Courtois tops women’s match racing tour

France’s Pauline Courtois and her Match in Pink by Normandy Elite team of Louise Acker, Maëlenn Lemaître, Sophie Faguet, and Laurane Mettraux clinched victory at the 2024 Aspen Bermuda Women’s Match Racing Regatta, held October 29-November 3 in Hamilton, Bermuda. Racing IODs, Courtois defeated Sweden’s Anna Östling and her WINGS team 2-1 in a tense final in very light airs.

The French team was also crowned 2024 Women’s World Match Racing Tour Champions for the fifth time.

“We are very, very happy,” said Courtois. “It was a big achievement for us as a team and it has been an incredible year. I haven’t done much match racing this year but I am fortunate to have a really good team around me.”

Östling and crew were dissapointed to lose out on the final race. “We didn’t get anything for free this week and we have been fighting for our survival from the start to the end, so I think we should be quite happy with second place. Pauline was clearly better but we gave our best and we know have a way to go to master these unique IOD yachts”

In the petit-final, Denmark’s Lea Vogelius finished third courtesy of a 1-0 triumph over compatriot Kristine Mauritzen.

Tour information – Race details – Results

2024 Tour – Overall
1. Pauline Courtois (FRA), 34
2. Julia Aartsen (NED), 26
3. Anna Östling (SWE), 23
4. Kristine Mauritzen (DEN), 21
5. Lea Vogelius (DEN), 21

Women’s World Match Racing Tour 2024
April 23-26 – Santa Maria Cup – Annapolis USA
May 2-5 – Casa Vela Cup – San Francisco USA
May 17-20 – Normandy Match Cup – Le Havre, France
July 1-6 – Nordea Women’s Trophy / Match Cup Sweden – Marstrand, Sweden
Sept. 5-8 – KDY Women’s Match Race – Skovshoved, Denmark
Oct. 28-Nov. 3 – Bermuda

A team’s Tour points total will be the sum of their best three (3) scores.

The team with the highest score at the end of the season will be 2024 Women’s World Match Racing Tour Champion.

2024 Notice of Tour: https://womenswmrt.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/WWMRT-2024-Notice-of-Tour.pdf

The Women’s World Match Racing Tour was launched in 2022 to continue the hugely successful legacy of the WIM Series (Women’s International Match Racing Series) providing a global match racing series for female sailors. The name of the series was re-launched as the Women’s World Match Racing Tour with its continued mission to expand and strengthen global match racing and promote opportunities for competitive women’s sailing at every level. The Women’s World Match Racing Tour is the world’s first and only professional sailing series for women providing a valuable pathway for aspiring female world champions in the sport of sailing. womenswmrt.com

Source: WWNRT, SSN