Difficult day at Women’s Match Racing Worlds

Helsinki, Finland (June 17, 2017) – Someone forgot to make a deal with the Nordic wind god, Aeolius, as racing started today for the 2017 Women’s Match Racing World Championship.

The race committee and teams faced challenges all day as light and shifty winds dominated the first day of the round robin stage in the beautiful waters of Helsinki Harbour. The local teams seemed to take to the conditions a little better than some of the higher-ranked international teams as the local Pen & Hammer Sailing Team skippered by Mikaela Fors (FIN) took an early win over the current World Champions, Team Anna, skippered by Anna Östling (SWE).

“Very difficult conditions here so you have to be super alert all of the time,” noted Fors.

The day started with very light southerly winds that bounced around with forty degree shifts followed by a huge shift to the west before dying out completely for nearly two hours. The patience of the race committee and sailors paid off as a more steady southerly breeze came in the afternoon.

“We were not envious of the group sailing in the morning, but were very happy to get two wins in the afternoon to start off our week,” commented Lucy Macgregor (GBR). “The race committee did a very good job in tricky conditions.”

Although the sailors may have been frustrated waiting for the winds to fill in, the spectators enjoyed the warm summer day along the shoreline watching the racing. The crowds at the popular Löyly restaurant and saunas were treated to mark rounding within meters of their balcony when the winds shifted to the west. Later in the day, the large crowds in Hernesaaren Ranta were entertained by live commentary from local match race expert Alpo ‘Abe’ Kaakinen.

The forecast for the rest of the Championship may continue to cause challenges, so the world-class sailors will need to focus on the details if they are going to become champions.

Day 1 Results
1. Mikaela Fors, FIN, 3 – 1
1. Trine Palludan, DEN, 3 – 1
3. Martina Karlemo, FIN, 2 – 0
3. Lucy Macgregor, GBR, 2 – 0
5. Marinella Laaksonen, FIN, 2 – 1
5. Johanna Bergqvist, SWE, 2 – 1
7. Renée Groeneveld, NED, 1 – 0
7. Margot Riou, FRA, 1- 1
9. Anna Östling, SWE, 1 – 2
9. Pauline Courtois, FRA, 1 – 2
11. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 0 – 1
12. Sanna Häger, SWE, 0 – 2
12. Antonia Degerlund, FIN, 0 – 2
14. Ekaterina Kochkina, RUS, 0 – 4

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