(From the ISAF web site: www.sailing.org)

ISAF has published the Notice of Race for the 2009 ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship, the leading annual event for the new Olympic discipline set to debut at the 2012 London Games.

The Lysekil Yacht Club Gullmar will host the 11th edition of the ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship from 27 July-1 August in the town of Lysekil on the west coast of Sweden, approximately 100km north of Gotherburg. Lysekil is a well-known destination on the women’s match racing circuit having first hosted the Lysekil Women’s Match in 2004, an event which last year boasted the largest prize purse in women’s match racing.

The Notice of Race for the 2009 event is now available to download from the ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship microsite at www.sailing.org/wmatchworlds.

This year’s championship has added interest as it is the first in the four-year cycle which will culminate in the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition, where Women’s Match Racing will feature for the first time on the Olympic programme. Twelve of the world’s top female skippers will compete for the ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship Trophy, headed by the two-time defending champion Claire LEROY of France.

Anna HOLMDAHL WHITE, Event Manager for the 2009 Worlds, said, “All preparations are well underway and we have a great interest from sailors that want to get invited. We are looking forward to seeing the world’s best female match race skippers back in Lysekil for this year’s World Championship.”

Racing will be held in the Lysekil Yacht Club Gullmar’s fleet of six DS 37 yachts, with a total crew of six. Lysekil provides a spectacular arena for match racing, with spectators able to follow the races from the rocks close to the course and the race village set to offer plenty of activities for all visitors to the championship.

HOLMDAHL WHITE said the organizers are expecting a big turnout this year with the added attraction of the World title contest, “Last year the event had 75,000 visitors that came and watched the racing and took part of the activities in the race village. The club has found more than 100 volunteers that will guarantee the quality of racing and make sure that the sailors, media, sponsors and visitors will have a magnificent experience,” she said.

Along with LEROY, who as defending champion receives an automatic entry for this year’s Worlds, 10 additional skippers will be invited based on the Women’s ISAF World Match Race Ranking list released on 4 March 2009. The 12th and final place is a wild card awarded by the Lysekil Yacht Club Gullmar in co-operation with the Swedish Sailing Federation and ISAF.

The winning team at the 2009 Worlds will be crowned 2009 ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Champions and presented with the ISAF Francoise Pascal Memorial – Women’s Match Racing World Championship Trophy. The trophy is named in honour of the late Francoise PASCAL, a former Vice-President of the Fédération Française de Voile and a hugely influential figure in the growth of women’s match racing. The first, second and third place overall team will receive ISAF Gold, Silver and Bronze medals respectively. In addition, the first-placed skipper following the round robin will be presented with the ISAF Nucci Novi Ceppellini Memorial Trophy. The trophy is named after Nucci NOVI CEPPELLINI, ISAF Vice-President from 1998-2008, who passed away in February last year after many years dedicated to the sport, with women’s match racing one of her particular passions.

All the latest details on the 2009 Worlds, together with a full archive of results from previous championships is available on the ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship microsite at www.sailing.org/wmatchworlds.