Semi Finals set stage at Women’s Match Race Golfe du Morbihan

Vannes, France (July 26, 2014) – An intense day of action packed racing at the Women’s Match Race Golfe du Morbihan, first saw an exciting conclusion to the round robin. Despite tight racing in tough matches, all the quarter finals then went through quickly with 2 – 0 scores, opening for a beginning of the semis. Racing finished for the day with Danish World #1 Camilla Ulrikkeholm on match point 2 – 0 over local hero Anne-Claire Le Berre, and Swedish World Champion Anna Kjellberg even 1 – 1 with experienced Dutch skipper Klaartje Zuiderbaan.

Ulrikkeholm and her team recovered well from their not very convincing 8th place in the round robin, beating British rising star Annabel Vose 2 – 0 in their quarter final of this second stage of the 2014 Women’s International Match Racing Series (WIM Series):

“We had some problems finding our way in the shifty conditions of the last matches of the round-robin, but were very happy to get through and then to make it to the semis too,” Ulrikkeholm analysed. “Having match point in the semi final definitely feels good after such a weak round robin. Now we’re looking forward to showing that we deserve the top spot on the world ranking!”

“Tomorrow is another day. There are lots of times when you have a 2 – 0 lead and then lose the whole thing,” Le Berre commented, remembering herself that she did exactly that in her latest regatta, the World Championships in Cork in June.

Swedish World Champion Anna Kjellberg was relieved to get ashore after a long day on the water, losing against Klaartje Zuiderbaan by more than a minute in the last match of the day:

“She got away just a little bit before us at the last start, then caught a favourable shift and managed to get a substantial lead that she could stretch even further,” Kjellberg sighed, yet determined to change some details in order not to lose any more races. “We know exactly what to do. One thing is to push a lot harder in the pre-starts. We know we’re strong in tight situations.”

Klaartje Zuiderbaan clarified why her team managed to come back after some bad results the day before:

“When it’s tough you either learn and improve or you go down. We chose the first option and had a really good talk in the team” the Dutch skipper said, explaining how she could beat Kjellberg with such a huge margin in the last match:

“Our bowman Anne-Christianne Kentgens is very talented in spotting wind,” she smiled.

Standings in the semi finals of the Women’s Match Race Golfe du Morbihan, the second stage of the 2014 WIM Series:
Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN – Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA 2 – 0
Klaartje Zuiderbaan, NED – Anna Kjellberg, SWE 1 – 1

Results in the quarterfinals of the Women’s Match Race Golfe du Morbihan, the second stage of the 2014 WIM Series:
Anna Kjellberg, SWE – Morgane Fountaine, FRA 2 – 0
Klaartje Zuiderbaan, NED – Claudia Pierce, NZL 2 – 0
Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA – Caroline Sylvan, SWE 2 – 0
Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN – Annabel Vose, GBR 2 – 0

Results in the round-robin of the Women’s Match Race Golfe du Morbihan, the second stage of the 2014 WIM Series (name/nationality/wins – losses):
1. Anna Kjellberg, SWE, 8 – 3
2. Klaartje Zuiderbaan, NED, 8 – 3
3. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 8 – 3
4. Annabel Vose, GBR, 8 – 3
5. Morgane Fountaine, FRA, 7 – 4
6. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 7 – 4
7. Claudia Pierce, NZL, 6 – 5
8. Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN, 6 – 5

9. Pauline Courtois, FRA, 4 – 7
10. Lucie Scheiwiller, FRA, 3 – 8
11. Rajaa Al Owaisi, OMA, 1 – 10
12. Anastasia Guseva, RUS, 0 – 11

Report by WIMS media.

Background:
Women’s Match Race Golfe du Morbihan (July 24-27) is the second stop on the five event Women’s International Match Racing Series, a professional sailing circuit, hosted by the Women’s International Match Racing Association for the world’s leading women match racing sailors.

An overall prize purse of 50 000 USD will be distributed by the WIM Series at the final event in Busan, Korea, in addition to the prize money at each of the five events included in the WIM Series (date, event name, location, boat type, prize money):

* June 3-8, ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship, Cork, Ireland, J/80, 17,000 USD.
* July 24-27, Women’s Match Race Golfe du Morbihan, Vannes, France, Beneteau 7.5, 14,000 USD.
* August 4-9, Lysekil Women’s Match, Lysekil, Sweden, DS 37, 50,000 USD.
* September 23-28, Buddy Melges Challenge, Sheboygan, USA, Elliott 6, 10,000 USD.
* October 11-16, Busan Cup Women’s International Match Race, Busan, Korea, K 30, 100,000 USD.

Series website: http://www.wimseries.com