St. Francis Yacht Club to welcome first stop for 2023 Women's World Match Racing Tour

2023 Women's World Match Racing Tour © St. Francis Yacht Club

The St. Francis Yacht Club is pleased to have been selected to host the opening stop of the 2023 Women's World Match Racing Tour. Scheduled for April 24-28, 2023, ten invited skippers and crews will race in the club's J/22s for the inaugural Casa Vela Cup, the first of four international events in the 2023 tour.

"Match racing has long been a staple of St. Francis Yacht Club's racing program, with many talented skippers among our membership. The challenging currents, steady breeze and close proximity of the racecourse to the clubhouse make it an ideal location to host an exciting, multi-day event such as the Women's World Match Racing Tour," said Beau Vrolyk, the 2023 Commodore of St. Francis Yacht Club. "We are looking forward to sharing our beautiful venue with all the visiting invited skippers, crews, friends and families."

St. Francis Yacht Club hosts several Grade 3 match racing events annually, including US Match Racing Qualifiers and the California Dreamin' Series. StFYC is also in the regular rotation to run the US Match Racing Championship and US Women's Match Racing Championship, bringing leading US teams to compete on San Francisco Bay. In 2019, the club hosted World Sailing's Nations Cup.

"Routinely hosting match racing events gives West Coast sailors ample opportunities to build their skills and move up to higher level competition, and bringing the Women's World Match Racing Tour here is in line with our commitment to develop women skippers and crew," said Regatta Chair Bruce Stone. "It is our intention for this to be an annual event. Our Race Committee and numerous other club volunteers are looking forward to supporting these events, and, unique among yacht clubs, our members and invited guests have a chance to watch the competition up close from the clubhouse windows."

2023 Women's World Match Racing Tour - photo © St. Francis Yacht Club

After the St. Francis Yacht Club stop, the Tour proceeds to Annapolis for the Santa Maria Cup at Eastport Yacht Club, also raced in J/22s, on April 30-May 4, then to Le Havre, France, for the Normandy Match Cup, May 26-29 in First 7.5 keelboats, and finally to Copenhagen for the Women's Match Race Denmark hosted by the Royal Danish Yacht Club, September 21-24, racing in DS37s. Tour management is currently negotiating with several clubs for a final event, to be announced soon.

"We are very excited to announce the 2023 Women's World Match Racing Tour season so teams can start planning their campaigns," commented WWMRT Executive Director James Pleasance. "After the success of last year's Tour, we are speaking to a number of host venues, and we hope to add a fifth tour stage for 2023 which would be a great addition."

To request an invitation to St. Francis Yacht Club's Casa Vela Cup, please view the instructions in the Notice of Race.

For more information, visit www.stfyc.com or contact Regatta Chair Bruce Stone at .