GKSS Spring Cup -­The road to Marstrand

by Fabian Bengtsson on 28 Mar 2013 There are ways to get to into the Open Class of Stena Match Cup Sweden besides having a Tour Card on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour. One way is to compete in the GKSS Spring Cup where the winner is awarded a ticket to compete at Marstrand. This year there is also an extra qualifying spot for the best Swedish team.

GKSS Spring Cup has served as a qualifying event for Stena Match Cup Sweden for several years and the competition has always been fierce between the sailors aspiring to get to Marstrand. For Swedish sailors, the stakes are even higher in this year’s event as both the best Swedish team and the best international team will get a ticket to Stena Match Cup Sweden.

Registration for Spring Cup opened in early February and one team that has already applied for an invitation is Viktor Ogeman’s Team Accure. They received a wildcard to Stena Match Cup Sweden 2012 after placing forth at last year’s Spring Cup.

'The chances of getting to Marstrand are a bit better for Swedish teams this year but it’s not going to be easy and there will be plenty of Swedish sailors in the fight for the ticket. To race at Marstrand last year and compete on such a high level was an important and energizing experience for us. That’s where we all want to be and our goal is definitely to win the Spring Cup', says Viktor Ogeman, skipper of Team Accure.

The GKSS Spring Cup can lead to a breakthrough for match racing teams on the world stage. Last year’s winner of the GKSS Spring Cup, Reuben Corbett from New Zealand, had an impressive run at Marstrand in 2012 and reached the quarterfinals. He will be back with his team in Gothenburg for Spring Cup this year and the aim is set on Marstrand once again.

'I can't wait to compete in May and it would mean a great deal for us to qualify for Stena Match Cup Sweden two years running. That is certainly the goal and we will give it our best shot. Marstrand is one of, if not the best World Tour Event and with the new changes to the Tour format it’s even harder to earn entry. Last year, our team made it right through to the quarter finals and we were winning all our races in the quarter finals but still came up short. That really shows the caliber of racing at Marstrand and we would really like to improve on last year’s performance and go one better', says Reuben Corbett.

GKSS Spring Cup is run by The Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club and is sailed in Gothenburg on the 25th-­- 26th of May. 10 teams will be invited and the registration for an invitation will be open until April 30th. GKSS Spring Cup is an ISAF Grade 3 event and the regatta will be sailed in DS 37 type boats, crewed by five (or if only women crewed by six).

Besides the eight Tour Card Holders of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour and the two teams qualifying in the Spring Cup, two teams will also be given wildcards to enter the Open Class of Stena Match Cup Sweden 2013.