World title concludes Women’s tour

The Waitemata Harbour is the stage as Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron hosts 14 international teams for the Barfoot & Thompson Women’s Match Racing World Championship from the 9th to the 13th of November 2022.

The World Championships follow an extremely competitive 2022 New Zealand Women’s Match Racing Championship on November 4-6 which offered a preview of several top-ranked women’s match racing teams who have been dominating the circuit for the last few years.

Ranked number one in the world by World Sailing, Pauline Courtois (FRA) and her Match in Pink will be favorites alongside second-ranked Anna Östling’s (SWE) Wings and third-ranked Nicole Breault’s (USA) Vela Racing.

As 2021 Women’s Match Racing World Champions, Courtois began her defense by claiming the New Zealand title, readily adapting to the Elliott 7s, a one-design boat similar to the Elliott 6s used in the 2012 Women’s Match Racing Olympics.

Courtois also leads the 2022 Women’s World Match Racing Tour which concludes with the World Championship.

The USA teams regularly find themselves in the finals against each other locally. This year Allie Blecher, who is crewing for Janel Zarkowsky, won the USA Women’s Match Racing Championship against Zarkowsky. Breault holds several USA Women’s Match Racing Championship titles of her own.

Sweden’s Östling has taken home the Women’s World Match Racing title in the past and continues to be a top contender for this year’s championship. Most recently, The Royal Prince Albert Yacht Club’s Easy Tiger Racing, helmed by Juliet Costanzo, won the Australian Women’s Match Racing title.

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron has three teams competing for the title on their home waters. Celia Willison’s Edge Racing, Megan Thomson’s 2.0 Racing, and winning the final wildcard qualifier from the New Zealand championship is Samantha Norman’s Sailing Mums.

Event details – Results – Facebook

Teams competing:
• Match in Pink (FRA) – Pauline Courtois, Maelenn Lemaitre, Louise Acker, Thea Khelif, Clara Bayou
• WINGS (SWE) – Anna Östling, Anna Holmdal, Annika Carlunger, Annie Saeedfar Wennergren, Linnéa Wennergren
• Edge Racing (NZL) – Celia Willison, Charlotte Porter, Serena Woodall, Paige Cook, Alison Kent
• 2.0 Racing (NZL) – Megan Thomson, Ellie Copeland, Chelsea Rees, Josi Andres, Anna Merchant
• Matchmoiselles (FRA) – Margot Vennin, Juliette Dubreuil, Elena Circiello-Vaillant, Clotilde Ponçon, Chloé Salon
• As One (USA) – Janel Zarkowsky, Allie Blecher, Rose Edwards, Meaghan MacRae, Aimee Famularo
• Easy Tiger Racing (AUS) – Juliet Costanzo, Jemma Hodgson, Sarah Parker, Ruby Scholten, Rosie Rowell
• Team Bergqvist (SWE) – Johanna Bergqvist, Isabelle Bergqvist, Ellinor Hansson, Fanny Edgren, Clare Costanzo
• Vela Racing (USA) – Nicole Breault, Molly O’Bryan Vandemoer, Dana Riley Hayes, Karen Loutzenheiser, Julie Mitchell
• APCC Women’s Racing (FRA) – Margot Riou, Maiwenn Deffontaines, Tiphanie Ragueneau, Chloe Le Roux, Blandine Jaffrain
• Athena Racing (GBR) – Octavia Owen, Chloe Collenette, Arwen Fflur, Charlotte Fensom, Jasmine Boote
• Five by Five Racing (GBR) – Allison Morrish, Emily Robertson, Anna Carpenter, Rebecca ‘Boo’ Coles, Sarah Jarman
• CYCA (AUS) Chelsea Williams, Jessica Tavener, Charlotte Alexander, Sofia Higgott, Audrey Scheu
• Sailing Mums (NZL) Samantha Norman, Polly Powrie, Miranda Addy, Hana Hielkema, Bex Costello