil Women’s Match (name, nationality, world ranking July 13):
Camilla Ulrikkeholm Klinkby, DEN, 1
Anna Östling, SWE, 2
Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 4
Pauline Courtois, FRA, 5
Stephanie Roble, USA, 6
Marinella Laaksonen, FIN, 7
Sanna Häger, SWE, 15
Lotte Meldgaard, DEN, 16
Alexa Bezel, SUI, 22
Johanna Bergqvist, SWE, 30

Standings in the 2016 WIM Series before Lysekil Women’s Match (skipper, nationality, WIM Series points):
1. Anna Östling, SWE, 25
2. Pauline Courtois, FRA, 22
3. Renée Groeneveld, NED, 20
4. Camilla Ulrikkeholm Klinkby, DEN, 18
5. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 16
6. Marinella Laaksonen, FIN, 14
7. Rikst Dijkstra, NED, 12
8. Antonia Degerlund, FIN, 10
9. Susanna Kukkonen FIN, 8
10. Diana Kissane, IRL, 7
11. Sanna Häger, SWE, 6
12. Sanna Mattsson, SWE, 5

Event Website

About the WIM
The Women’s International Match Racing Series (WIM Series) is the first and only professional sailing series for women, hosted by the Women’s International Match Racing Association and joined by the world’s leading women match racing sailors. Match racing is sailed in two identical boats around a short course, providing fast action close to the crowds on shore. The intense racing is just as exciting for the spectators as it is strategically, tactically and physically challenging for the competing crews.

An overall prize purse of 50 000 USD will be distributed by the WIM Series, in addition to the prize money at each of the events included in the 2016 WIM Series (date, event name, location, boat type):
* June 27 – July 1, Helsinki Women’s Match, Helsinki, Finland, J/80.
* August 8 – 13, Lysekil Women’s Match, Lysekil, Sweden, DS 37.
* September 20 – 25, Women’s Match Racing World Championship & Buddy Melges Challenge, Sheboygan, USA, Elliott 6m.
* October 25 – 29, Busan Cup Women’s International Match Race, Busan, South Korea, K30.
* December 1 – 4, Carlos Aguilar Match Race, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, IC 24.

Report by Event Media