Please select your home edition
Edition
Allen Dynamic 40 Leaderboard

Skipper line-up announced for WMRT World Championship final

by World Match Racing Tour 17 Apr 2019 05:53 PDT 3-7 July 2019
Six-time Match Racing World Champion Ian Williams (GBR), Team GAC Pindar © Ian Roman

The World Match Racing Tour has announced the skipper line-up for the 2018-2019 WMRT Championship Final from 3-7 July in Marstrand, Sweden hosted by the GKSS Match Cup Sweden.

The list of world class sailors features three former match racing world champions including defending champion Torvar Mirsky (AUS), six-time world champion Ian Williams (GBR) and 2016 world champion Phil Robertson (NZL).

The 2018-2019 WMRT Championship Final will conclude the extended 2018 WMRT season as announced last month. The winner of the event will be crowned 2018-2019 Match Racing World Champion as sanctioned by World Sailing, and will have their name engraved on to the WMRT Championship Trophy made by Royal Jewellers Garrard & Co.

Eleven of the top twelve teams from the WMRT leaderboard have accepted invitations to the Championship Final including French multihull maestro Yann Guichard and his Spindrift Racing team. After finishing on the podium at the 2017 WMRT Finals in Shenzhen China, the team have their sights firmly set on a win in Marstrand.

Also with his sights on the podium is Dutch Olympic Finn sailor Pieter-Jan 'PJ' Postma and his Sailing Team NL. Currently ranked #11 on the WMRT leaderboard, Postma finished 4th at the 2017 WMRT Finals in Marstrand, a venue which he and his team certainly found their stride as he explained;

"I am hugely excited to be competing at the WMRT Finals in Marstrand. It is a very challenging venue but it suits our sailing style well as a team. We have had a lot of time sailing our own M32 since then, so we are feeling confident for a good finish this year!"

Due to his 49er Olympic commitments, Danish sailor Jonas Warrer, currently ranked #9 on the WMRT leaderboard, is unfortunately unable to make the event and the invitation will be passed to a replacement skipper and team to be announced in the coming weeks.

The five-day WMRT Championship Final will be raced in M32 carbon fibre multihulls on the legendary Marstrand racecourse, a short and technically challenging racing area requiring split decisions by teams at speeds over 25knots. The iconic rocks that flank either side of the course offer the ultimate stadium view of the racing for the tens of thousands of spectators that will flock to the island during the event to enjoy the weeks festivities and lively social scene.

Confirmed skippers for the WMRT Championship Final are as follows;

  • Nicklas Dackhammer (SWE) Essiq Racing Team
  • Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar
  • Yann Guichard (FRA) Spindrift Racing
  • Harry Price (AUS) Down Under Racing
  • Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team
  • Mans Holmberg (SWE) Holmberg Match Racing Team
  • Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team
  • Markus Edegran (USA) Team Torrent
  • Phil Robertson (NZL) China One Ningbo
  • Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) Sailing Team NL
  • Daniel Björnholt (DEN) Youth Vikings Denmark
  • To be announced

Current WMRT leaderboard here

Full details of each team including skipper bios and crew lists will be announced in the run up to the July event and made available on the WMRT website.

For more information on WMRT, visit wmrt.com and follow us on social media by Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Related Articles

GKSS Match Cup & Nordea Women's Trophy overall
It is the first time the Match Cup Sweden title has been won by a Danish Skipper Denmark's Jeppe Borch/ Team Borch Match Race, and France's Pauline Courtois/ Match in Pink by Normandy crowned the new champions of Marstrand in a day of fierce weather for the final of 2025 GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy in Marstrand. Posted on 6 Jul
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D5
Stage set for Finals showdown in Marstrand With just one day to go at the 2025 GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy, the stage is set for a thrilling finale in both the Open and Women's classes. Posted on 4 Jul
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D4
High stakes for semi-finalists as the final four teams in each division are locked in The third day of racing at GKSS Match Cup Sweden saw the completion of the quarter-final match-ups in both the Open and Women's class, locking in the final four teams in each division for Friday's semi-finals. Posted on 3 Jul
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D3
Surprise exits in Marstrand as Quarter-Finalists decided The qualifying round-robin stages at GKSS Match Cup Sweden in Marstrand finished today with the surprise departure of defending champion USA's Chris Poole/ Riptide Racing and Switzerland's Eric Monnin/ Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team from the Open Class. Posted on 2 Jul
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D2
A challenging southerly breeze and short three-lap course put teams to task A challenging southerly breeze and short three-lap course put teams to task on the second day of racing at the GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy in Marstrand, Sweden. Posted on 1 Jul
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D1
Sunday's storm winds cleared to deliver ideal conditions for the opening race day Sunday's storm winds cleared to deliver ideal conditions for the opening race day of the 2025 GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy, official championship stages of the World Match Racing Tour and Women's World Match Racing Tour. Posted on 1 Jul
WMRT adds first ever Ireland stage
Dublin Match Cup joins the 2025 tour season as a tier 2 world tour event The World Match Racing Tour is pleased to announce the addition of its first ever tour stage in Ireland with the launch of the Dublin Match Cup. Posted on 16 May
Maxime Mesnil wins Ficker Cup
Field complete for 60th Congressional Cup After a weekend of fierce competition, the field is set for this week's 60th annual Congressional Cup. Maxime Mesnil (FRA) won the Ficker Cup, but it is Nicole Breault (USA) and Peter Wickwire (CAN) who have advanced to the main field. Posted on 29 Apr
Ficker Cup sets stage for Congressional Cup
Eight international match racing teams prepare to do battle Eight international match racing teams will prepare to do battle at the Ficker Cup this weekend, 25-27 April, an official qualifying event of the World Match Racing Tour, hosted by the Long Beach Yacht Club. Posted on 25 Apr
WMRT celebrates 25th Anniversary season
The 2025 season features a 16-event schedule across 10 countries The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) today announced its complete 2025 championship season, which started at the inaugural Macao Match Cup last month. Posted on 21 Feb
North Sails Loft 57 PodcastArmstrong 728x90 - HA Foil Range - BOTTOMLloyd Stevenson - AC Alinghi 1456x180px BOTTOM