WMRT: crucial points to count in qualifying stage

Marstrand, Sweden (2 July, 2024) USA’s Chris Poole/ Riptide Racing and Sweden’s Johnie Berntsson/ Berntsson Sailing Team share the lead of the 2024 GKSS Match Cup Sweden open event after two days, each team posting five wins in the qualifying stage of the event. In the all-female Nordea Women’s Trophy, Sweden’s Anna Östling/ Team WINGS leads the opening stage undefeated with four wins from four races.

Calmer seas and a lighter 8-12 knot breeze graced the Marstrand fjord for the second day of racing at GKSS Match Cup Sweden, a founding world championship event of the World Match Racing Tour, and this year celebrating its 30th Anniversary.

USA’s Chris Poole/ Riptide Racing had a solid day with three wins placing his team ahead on percentage in the round-robin stage with a total five wins from six races:

“Today’s lighter breeze made for more tactical match racing, but we adjusted well from yesterday’s conditions, and we were starting well today” commented Poole.

Sweden’s Johnie Berntsson/ Berntsson Sailing Team is levelled with Poole in the round-robin at five wins but from 8 races, putting him behind Poole on percentage of race wins.

“We sailed very well at times today” commented Berntsson, “but we still have some work to do in order to reach our highest level.”

In the all-female Nordea Women’s Trophy, running concurrently with the Open GKSS Match Cup Sweden event this week, defending event champion Anna Östling and her long-standing Team WINGS of Anna Holmdal White, Linnéa Wennergren, Jenny Axhede and Annika Carlunger were the team to beat today as they returned ashore undefeated with a total four wins.

Skipper Renee Groeneveld from the Netherlands with her Dutch Match Racing Team of Mijke Lievens, Marije Kampen, Charlotte Heijstek and Sandra Sandqvist posted five wins but from seven races which puts the team behind Östling on percentage race wins.

Representing the second Dutch team in the women’s event, Julia Aartsen’s Team Out of the Box had a crucial day to stay in the hunt for a spot in the quarter-finals securing an important win against Sweden’s Martina Carlsson/ Beyond Racing Team.

“This round-robin has been nerve-wracking and with some unpredictable results” commented Aartsen. “Tomorrow is all to play for us with four teams currently neck and neck with the same points.”