The Grand Slam of female sailing starts in Switzerland

Match racing in Ascona © Claudia Somm

The Swiss International Women's Match starts today and the World's best female sailors have gathered in Ascona on Lago Maggiore.

Competing in the regatta we find ISAF world ranking leader Pauline Curtois, representing France, fourth ranked Marinella Laaksonen from Finland and Danish Trine Palludan, ranked fifth. These three skippers and their teams can also be found at the top of the preliminary scoreboard of the WIM Series 2018 after the events in Helsinki (Finland), Lysekil (Sweden) and Ekatrinburg (Russia). Representing the host country is skipper Alexa Bezel and her Swiss Women Match Racing Team, currently ranked 14th.

Alexa is really happy to see such a high-level match racing event take place in her home country. The Swiss International Women's Match is the penultimate event of the 2018 WIM Series circuit, the only professional sailing series for women.

"It is great that we get the opportunity to showcase our passion for match racing in front of the local spectators here in Ascona" says the Swiss skipper.

The event starts today, Wednesday November 1st, with the round robin stage, where all 12 teams will race each other. It is through this round and the subsequent repechage that 8 teams qualify for the quarter finals. The grand final where the best two teams meet is planned for Saturday 3rd of November.

Despite the prevailing weather conditions: torrential rain and thunder the organization remains optimistic that the competition will run according to plan and that we will see spectacular sailing on Lago Maggiore over the course of the week. Things are looking up for the final's day, the current weather forecast predicting sunshine and the race committee predicting an exciting battle.

Line-up Swiss International Women's Match 2018:

• Pauline Courtois (FRA), Maëlenn Lemaître, Louise Acker, Sophie Faguet – Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team
• Marinella Laaksonen (FIN), Daniela Rönnberg, Camilla Cedercreutz, Henna Holopainen, Lisa Gerkman – L2 Match Racing Team
• Trine Palludan (DEN), Lea Richter Vogelius, Ida Hartvig, Line Mørkebjerg Fischer, Joan Wester Hansen – Team Kattnakken
• Sanna Häger (SWE), Karin Bäckström, Cecilia Olsson, Klara Häger, Sara Edholm – Stockholm Match Racing Team
• Margot Vennin (FRA), Marie Zugolaro, Juliette Dubreuil, Adèle Marévéry, Sophonie Affagard – Matchmoiselles by Normandy Elite Team
• Linnea Floser (SWE), Sandra Sandqvist, Hanna Ericksson, Charlotte Eklund, Ann Johnson – Peregrine Racing
• Alexa Bezel (SWI), Fiona Testuz, Manon Kivell, Louise Thilo – Swiss Women Match Racing Team
• Margot Riou (FRA), Clémentine Hilaire, Caroline Vandame, Marion Ledoux, Tiphaine Ragueneau – APCC Women Sailing Team
• Sanna Mattsson (SWE), Niki Blässar, Therese Berg, Nellie Lindnér – Swedish Women's Match Racing Team
• Claire Leroy (FRA), Mathilde Geron, Cassandre Blandin, Sigrid Longeau, Morgane Gautier – Mermaid Sailing Team
• Henriette Koch (DEN), Trine Bentzen, Lærke Ilsøe Nørgaard, Tine Kjærgaard, Lærke Marie Sørensen – Women On Water (WOW)
• Laurane Mettraux (FRA), Coraline Jonet, Elodie-Jane Mettraux, Libby Greenhalgh, Nathalie Brugger – ChicaCER