Russian team win gold at Kiel Week

The new Women's match racing Kiel week ISAF Sailing World Cup champion is Ekatarina Skudina and her crew Irina Lotsmanova and Elena Syuzeva from Russia. They defeated world number two Claire Leroy (FRA) and crew Marie Riou and Elodie Bertrand 2-1 in the finals. With Skudina's victory, the ISAF Sailing World Cup sees its 5th different champion from 5 events in the 2010 season. The Sailing World Cup will conclude in August with the Skandia Sail For Gold Regatta at the site of the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition: Weymouth, Great Britain. A delighted Ekaterina Skudina from Russia said I am really happy, especially today as we were a little behind the schedule and after a weeks sailing we are very tired." She seemed to revel in the light and shifty conditions, "I was born in Moscow and sailing on the lakes in Moscow, its good for us, it's my favourite conditions. It means a lot to me to win here and especially for my crew. Pictured the Finland team racing at Kiel.

First Sailing World Cup Win for French

Jubilant French crew Anne-Claire Le Berre, Alice Ponsar and Myrtille Ponge won the Women's match racing in an exciting last day of the Delta Lloyd Regatta 2010. The breeze picked up to about 15-18 knots, sometimes gusting up to 20 knots during the match race finals. Le Berre and Mcgregor (GBR) had a close battle for the match racing title. In the semi finals on Sunday morning the British team won 3-0 against Bekatorou (Greece) while Anne-Claire Le Berre (FRA) won 3-0 against Echegoyen (ESP). Both teams got two races each playing the title on the last Match. After a good start McGregor took the lead until the last leg when the French enjoyed a gust to sail away to the finish and collect their first Sailing world Cup victory. "This victory means a lot for us. This is the first time that a French team wins a Match-racing event in the Sailing World Cup. It is also very special to win against the British who have been undefeated until today. Our objective was to get to the semi-finals, so everything after was a bonus." Photo Sander van der Borch.

Elliott 6m selected for Stena Match Cup Sweden

World Match Racing Tour event, Stena Match Cup Sweden in Marstrand, has appointed the new Elliott 6 as the boat for the women's class. The decision to use the same racing boats as the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition will create a pinnacle event for women's match racing. WMR, which in the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition will be sailed for the first time, has developed into the crown sailing class for women. The entry of the new racing class of the Olympic Sailing Competition has already given a dramatic increase of elite sailing for women around the world. Therefore it is a natural step for Stena Match Cup Sweden to open up for the Olympic match racing class already in tthe 2010 event. The entry of the Elliott 6m class for the women in Stena Match Cup Sweden will even further strengthen the premiere sailing event in Sweden, which already is a Championship event for male match racing skippers and teams, part of the World Match Racing Tour. Ten International female teams will race the Elliott 6 at Marstrand this year. The teams have a crew of three, all of them are top stars in their countries in female match racing. This can become the breakthrough in racing for Swedish women's elite sailing. It will also increase participation from national teams with all it's support and professionalism, says Stefan Rahm, director of the Swedish Sailing Federation. The two Swedish teams will be lead by the two star skippers Anna Kjellberg, the new star who became runner up at Stena Match Cup Sweden the last two years, and Linda Rahm, previously ranked second in the world. The Swedish teams will meet the world's top ranked teams and stars this summer. It will be a great measure of their potential, any one team of the ten can reach the top of the podium in the end of the week. That's how tough it will get, says Martin Sohtell, project manager of the event organizer. Stena Match Cup Sweden became one of the earliest events to establish a women's class in 1999. As a result Sweden has grown to a strong nation within women's match racing. The campaign in the Elliott class is a natural step in a long term commitment that GKSS has had to WMR. It is really thrilling to tie the teams athletic efforts to reach the Olympics with the largest sailing event in Sweden, says Peter Klock, managing director of GKSS. Pictured WMR in Palma courtesy of Nico Martinez.

Women's Match Racing - WIMRA

Halbrock wins Olympic Sailing Week France

The Elliott 6m featured for the first time at the Olympic Sailing week in Hyeres France. The women's match racing event was won by Silke Hahlbrock (GER) and her team. Team Hamburg won the final 3 nil against Anna Tunnicliffe (USA). Claire Leroy (FRA) won the Petite Finale against Australian Katy Spithill. Frustrating wind conditions throughout the week tested the crews who had prepared for the usual reliable conditions in Hyeres. Crews praised the race committee for their hard work in setting courses and getting through so many races in very light and fluky conditions.

Groeneveld wins Gold in Palma

Netherland's Renee Groeneveld and crew won the gold medal in the Women's Match Racing at the ISAF Sailing World Cup event Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia MAPFRE 2010 in Palma. They beat Nicky Souter (Aus) 3 to 1 in the finals. Sally Barkow (USA) took the bronze with a 2-1 victory over Lucy McGregor's British team. Mixed conditions prevailed throughout the regatta with the Elliott 6m and RSX fleets being the only event able to sail on all of the regatta days.Photo courtesy Nico Martinez.

Sailing World Cup starts in Palma

The Eliott 6m mades its Palma debut yesterday with all three groups making a start to their round robin series. Seven teams finished the day with a 100% success rate including defending ISAF Sailing World Cup champion Lucy Macgregor (GBR, multiple world champion Claire Leroy (FRA), 2009 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Anna Tunnicliffe (USA), Lotte Meldgard (DEN),and Sally Barkow (USA) fresh from competing at the Congressional Cup. Photo Nico Martinez.

Elliott 6m arrive in the Holy Land

Sailors in Israel are delighted to receive their two Elliott 6's which arrived in Ashdod recently. The boats were purchased by the Israeli Yachting Federation.

US Team wins Rolex Miami OCR Womens Match Racing

The Womens Match Racing in US Sailings Miami OCR finished in a nail biting final. US team Anna Tunnicliffe, Molly Vandemoer and Debbie Capozzi defeated Lucy MacGregors GBR team in a highly charged, best of five series. Team MacGregor got through to the finals without losing a race. With the score at 2 all the tie breaker became a do or die match for the gold. After a tough start. The lead changed a couple of times ending with Tunnicliffe defending the starboard lay line and narrowly edging out MacGregor by half a boat length. Claire Leroy world number one beat Nicky Souter and her Australian team in the petit final to finish third and fourth overall. Photo courtesy of USSailing 2010 Walter Cooper.

Womens Match Racing Intense at Miami

Action from Day 1 of Rolex Miami OCR which started 25th January and includes the first Womens Match Racing event for 2010 sailing in the Elliott 6m. The match racing event features 24 teams divided into three groups of eight, sailing round robin in a series of over 200 races, which eventually pare down to two boats, sailing for Gold on Saturday. NZL team in Group C completed 7 races with 5 wins. The team of Samantha Osborne , Jenna Hansen, and Raynor Smeal have made it straight through to the gold fleet, which includes the top two from 3 groups with two more teams who win places through the repecharge. Day 2 was sailed in shifty 7 to 15 knot conditions and choppy seas. Pool A will finish up tomorrow along with the repecharge for the final 2 places for the quarter finals. The top 6 will have a round robin which will determine seedings for the quarter finals. NZL team has three races scheduled for tomorrow. For more info www.rmorc.ussailing.org Photo Rolex Dan Nerney.

New Elliott 6m fleet arrive in Australia

Sailors from the Australian Womens Olympic Match Racing squad training on Sydney Harbour on one the new Elliott 6m boats recently arrived in Sydney. Australian skippers Nicky Souter and Katie Spellew are currently ranked 3rd and 4th in the world match racing rankings.

Dutch win Gold in Womens Match Racing

The gold medal for the Women's Match Racing in the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta has been won by the Dutch team of Renee Groeneveld, Annemieke Bes and Brechtje van der Werf. They beat the strong British crew of Lucy Macgregor, Annie Lush and Ally Martin by two races to one. Groeneveld said This is a new team, so we did not really know what to expect, but we have done a good job in training and we have been learning fast this summer. She added We are very happy this is the last World Cup of the year and it is a nice way to go into the winter. Macgregor said: We are delighted with the result, but we were a bit frustrated with our racing, although we pulled together well as a team. Today the wind was lighter and we were not quite as strong in those conditions. US team Anna Tunnicliffe, Molly Vandemoer and Alice Manard beat Claire Leroy and French crew 2 to 1 in the battle for bronze.

Samantha Osborne Wins Inaugural Buddy Melges Challenge

The inaugural Buddy Melges Challenge hosted by the US Sailing Center Sheboygan was won by Samantha Osborne and crew Jenna Hansen and Roanor Smeale from New Zealand. They beat Jen Provan and crew from Canada in a thrilling five-race final on Sunday. Osborne won the first two races of the final, however Provan came back to beat Osborne in Race 3. In Race 4 she passed Osborne halfway down the final leg to tie the series and set up an exciting final race in which Osborne passed Provan on the final leg to win the regatta. A second New Zealand crew of Stephanie Hazard, Susannah Pyatt, and Miranda Powrie took third place overall in the series. Pictured some action from the event.

Olympic sailors hard at work in Weymouth

Sailors from the Netherlands Womens Olympic squad enjoying their work whilst training at Weymouth for the Sail For Gold Regatta to be held in September. The regatta will be held at the venue for the 2012 Olympics. The RYA fleet of Elliott 6m combined with the 4 Dutch boats will be used for the womens match racing.