Team Mac leads Women’s Match Racing World Championship

Helsinki, Finland (June 18, 2017) – Despite a long day on the water in blustery conditions, 2010 Women’s Match Racing World Champion Lucy Macgregor (GBR) was quite upbeat about her team’s performance and their placement on the top of the standings after two days of racing in the 2017 Women’s Match Racing World Championship in Helsinki.

“It’s been a really long day and we’re all pretty tired, but happy to have finished the day off strong with a good scorecard,” commented a tired Macgregor.

Unlike the yesterday that saw bright sunshine and very light winds, day two dawned with clouds and cold south winds. But to the delight of the race committee, the cold winds were from a steady direction. With good winds the Principal Race Officer, Annika Ekman (SWE), and Course Race Officer, Timo Mustakallio (FIN), ran thirteen flights – sixty-nine races – while on the water for over ten hours.

“We were very happy to have this team of mark layers with great passion to always keep their marks in a good position despite the long hours on the water,” complimented Ekman at the end of the day.

Macgregor and her team, Team Mac, were also on the water for nine of those flights and she complimented her teammates: “The communication within the team is working really well. We’ve got some really naturally talented sailors on board, which makes a huge difference. And although we are match racing, at the end of the day it’s just a boat race and it’s just about being quick and going the right way and controlling the other boat. And I’m really happy with how the team is sailing together.”

Macgregor’s tactician is local sailing hero, Silja (Lehtinen) Frost (FIN) – the 2013 Women’s Match Racing World Champion.

One of Macgregor’s matches was with defending World Champion, Team Anna. Skipper Anna Östling (SWE) described the racing as “really close, exciting and fun” despite losing the close match.

Day 2 Results
1. Lucy Macgregor, GBR, 10 – 0, 100%
2. Renée Groeneveld, NED, 6 – 1, 86%
3. Trine Palludan, DEN, 5 – 1, 83%
4. Anna Östling, SWE, 6 – 3, 67%
5. Mikaela Fors, FIN, 4 – 2, 67%
6. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 4 – 3, 57%
7. Marinella Laaksonen, FIN, 5 – 4, 56%
8. Johanna Bergqvist, SWE, 6 – 5, 55%
9. Pauline Courtois, FRA, 4 – 5, 44%
10. Martina Karlemo, FIN, 3 – 7, 30%
10. Margot Riou, FRA, 3 – 7, 30%
12. Sanna Häger, SWE, 1 – 6, 14%
13. Antonia Degerlund, FIN, 0 – 6, 0%
14. Ekaterina Kochkina, RUS, 0 – 7, 0%

Event details – Results – Facebook

Format: The racing begins June 17 with the round-robin stage on the waters off Hernesaari (Ärtholmen) in Helsinki Harbour, to be followed by quarterfinals, semi finals and then the conclusion with the final on the longest day of the year, Wednesday June 21.

Teams Competing in the 2017 Women’s Match Racing World Championship
(Team name, Skipper, Crew – World Sailing Ranking – Nationality):

Team Anna – Anna Östling, Karin Almquist, Marie Berg, Linnea Wennergren, Annika Carlunger – 1 – SWE
Dutch Match Racing Team – Renée Groeneveld, Marcelien Bos-De Koning, Lobke Berkhout, Sanne Akkerman, Mijke Lievens – 4 – NED
New Sweden Match Racing Team – Caroline Sylvan, Louise Kruuse af Verchou, Klara Ekdahl, Frida Langenius, Malin Holmberg – 5 – SWE
Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team – Pauline Courtois, Maëlenn LeMaître, Camille Hautefaye, Louise Acker, Sophonie Affagard – 7 – FRA
L2 Match Racing Team – Marinella Laaksonen, Marianna Kontulainen, Daniela Rönnberg, Anna Savisaari, Eva-Lotta Hokkonen – 8 – FIN
Stockholm Match Racing Team – Sanna Häger, Karin Bäckström, Sara Edholm, Klara Häger, Karin Flinkenberg – 12 – SWE
Team Sköna Vibbisar – Antonia Degerlund, Carla Westersund, Janina Hallberg, Disa Långström, Lisa Gerkman – 15 – FIN
Team Bergqvist Match Racing – Johanna Bergqvist, Isabelle Bergqvist, Johanna Thiringer, Ellinor Hansson, Fanny Edgren – 16 – SWE
Team Experience – Trine Palludan, Lea Richter Vogelius, Vivi Lund Møller, Anne Sofie Munk-Hansen, Joan Vestergård Hansen – 17 – DEN
Team Karlemo – Martina Karlemo, Susanna Kukkonen, Kirsi Mikkonen, Erica Bäckström, Natasha Rubanin-Hilde’n – 27 – FIN
Team Mac – Lucy Macgregor, Silja Frost, Rosie Watkins, Imogen Stanley, Charlotte Lawrence – 30 – GBR
SailWay Match Racing Team – Ekaterina Kochkina, Olga Shoykhet, Anastasia Rodomakina, Daria Sutiagina, Antonina Tikhonova – 39 – RUS
Pen & Hammer Sailing Team – Mikaela Fors, Livia Väresmaa, Anette Eriksson, Minna Barner-Rasmussen, Crie Therman-Londén – 75 – FIN
APCC Women’s Sailing Team – Margot Riou, Clémentine Hilaire, Laura Simon, Alizée Desbordes, Tiphaine Ragueneau – 95 – FRA

Source: WIM Series Media