For more information: www.lysekilwomensmatch.se/

Claire Leroy undefeated in Day One of Lysekil Women’s Match

Lysekil, Sweden: Reigning World Champion, ISAF world ranking leader and ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year 2007, Claire Leroy from France, had a very convincing start of Lysekil Women’s Match, the world’s largest women match racing event, when the racing started during Tuesday. Five victories and no losses were even better than she had expected:
– It’s not possible to expect five straight victories in such a high class starting field as here in Lysekil Women’s Match. It’s a dream! We have made really fine starts, we have a good feeling onboard and the crew have made a marvellous job, she says.
– We are definitely aiming on the finals this Saturday, and we are of course eager to win the whole event, Claire Leroy smiles.

Tuesday’s racing in Lysekil Women’s Match, held in the beautiful archipelago of the Swedish Westcoast, started in wind from the east. After a short break with no wind when the seabreeze tried to break through, racing continued for the rest of the day in a stable westerly seabreeze. No 3 in the world Katie Spithill from Australia won, as Leroy, every match until the one against the French woman. After an intense starting duel, with spontaneous cheering from the crowd on the cliffs surrounding the race area, the close race continued around the course. Not until Spithill on the last downwind was penalised, Leroy could secure her fifth victory of the day:
– We have had a good start of Lysekil Women’s Match anyway. With three sick crew during Monday’s training session I could never have expected this, says Spithill, who came directly from a training camp in Skovshoved, Denmark, together with the Danish sailors.
– At home we are only four in the boat, so we needed some practise in the Scandinavian DS 37:s, and with six girls in the crew, she explains.

The home sailors raced in the afternoon group, who sailed three flights. Defending Lysekil Women’s Match champion Linda Rahm won her match against rookie Anna Kjellberg, but lost her race against the other Swede Jenny Axhede. Danish world no 2, Lotte Meldgaard-Pedersen, also defeated Linda Rahm, who was pleased with her day anyway:
– We lost against Lotte after a poor prestart, but we generally had a good feeling in the boat and we are very very much looking forward to continue racing, she remarks.
Jenny Axhede won two matches but lost the last one for the day against Lucy Macgregor. Just before the finishing line the British girl managed to sail her boat higher for better speed and get in just before the Swede.

Fellow Swede Anna Kjellberg managed to win two matches during the afternoon session, but the last victory came after a resail against Liz Baylis, USA. In their first meeting the racing committe didn’t handle the signals for Kjellbergs OCS in a proper way. Anna gave in a protest, and the jury decided to resail the match. In the second match the difference in speed and boathandling was obvious, and Anna Kjellberg sailed against a clear victory:
– We made a good start and when finishing the whole ocean was between us and Liz, Anna laughs over the lucky outcome of her protest.

Lysekil Women’s Match continues during Wednesday and Thursday with round-robin. A new round-robin with the six best sailors from the first one will be sailed Friday August 1. Two are excluded after that, leaving four semifinalists for Friday afternoon. Saturday will show the closing of the semi finals, and then the final.

Results from round-robin in Lysekil Women’s Match. Some of the sailors have raced 5 matches, and some have raced 3 matches:
Claire Leroy, FRA, 5 victories and 0 losses
Katie Spithill, AUS, 4-1
Silke Hahlbrock, GER, 3-2
Jenny Axhede, SWE, 2-1
Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen, DEN, 2-1
Lucy MacGregor, GBR, 2-1
Anna Kjellberg, SWE, 2-1
Linda Rahm, SWE, 1-2
Sabrina Gurioli, ITA, 1-4
Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN, 1-4
Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 1-4
Elisabeth Baylis, USA, 0-3

Lysekil Women’s Match, sailed July 29 – August 2 2008, is with a SEK 400 000 (€ 43 000 and $ 67 000) prize purse the largest women match racing event in the world. Twelve of the most skilled women match racing skippers are every summer competing in Lysekil Women’s Match, arranged by Sailnet Lysekil AB and the local yacht club Lysekils SS Gullmar. Main sponsors are oil company Preem and shipping company Stena Bulk, with the municipality of Lysekil, Carpe Diem Beds of Sweden, Musto, Evidens and Ridderheims as partners. In 2009, Lysekil Women’s Match will have World Championship status.