Please select your home edition
Edition
sMRT AIS Man Overboard Beacons AUS / NZ

Helsinki Women's Match - Day 3

by WIM Series 29 Jun 2018 12:22 AEST 26-29 June 2018
Close finish between Courtois and Blecher as Courtois tries to take her penalty © Anton Klock

The day began with the final spots in the quarter final still up for grabs and ended with the field reduced to four teams from four countries moving on to the semi-finals.

Often times the round robin is criticized for the last few flights being meaningless, but that was not the case in Helsinki today! The last spot in the quarter-finals came down to the last match of the round robin. If local Jassi Skogman's team wins the match their match over Hanna Ericksson they move on, and if not, they would be tied with the Sanna Häger and lose the tie-breaker based on their head to head match from the first day. But Skogman received a penalty and was not able to complete it before Ericksson finished. "We were cheering on Hanna Ericksson's team when they sailed against Skogman, so we were really happy when they finished first in the race" smiled an elated Hägar at the end of the round robin.

The winner of the round robin, Marinella Laaksonen, had the honor of selecting her quarter-final opponent and chose the last one in, the Swedish team of Sanna Häger. And then they waited until the other quarter final matches were completed before they had their turn. Laaksonen's team continued their hot streak with three straight wins over her Swedish competitor. "It was quite nice racing with some heavy winds again and everything felt good in the boat" mentioned Laaksonen after returning to the dock.

Laaksonen and Bergqvist will both be sailing in their first semi-finals in a WIM Series event and are both excited about the opportunity and Laaksonen said "Hopefully everything goes well and you will see us in the finals tomorrow." Bergqvist was equally enthusiastic saying "We are so excited. It is going to be so much fun. We have been training really hard this season to be able to be there."

Trine Palludan and her experienced Team Kattnaken from Denmark are also through to the semi-finals with three straight wins over the local Team Sköna Vibissar skippered by Antonia Degerlund. "It was really nice conditions out there today, with sun and a nice breeze. It is nice to be here in Finland."

The battle of the day was a Franco-American affair between Pauline Courtois' Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team and Team BAAM! led by Allie Blecher. The five match fight saw lead changes, penalties, luffing matches, tacking duels and close finishes – all of the hallmarks of great match racing! The Americans put the French up against the ropes by winning the first two matches. But Courtois' team showed their championship grit and fought back to win three straight "must-win" races and squeeze into the semi-finals with a 3 – 2 victory.

A relieved Courtois sighed, "It was difficult. We did some small mistakes in the two first matches. But we continued to focus on the technique and the strong wind and I think that made the difference. We need to continue that job tomorrow."

In the morning, Laaksonen will again get to choose her opponent and has not let us in on her decision yet. Let the suspense begin!

The event will conclude on Friday with the semi-finals and finals followed by the closing ceremonies at the NJK Clubhouse on Blekholmen Island.

2018 Helsinki Women's Match Results: (after day three)

Quarter-Final Results:

Marinella Laaksonen, FIN – Sanna Häger, SWE, 3 – 0
Trine Palludan, DEN – Celia Willison, NZL, 3 – 0
Johanna Bergqvist, SWE – Antonia Degerlund, FIN, 3 – 0
Pauline Courtois, FRA – Allie Blecher, USA, 3 – 2

Round Robin Results: (skipper, team name, nationality, wins – losses)

1. Marinella Laaksonen, L2 Match Racing Team, FIN, 11 - 1
2. Trine Palludan, Team Kattnakken, DEN, 10 - 2
3. Johanna Bergqvist, Team Bergqvist Match Racing, SWE, 9 - 3
4. Pauline Courtois, Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team, FRA, 8 - 4
5. Allie Blecher, Team BAAM!, USA, 8 - 4
6. Antonia Degerlund, Team Sköna Vibbisar, FIN, 7 - 5
7. Celia Willison, NZ Match, NZL, 6 - 6
8. Sanna Häger, Stockholm Match Racing Team, SWE, 5 - 7
9. Jassi Skogman, Team Skogman, FIN, 5 - 7
10. Margot Vennin, Matchmoiselles by Normandy Elite Team, FRA, 4 - 8
11. Margot Riou, APCC Women Sailing Team, FRA, 3 - 9
12. Hanna Ericksson, Peregrine Racing, SWE, 2 - 10
13. Sanna Mattsson, Swedish Women's Match Racing Team, SWE, 0 - 12

Related Articles

China International Women's Match Race overall
Pauline Courtois (FRA) wins in Shanghai The racing at the day 5 of inaugural China International Match Race took off in perfect racing conditions. Spectators along the shore of Dishui Lake could follow the matches as the sailors maneuvered right in front of the docks under a sunny Shanghai sky. Posted on 16 Oct 2019
China International Women's Match Race day 4
The four semi-finalists decided in Shanghai After the morning briefing where the top four teams from the round robin stage earned the right to choose their opponent for quarter-finals, racing took off in conditions that were very similar to yesterday with a solid breeze of 14 knots gusting to 20. Posted on 15 Oct 2019
2019 China International Women's Match Race day 3
Quarterfinalists decided in Shanghai The morning of the third day of racing at China International Women's Match Race decided the teams that would make it straight to the quarter-finals and which teams would have to fight for the four spots in the repechage round. Posted on 15 Oct 2019
2019 China International Women's Match Race day 2
Shifty conditions on Dishui Lake in Shanghai The tricky conditions put high pressure on the teams and the racing showed that good tactical decisions could make a huge difference. The matches were tight with many lead changes in the first flights of the day. Posted on 13 Oct 2019
2019 China International Women's Match Race day 1
Racing kicks off in perfect conditions in Shanghai The first day of racing at China International Women's Match Race at Dishui Lake took off in perfect sailing conditions. With a steady breeze at 12 knots and gusts up to 16 knots. Posted on 13 Oct 2019
2019 China International Women's Match Race
Inaugural event is the final event of the 2019 WIM Series On 11-16th October 2019, the inaugural 2019 China International Women's Match Race, the final event of the 2019 WIM Series, will be held in Shanghai on the Dishui Lake. Posted on 12 Oct 2019
Christmas Greetings from WIMRS
A great season for the Women's International Match Racing Series We are getting near the end of 2018 and can look back at another amazing season for the WIM Series. We are proud to present some statistics that show the progress WIM Series has made during the year. Posted on 24 Dec 2018
Carlos Aguilar Match Race overall
France's Courtois wins 2018 WIM Series Finale Maintaining control, rather than having to regain control, is a strategy that earned France's Pauline Courtois and her Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team of Maëlenn Lemaître, Louise Acker and Sophie Faguet first place Posted on 3 Dec 2018
Swiss International Women's Match 2018
Claire Leroy wins in Ascona Between the 31st of October and the 3rd of November, the world's best female match racers gathered to compete in the Swiss International Women's Match. Despite heavy rain and tricky wind conditions an impressive 66 matches were completed. Posted on 4 Nov 2018
New WIM Series event in Shanghai 2019
A new event will be added to the Women's International Match Racing Series next year After a deal made between the WIM Series and the event organizer FarEast Boats, a new WIM Series regatta will be raced in Shanghai in 2019. This is the start of a long-term plan for future events that will take place in China Posted on 27 Oct 2018
Vetus-Maxwell 2021 v2 FOOTERRooster 2025Allen Dynamic 40 Footer