Busan Cup Int'l Women’s Match Race - Exciting final on Korean waters

by Joakim Hermansson/WIM Series on 11 Oct 2014 2014 Busan Cup International Women’s Match Race - It’s time for the exciting finale of the 2014 WIM Series, the Busan Cup Women’s International Match Race. A dozen of the world’s best women match racing skippers will, beginning Sunday, compete on the waters just off the Haeundae Beach. Anna Kjellberg holds the top spot of the WIM Series standings, with four more skippers still having the chance to challenge her for the coveted Terry J Kohler Perpetual Trophy.

'With one discard to effect the final standings after the Busan event, our situation is not as good as it may seem. We will focus on racing rather than on counting, and we will give everything we have to defend our position' the Swedish reigning World Champion declares.

Just one point behind the Swedes on the WIM Series standings are fellow Scandinavians, Team Ulrikkeholm. The Danes won the Busan Cup Women’s International Match Race in 2011, and finished runner-up when the event had World Championship status last year. For this year’s event former Yngling World Champion Trine Palludan will be helming:

'We’re definitely aiming for a top-five-result. We have a really good crew, but I know the conditions can be shifty and challenging' says Trine, who has twice before been calling the tactics in Busan for regular skipper Camilla Ulrikkeholm.

Third on the WIM Series standings going in to the fifth and final event in Busan is Anne-Claire Le Berre of France, just eight points behind the Swedish leader. She has been on the Korean waters once before:

'We know there will be good competition, but we really want to perform. We wish to finish at the top of the WIM Series, and to do that we’ll at least have to reach the semi-finals' says Anne-Claire, hoping to recover quickly from her 24-hour flight to get to the event.

One of the most well-known names among the 2014 Busan skippers is British Lucy Macgregor, who won the event as crew for American Sally Barkow in 2008. The year after that she helmed herself, and beat Barkow for the title. Macgregor took the WIM Series title last year, but has for this season had her focus on her Olympic Campaign. Katie Spithill of Australia is another interesting skipper to look out for, back on the match racing scene after a maternity leave.

With the rich prize pool of USD 100 000 for the event and USD 50 000 for the WIM Series, there is a lot for the sailors to be fighting for. WIM Series Manager Liz Baylis is pleased to be back in Korea for this year’s finale:

'The Busan Cup Women’s International Match Race has the great support of the Metropolitan City of Busan, which has allowed it to have the richest prize purse and attract the best talent in women’s match racing for many years' she says, adding:

'We're excited to see two new teams from Asia making their debut on the WIM Series; Team Lim skippered by Denise Lim from Singapore, and Team Kanaloa skippered by Urara Fujii from Japan.'

The seventh edition of the Busan Cup Women’s International Match Race will be raced October 12 – 16 on historic sailing waters, with the torch from the 1988 Olympics still to be seen close to the Haeundae Beach. The boats supplied by event organizer Busan Sailing Federation are very well maintained K30.s, all with brand new jibs for this year:

'I’m certain the boats will put the competitors to a test, with their big mainsails and big spinnakers. Boat handling and minimizing mistakes are the key factors' says PRO and Regatta Director Alfredo Ricci, ready to meet even the threats from the approaching Super Typhoon Vongfong:

'It should add some spice to the week's racing, and we are in standby for any option.'

Previous winners of the Busan Cup Women’s International Match Race:

• 2008, Sally Barkow, USA
• 2009, Lucy Macgregor, GBR
• 2010, Claire Leroy, FRA
• 2011, Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN
• 2012, Claire Leroy, FRA
• 2013, Tamara Echegoyen, ESP (World Championship)

Skippers in the Busan Cup Women’s International Match Race, the fifth and final event of the 2014 WIM Series:

• Anna Kjellberg, SWE
• Trine Palludan (substituting for Camilla Ulrikkeholm), DEN
• Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA
• Caroline Sylvan, SWE
• Stephanie Roble, USA
• Claudia Pierce, NZL
• Susannah Pyatt, NZL
• Lucy Macgregor, GBR
• Denise Lim, SIN
• Urara Fujii, JPN
• Katie Spithill, AUS
• Sung Eun Choi, KOR

Standings in the 2014 WIM Series, after four stages out of five (skipper name, nationality, WIM Series points):

1. Anna Kjellberg, SWE, 73
2. Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN, 72
3. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 65
4. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 58
5. Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen, DEN, 57
6. Stephanie Roble, USA, 55
7. Klaartje Zuiderbaan, NED, 45
8. Claudia Pierce, NZL, 28
9. Annabel Vose, GBR, 25
10. Morgane Fountaine, FRA, 14
11. Juliana Senfft, BRA, 12
12. Lucie Scheiwiller, FRA, 12
13. Pauline Courtois, FRA, 10
14. Madeline Gill, USA, 8
15. Mary O’Loughlin, IRL, 8
16. Linda Rahm, SWE, 7
17. Rajaa Al Owaisi, OMA, 6
18. Laura Dillon, IRL, 6
19. Anastasia Guseva, RUS, 4
20. Anne-Christianne Kentgens, NED, 0