2018 Women's Match Racing World Championship at Gubernskiy Yacht Club - Day 3

The Swiss Women's Match Racing Team on their way to winning the Repechage stage © Flashbackstudios.co.nz

The top four teams after the round robin earned the rights to play tourist for the day and explore the historic city of Ekaterinburg while the remaining teams fought for the chance to join the top four in the quarter finals. And a good battle it was on Verkh-Isetsky pond.

Alexa Bezel's Swiss Women's Match Racing Team regrouped after missing the cut yesterday and finished on top of the second stage. "We talked as a team last night and decided it was important to be precise today, get good starts, focus on good spinnaker flying," explained Bezel. "Our last few events have been with gennakers, so our spinnaker handling needed to get a little better and it did today." The strategy appeared to work as they won all but one very close match.

Although this is local sailor Milena Laverycheva's first world championship in any class, she is not intimidated by the level of the event or her competitors. "We are all on the same playing field and sailing in the same conditions so it is the same for everyone," she explained confidently. When asked if the team will do anything special to prepare for the Quarter Finals, she shrugged "We will rest and be ready for tomorrow."

The match between Bezel and Laverycheva near the end of the day was the closest of the day with multiple lead changes and a photo finish with the Russians finishing mere centimeters ahead of the Swiss to give Bezel's team their only loss for the Repechage stage.

Laverycheva lost the second place tie-break in the stage to her compatriot Alexandra Martynova's BornToSail team from the Volga River area who finished the day also with four wins and two losses and a ticket to the Quarter Finals.

The last spot in the Quarter Finals was decided on a tie-break as Marinella Laaksonen and her L2 Match Racing Team from Finland squeezed in by winning the tie-break over the French APCC Women Sailing Team skippered by Margot Riou by winning their first flight battle.

Quarter Finalists:

• Lucy Macgregor, Team Mac, GBR
  
• Pauline Courtois, Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team, FRA
  
• Trine Palludan, Team Kattnakken, DEN
  
• Ekaterina Kochkina, ProKaTeam Sailing Team, RUS
  
• Alexa Bezel, Swiss Women Match Racing Team, SUI
  
• Alexandra Martynova, BornToSail, RUS
  
• Milena Laverycheva, BERGAUF Sailing Team, RUS
  
• Marinella Laaksonen, L2 Match Racing Team, FIN

The suspense will continue until the morning as Lucy Macgregor's team will get first choice of their opponent for the Quarter Finals. Who will they pick? Wait and see!

The Quarter Finals and some of the Semi Finals are scheduled for Friday. The event will conclude on Saturday with the remainder of the Semi Finals, the Petit Finals, the Finals and the Closing Ceremonies.

Stage 2 Repechage Results: (skipper, team name, nationality, wins – losses)

1. Alexa Bezel, Swiss Women Match Racing Team, SUI, 5-1
2. Alexandra Martynova, BornToSail, RUS, 4-2
3. Milena Laverycheva, BERGAUF Sailing Team, RUS, 4-2
4. Marinella Laaksonen, L2 Match Racing Team, FIN, 3-3
5. Margot Riou, APCC Women Sailing Team, FRA, 3-3
6. Margot Vennin, Matchmoiselles by Normandy Elite Team, FRA, 1-5
7. Octavia Owen, Athena Racing, GBR, 1-5

Stage 1 Round Robin Results: (skipper, team name, nationality, wins – losses)

1. Lucy Macgregor, Team Mac, GBR, 10-0
2. Pauline Courtois, Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team, FRA, 9-1
3. Trine Palludan, Team Kattnakken, DEN, 8-2
4. Ekaterina Kochkina, ProKaTeam Sailing Team, RUS, 6-4
5. Alexa Bezel, Swiss Women Match Racing Team, SUI, 5-5
6. Marinella Laaksonen, L2 Match Racing Team, FIN, 5-5
7. Milena Laverycheva, BERGAUF Sailing Team, RUS, 5-5
8. Alexandra Martynova, BornToSail, RUS, 3-7
9. Margot Riou, APCC Women Sailing Team, FRA, 2-8
10. Octavia Owen, Athena Racing, GBR, 1-9
11. Margot Vennin, Matchmoiselles by Normandy Elite Team, FRA, 1-9