Women’s Match Racing Circuit Gets Underway

Helsinki, Finland (June 27, 2016) – The first event of the 2016 Women’s International Match Racing Series (WIM Series) is beginning tomorrow on Finnish waters as a dozen teams fight in the Helsinki Women’s Match for their share of the valuable WIM Series points.

“We’re really happy to be here, and to get this WIM Series season rolling,” says long-time World #1 Camilla Ulrikkeholm Klinkby from Denmark.

Hosting the Helsinki Women’s Match is Nyländska Jaktklubben (NJK) – the yacht club that brought the exciting sailing discipline of match racing to Finland already some 25 years ago. In 2011 the European Women’s Match Racing Championship was sailed in Helsinki and in 2014 the club hosted the Youth Match Racing World Championship.

With heavy showers from a dark grey sky, and temperatures far from what you’d expect this close to summer solstice, the participating teams had quite a rough practise today on the waters close to Hernesaari (Ärtholmen), on the southern shores of Helsinki. The weather for tomorrow is expected to offer good sailing conditions to the teams.

Reigning WIM Series champion, American Stephanie Roble and her Team Epic Racing, will not participate in Finland due to job obligations. But they’ll be back on the coming events, and cannot be counted out already. Four events out of the five on the 2016 WIM Series will count in the total standings, so you can drop out of one and still have the chance of winning.

Since the inaugural season in 2013, the WIM Series have seen half a dozen Volvo Ocean Race sailors, 26 Olympic sailors (including the 2012 Women’s Match Racing Gold Medallists), multiple National Champions and one World Sailor of the Year. To this date, sailors from 23 nations have participated in the WIM Series.

The racing begins tomorrow with the round-robin to be followed by quarterfinals, semi finals and then the conclusion with the final on Friday, July 1.

Competing Teams:

TEAM Ulrikkeholm, DEN
Camilla Ulrikkeholm Klinkby, Trine Palludan, Josefine Boel Rasmussen, Joan Vestergård Hansen

Team Anna, SWE
Anna Östling, Malin Källström, Marie Berg, Annika Carlunger

New Sweden Match Racing Team, SWE
Caroline Sylvan, Helena Gustavs Formgren, Louise Kruuse af Verchou, Malin Holmberg

Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team, FRA
Pauline Courtois, Berenice Delpuech, Claire Berthoux, Juliette Le Friec

Team Laaksonen, FIN
Marinella Laaksonen, Marianna Kontulainen, Henna Holopainen, Noora Tams

Stockholm Match Racing Team, SWE
Sanna Häger, Caroline Schramm, Klara Häger, Karin Flinkenberg

Matchrace Team Netherlands, NED
Renée Groeneveld, Annemieke Bes, Lobke Berkhout, Mijke Lievens

Team She Sails, NED
Rikst Dijkstra, Fettje Osinga, Milah Wouters, Luisa Schumann

Team Ireland Women’s Match Racing, IRL
Diana Kissane, Lizzy McDowell, Isabella Morehead, Ellen Cahill

Team Sköna Vibbisar, FIN
Antonia Degerlund, Carla Westersund, Janina Lindgren, Lisa Gerkman

Swedish Women’s Match Racing Team, SWE
Sanna Mattsson, Sarah Rosell, Stina Eriksson, Nellie Lindnér

Team Kukkonen, FIN
Susanna Kukkonen, Daniela Rönnberg, Heidi Uusivirta, Päivi Järvinen

2016 WIM Series events
* 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

WIM Series – Facebook – YouTube

Background: 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. 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.

Source: Women’s International Match Racing Series