London, UK (29 June, 2023) Match racing returns to its Swedish spiritual home next week with the 29th edition of the GKSS Match Cup Sweden taking place over 4-8 July in the tourist island hotspot of Marstrand off Swedenโ€™s west coast. A founding event of the World Match Racing Tour, the event is renowned as one of the worldโ€™s most iconic match racing venues, drawing large and enthusiastic crowds along the cliffs and shoreline of the Marstrand Fjord.
Hosted by the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club (GKSS), GKSS Match Cup Sweden in the past has featured many clashes between match racing and America’s Cup titans. Notably seven-time champion Peter Gilmour in his bouts with future Americaโ€™s Cup winning helmsman Ed Baird; 2002 when Dean Barker memorably defeated his ‘mentor’ Russell Coutts (en route to skippering Team New Zealand in the 31st America’s Cup, when he lost to Coutts); and in turn Coutts’ own two victories in 2001 and 2004. Although not represented this year, British match racing legends have been victorious on Marstand Fjord several times including Chris Law in 2003, Ben Ainslie in 2010 and six-time WMRT Champion Ian Williams in 2011.
Dean Barker (NZL) Team New Zealand competing at Stena Match Cup Sweden 2002
Peter Gilmour (AUS) Pizza-La Sailing Team winners of Stena Match Cup Sweden 2005. (Pictured left to right Peter Gilmour, Rod Dawson, Yasuhiro Yaji, Mike Mottl, Kazuhiko Sofuku)
Ben Ainslie (GBR) Origin Racing winners of Stena Match Cup Sweden 2010.ย  ย (Pictured left to right, Magnus Augustson, Iain Percy, Matt Cornwell, Christian Kamp, Ben Ainslie) Photo: Loris von Siebenthal – myimage

More recently, Sweden’s home-grown talent has prevailed in Bjรถrn Hansen, long dubbed the ‘Master of Marstrand’, who has won his countryโ€™s premier match racing event no less than five times, four consecutively over 2012-15. Hansen is one of the few of the โ€˜old guardโ€™ to return to Marstrand this year, along with fellow Swede Johnnie Berntsson, who although he has never made a Match Cup Sweden final is a two-time winner of the Tourโ€™s equally iconic Bermuda Gold Cup event.

Hansen admits that it has been a while (seven years) since he last competed on a World Match Racing Tour event, but two weeks ago in Finland he competed at the NJK Open Spring Cup match racing event and, reassuringly, won it. So, is it like riding a bike? โ€œLuckily yes, although we have had to learn the new rules,โ€ he says. Nonetheless he is under no illusion of his teamโ€™s chances at this yearsโ€™ GKSS Match Cup Sweden: โ€œWe are going there to have fun and meet and compete with old friends. Still, when you get into the starting box you always want to win, and we will be disappointed if we get no points. We hope to do okay!โ€

While Hansenโ€™s past victories in Marstrand were on board the DS37 monohull, this year tweaky, faster, asymmetric-rigged Fareast 28Rs are being used. Hansen says his team has sailed them a little โ€“ first at the Monsoon Cup in 2016 and more recently in Sweden.

Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team Photo: Ian Roman/ WMRT
Bjรถrn Hansen, Winners of Match Cup Sweden Champion 2014ย  ย (Pictured left to right Philip Kai Guhle, Phillip Kai Guhle, Sebastein Well, Mathias Bredin, Gustav Tempelman, Bjรถrn Hansen)ย  Photo: Ian Roman/WMRT
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar Winners of Stena Match Cup Sweden 2011ย  (Pictured left to right Gerry Mitchell, Ian Williams, Matt Cassidy, Bill Hardesty, Mal Parker).ย  Photo: Chris Davies

Part of the โ€˜Master of Marstrandโ€™s success here in previous years has also been aided by the encouragement of his fan club. Every year he has competed, a loyal group of fans have perched high on the cliff (or โ€˜Hansen Hillโ€™ as it was named many) to support the team. โ€œI hope they will be there,โ€ Hansen muses. โ€œWe have had some contact with them, and they are ready to cheer us on again.โ€

The loyal Bjรถrn Hansen fans high on ‘Hansen Hill’ย  ย Photo: Robert Hajduk/WMRT

However, this yearโ€™s GKSS Match Cup Sweden has another favourite. Few have arrived in Sweden better prepared than American Chris Poole and his Riptide Racing team. Currently #1 in the world match racing rankings, Poole finished the Congressional Cup in April unbeaten โ€“ no mean feat given the eventโ€™s premier status on the World Match Racing Tour. Poole has arrived early in Sweden and has put in two days of training on the Far East 28s. The smallest chink in the Poole armour is that he is lacking two of his regular crew, however when one of the replacements is Kyle Langford, Americaโ€™s Cup winning crewman and former Volvo Ocean Race sailor, he shouldnโ€™t have too much to fear.

Chris Poole (USA), Riptide Racing champions of the 2023 Congressional Cup. (Pictured left to right Matt Cornwell, Luke Payne, Chris Poole, Mal Parker, Bernardo Freitas, Joachim Aschenbrenner)ย  Photo: Ian Roman/WMRT

Poole explains why his team is top of the pile currently: โ€œIn 2020 we took a different approach as I got more support, and I could get guys with the right mentality and experience who would take my skill set to the next level. Then it was just about having constant focus, which we got from Mal Parker, my primary trimmer who was saying โ€˜if we are going to do this campaign, we have to treat it like an Americaโ€™s Cup and there is a mentality you have to have. He has seen a lot and he knows which formula works.โ€

This will be Pooleโ€™s first time match racing in Marstrand. โ€œIt will be exciting. It is a tight harbour and there is some decent competition, including some of the old Swedish teams. Marstrand is a natural amphitheatre and an amazing stadium. Itโ€™s also midsummer with everyone on holiday so the Island will be busy with spectators.โ€œ

Beyond Hansen, Poole reckons his main competition will be Jeppe Borch and Nick Egnot-Johnson. From Denmark, 25-year-old Borch continues his nationโ€™s strong match racing tradition that has included the likes of Jesper Bank, Jes Gram-Hansen and Jesper Radich and while he has yet to win a Grade 1 event, it is just a matter of time, having made the Congressional Cup final in April. ย Similarly, Nick Egnot-Johnson is flying the match racing flag for New Zealand and as defending World Match Racing Tour champion and having finished third at the Congressional Cup, his Knots Racing team will also be a contender next week.

Nick Egnot-Johnson (NZL), Knots Racing WMRT Champions 2022. (Pictured left to right, Sam Barnett, Bradley Mclaughlin, Nick Egnot-Johnson, Zak Merton) Photo: Andrea Francolini/WMRT
Jeppe Borch (DEN) Photo: Ian Roman/WMRT

Another long-term World Match Racing Tour competitor returns in Switzerlandโ€™s Eric Monnin, currently ranked #2 in the World behind Poole, after his Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team last week won the OM International Ledro Match Race in Italy. Last year Monnin won the EUROSAF Match Racing Open Grade 1 event in Italy and in 2019 won the Sopot Match Cup in Poland.

Eric Monnin (SUI) Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team winners of the 2023 OM International Ledro Match Race (Pictured left to right, Eric Monnin, Ute Wagner-Monnin, Marc Monnin) Photo: AVLL | Zerogradinord

One of the joys of GKSS Match Cup Sweden is seeing a new generation of match racers competing and occasionally winning races from the old guard. On Lake Ledro last week, Monnin won the final 3-0 from 26-year-old Italian Rocco Attili, who, ranked #12 in the world, is also in the Marstrand line-up. Like his Danish counterpart Jeppe Borch, Attili is posting increasingly good results with a team that is already nine years old and with European and Italian youth match racing titles to their credit.

Meanwhile from Sweden is 22-year-old Oscar Engstrรถm, a former Swedish youth champion who is now working his way up the match racing ladder to ever higher grade events with his Team Liros.

Rocco Atilli (ITA) Photo: Andrea Francolini/WMRT
Oscar Engstrรถm, SWE (pictured right)

But the youngest competitor next week is the USAโ€™s Jeffrey Petersen, 21, who has already asserted his impressive credentials as the reigning US and World Youth Match Racing Champion and currently ranked #9 in the world. Petersenโ€™s Golden State Match Racing team finished 4th at the OM International Ledro last weekend before heading to Marstrand for their first ever Match Cup Sweden.

Jeffrey Petersen (USA) Golden State Match Racing Photo: AVLL | Zerogradinord

Completing the lineup from Estonia is Matti Sepp, who, has been match racing sporadically since 2008 and with his Clean Energy Sailing Team won last yearโ€™s Porto Montenegro Match Race. Sepp also runs his own event on the World Match Racing Tour, the Baltic Match Race in Estonia, 20-24 September.

Mati Sepp (EST) Photo: AVLL | Zerogradinord

Of GKSS Match Cup Sweden, Project Manager Mattias Rahm, a former winner of the event himself in 2008 added: โ€œWe are delighted to be back on the World Match Racing Tour after the pandemic years. Marstrand really is made for match racing with its natural amphitheatre and we are pleased to welcome back a line-up of world class match racers including Chris Poole, world champion Nick Egnot-Johnson and five-time winner Bjรถrn Hansen. Bjรถrn will definitely give the younger teams a fight. But can young spirit can beat experience?โ€

We will find out over 4-8 July.

The natural amphitheatre of Marstrand-Sweden. Photo: Loris von Siebenthal – myimage

 

For information and live results, follow wmrt.com and www.gkssmatchcupsweden.se

GKSS Match Cup Sweden Entries:

  1. Chris Poole (USA) Riptide Racing
  2. Jeppe Borch (DEN) Team Borch Matchrace
  3. Eric Monnin (SUI) Capvis Swiss Match Race Team
  4. Nick Egnot-Johnson (NZL) KNOTS racing
  5. Jefferey Petersen (USA) Golden State Match Racing
  6. Rocco Attili (ITA) RBYS Match/Team Racing
  7. Mati Sepp (EST) EESTI MATCH RACE LIIT
  8. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team
  9. Bjรถrn Hansen (SWE)
  10. Oscar Engstrรถm (SWE)

 

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 โ€˜Special Eventโ€™ status by the sportโ€™s world governing body โ€“ World Sailing โ€“ and the winner of the WMRT each year is crowned World Sailing Match Racing World Champion. Previous champions include Sir Ben Ainslie (GBR), Taylor Canfield (USA), Peter Gilmour (AUS), Magnus Holmberg (SWE), Peter Holmberg (ISV), Adam Minoprio (NZL), Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Bertrand Pace (FRA), Jesper Radich (DEN), Phil Robertson (NZL) and Ian Williams (GBR). Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have awarded over USD23million in prize money to sailors which has helped to contribute to the career pathway of many of todayโ€™s professional sailors.ย  ย www.wmrt.com