2015 Stena Match Cup Sweden - Taylor Canfield gets first Wild Card

by Fabian Bengtsson on 3 Jun 2015 2013 ISAF Match Racing World Champion, Taylor Canfield of US One Sailing Team have received the first of four Wild Card invitations to the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), World Championship Event - Stena Match Cup Sweden. The team won the first World Championship Event of the season in Long Beach, California and the team’s skipper Taylor Canfield is an exciting addition to the lineup of the Marstrand event.

”We have so many great memories from Stena Match Cup. The racing is great, but I think what makes the event extra unique is all of the fans lining the cliffs cheering you into the finish”, said Taylor Canfield.

Canfield and his US One sailing team competed in Stena Match Cup Sweden for the first time in 2013. They didn’t make it to the Quarter Finals in their premier at Marstrand but their first year as Tour Card Holders was a complete success and at the final event in Malaysia, US One sailing team secured their first ISAF World Championship title. Last year, the team performed a lot better at Marstrand and finished in third place, but later that season they were forced to hand over the championship title to Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar.

26-year-old Canfield comes from the US Virgin Islands. Even if his team is without a Tour Card for 2015, they couldn’t have gotten a better start to the season than they got in Long Beach, California in May when they won the Congressional Cup. Now they are aiming for another good result in Sweden.

“Stena Match Cup Sweden is one of the toughest events on the tour because of its popularity. I think like most teams attending the event, the goal is to make it through to the Quarter Finals. I think I can speak on behalf of my entire team that there is no doubt that we can go on to win the event this year if we sail well. It will be a huge team effort though.”

14 teams will enter the Stena Match Cup in Marstrand. Seven of these are Tour Card skippers, two have qualified for the event at the Volvo Spring Cup and the remaining spots in the line-up will be filled with Wild Card entries.

World Championship - Stena Match Cup Sweden 2015? Entry List

1. Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar
2. Björn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Sailing Team
3. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team
4. Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Sailing Team
5. Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) Aschenbrenner Racing
6. Phil Robertson (NZL) with Team TREFOR (DEN)
7. Eric Monnin (SUI) Team Sailbox
8. Reuben Corbett (NZL) Corbet Racing
9. Rasmus Viltoft (DEN) – Volvo Spring Cup
10. Anna Östling (SWE) – Volvo Spring Cup
11. Taylor Canfield (ISV) – US One
12. TBC
13. TBC
14. TBC

Event Schedule June 29th – July 4th.
Qualifying Session from Monday – Thursday
Quarter Finals and Semi Finals on Friday
Semi-Finals, Finals and Petit Final on Saturday

Stena Match Cup Sweden 2014 attracted over 118 000 visitors to Marstrand and the crowds followed Björn Hansen's Swedish team on their way to win their third consecutive title in the regatta. The event is organized by Brandspot together with the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club, and this year's edition of the event will take place on June 29th – July 4th.