Written by Antonio Glez. de la Madrid (RCNC)

World #1 Claire LEROY (FRA) got her season off a flying start, winning the first ISAF Grade 1 women’s match racing event of 2007, the International Women Match Race Criterium in Calpe, Spain. She whitewashed world #2 Lotte MELDGAARD PEDERSEN (DEN) 3-0 in the final to take the title.

At last, after two days of light and shifty winds, Calpe Bay dawned sunny, allowing the typical breeze to come in and making the Race Committee’s job considerably easier.

Defending champion Klaartje ZUIDERBAAN (NED), who won the round robin, chose ISAF Nations Cup winning skipper LEROY as her opponent for the semi-final, leaving the two Danish skippers, MELDGAARD PEDERSEN and Nina BRAESTRUP, to face off for the off final spot.

After just scrapping through into the last four, LEROY gave a perfect demonstration of just why she is the #1 women’s skipper in the ISAF World Match Race Rankings. She whitewashed ZUIDERBAAN 3-0, whilst world #2 MELDGAARD PEDERSEN beat BRAESTRUP by the same scoreline.

Meanwhile Jenny AXHEDE (SWE) beat Katie SPITHILL (AUS) 3-2 to take fifth place and Silke HAHLBROCK (GER) won easily against Josie GIBSON (GBR) in the fight for seventh place.

ZUIDERBAAN overcame BRAESTRUP 3-0 in the petit-final before the top two skippers in the women’s match racing world lined up for the final in Calpe. LEROY was dominant, beating her rival 3-0 to confirm her world #1 status and make her hot favourite to lift her first ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship Trophy, when the title is decided in St Quay, France in August.