Volvo Spring Cup winners to compete at Stena Match Cup Sweden

by Fabian Bengtsson on 11 May 2015 After a weekend of exciting match racing at the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club, The Volvo Spring Cup was decided in a thrilling final between Team Anna Östling and the Danish team skippered by Rasmus Viltoft. The Danes won the final race with a close margin but both teams won entry tickets to compete at Stena Match Cup Sweden 2015.

“This is really great and we love competing at Marstrand. The competition will be tough when we enter the event but I’m counting on a strong support from the spectators on the cliffs”, says Anna Östling, reining World Champion of match racing.

After only losing one point in the Round Robin, Östling defeated fellow GKSS-sailors team in a semi-final against Patrik Sturesson. Securing a spot in the final also meant they won the Swedish qualifying spot to Stena Match Cup but the girls soon made it clear they were hungry for more.

Viltoft and his team where undefeated after the Round Robin and their semi-final against the Norwegian team skippered by Martin Mehus. The Danish team got an early lead in the first match of the final but Östling’s team managed to overtake them at the end of the first lap and kept a small lead to the finish in a very tight match. The second match was controlled by Viltoft from start to finish and it all came down to a third and deciding duel. After a tight start, Team Anna got a penalty on the second lap which gave the Danes an advantage, but in the end their margin over the finish line was less than a boat length.

“The girls gave us a very tough match and it was really close. It feels great to get the chance to race at Marstrand again and Stena Match Cup Sweden is one of the best match racing events in the world”, says Rasmus Viltoft who qualified for Stena Match Cup in 2011 and is currently ranked 33rd on the ISAF match racing ranking.

Stena Match Cup Sweden takes place June 29th – July 4th and after the event, Team Anna Östling will travel straight to Middelfart, Denmark for the ISAF Match Racing World Championship where they aim to defend their title from 2014.

“We have sailed really well this weekend and we were aggressive even when the wind picked up a lot today. One reason we did well is that we just raced an event in Greece and I’m not afraid of racing intensively and having a tight schedule”, says Anna Östling.

Results Volvo Spring Cup 2015:

1. Rasmus Viltoft (DEN)
2. Anna Östling (SWE)
3. Patrik Sturesson (SWE)
4. Martin Mehus (NOR)
5. Jakob Wilson (SWE)
6. Victor Abenius (SWE)
7. Måns Holmberg (SWE)
8. Kim Kling (SWE)
9. Martin Moe (NOR)
10. Caroline Sylvan (SWE)