Marstrand, Sweden (1 July 2024) The 30th anniversary of GKSS Match Cup Sweden got underway today in picture postcard conditions for the eighteen match racing teams competing at the six-day event including ten open teams, and eight all-female teams racing in the 2024 Nordea Women’s Trophy. It is the first time the event has hosted both the World Match Racing Tour and Women’s World Match Racing Tour in the same week.

As the fresh SW breeze grew during the today with 18-20 knots and clear blue skies, teams from both events were tested to their limits with the nimble Far East 28 yachts finding their pace in the downwind swell.

First to the course in the morning was the eight women’s teams competing for the 2024 Nordea Women’s Trophy including Team WINGS (world rank #1) skippered by Anna Östling, and former women’s match racing world champion Pauline Courtois (world rank #2) with her Match in Pink team from Normandy, France. Both teams started the event with a strong start, posting two wins from their first two races.

Defending Nordea Women’s Trophy Champions Team WINGS skippered by Anna Östling and crew Anna Holmdal White, Linnéa Wennergren, Jenny Axhede, Annika Carlunger. Photo: Niklas Axhede

Also scoring early wins in the qualifying round robin was Sweden’s Martina Carlsson (Beyond Racing Team, world rank #47) and Renee Groenveld (Dutch Match Racing Team, world rank #21) from the Netherlands – each team posted three wins from five races.

In the Open GKSS Match Cup Sweden class, Denmark’s Jeppe Borch and his Borch Racing team won their two races of the day, with USA’s Chris Poole (Riptide Racing), Sweden’s Johnie Berntsson (Berntsson Sailing Team), New Zealand’s Nick Egnot-Johnson (Knots Racing) and Aurélien Pierroz from France also posting two wins.

“What an amazing start to the event in 18-20 knots and sunshine” commented Borch on the opening day’s conditions. “We had a great day but we know it’s still early in the regatta and we can see the other teams here this week are very competitive.”

Chris Poole (USA) and Riptide Racing (crew Luke Payne, Mal Parker, Joachim Aschenbrenner)  Photo: Niklas Axhede
Lively downwind conditions on Day 1 of GKSS Match Cup Sweden 2024. Photo: Niklas Axhede
Eric Monnin (SUI) Capvis Swiss Match Race Team (crew Ute Monnin-Wagner, Simon Brügger, Hugo Feydit, Marc Monnin).  Photo: Niklas Axhede

Despite the perfect ‘Marstrand’ conditions for the opening day of the anniversary event, the forecast is expected to change towards the latter part of the week with stronger winds likely for the weekend.

“We always expect changing weather here in Marstrand” added Event Manager Mattias Rahm, a previous competitor and winner of GKSS Match Cup Sweden in 2008. “It does look like we will have some stronger winds later this week and possibly in to the weekend, but we have a fantastic team, and we are well prepared.”

Racing starts tomorrow 2 July at 10am local time.

For more information, follow www.wmrt.com and via social media at Facebook and Instagram @wordmatchracingtour

Results after Day 1

 

ABOUT WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR
Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) promotes the sport of match racing around the world and is the longest running global professional series in the sport of sailing. The WMRT is awarded ‘Special Event’ status by the sport’s world governing body – World Sailing – and the winner of the WMRT each year is crowned World Sailing Match Racing World Champion. Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have awarded over USD24million in prize money to sailors which has helped to contribute to the career pathway of many of today’s professional sailors. www.wmrt.com