Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) and crew (Molly Vandemoer, Debbie Capozzi, Liz Bower, and Mary Rook) have defeated Claire Leroy (FRA) and her Mermaid Sailing Team 3-1 in the Finals at the XII Criterium Internacional Femenino in Calpe, Spain!

For more information, visit the event website: www.rcnc.es/xii-criterium-internacional-femenino/

If you want to see pictures of the event click here.

Press Release from Real Club Nautico Calpe:

American team skippered by Anna Tunnicliffe wins XII International Women’s Match Race Criterium in Calpe

Calpe, Spain, May 8th, 2010 - Reigning champion French Claire Leroy, second placed in the World Ranking, loses final battle against the US crew by 3-1.

Spanish Tamara Echegoyen gets to the semifinals, but in the petit finale has to surrender also to the Australian Katie Spithill, but obtains an excellent fourth place.

The French crew skippered by Leroy faced the Spanish girls of Tamara. Echegoyen’s team in the seminfinals, the first one to get three wins going straight to the final. While the French won the opening match the Iberian quickly answered by getting the second one and even. In the third race specialist Claire Leroy didn’t make the tiniest mistake and crossed the finish line with a good margin. Yet it was the fourth match that proved Leroy’s abilities in the start box and her experience in maintaining the control throughout the legs, which got her a place in the final.

The second semifinal was a truly Anglo-saxon affair, with the Australian Katie Spithill facing American skipper Anna Tunnicliffe and a very leveled battle, so much that it was necessary to dispute a fifth race to decide the other finalist of the Calpe Criterium. The US female sailors were then able to get a small lead at the start and keep it up to the finishing line.

The final too was fought at the best of five matches, the first going to Anna Tunnicliffe’s team, the second to Claire Leroy’s thanks to a clear and winning start. The third match was the most close raced one and went to the Americans as did the first one, that witnesses on the water said was “impeccable”.
The crew form the United States thus succeeded in getting their first title at the Calpe XII Criterium Internacional Femenino.

Many spectators also followed the petite finale, where the “local heroine” Tamara Echegoyen was opposed to the Australian Katie Spithill, sister of world famous America’s Cup skipper and winner. Spithill was able to inflict a very important penalty to her adversaries on the third match, a penalty that was given her back on the fourth one but, showing a better speed she managed to save enough metres to doe her penalty turn and crossing the finish line ahead of the Spanish team, this climbing on the lowest step of the podium with two wins to one.

XII International Calpe Women’s Match Race Criterium final results:
1º Anna TUNNICLIFFE United States
2º Claire LEROY France
3º Katie SPITHILL Australia
4º Tamara ECHEGOYEN Spain
5º Anne-Claire LE BERRE France
6º Margarita CAMESELLE Spain
7º Lotte MELDGAARD PEDERSEN Denmark
8º Camilla ULRIKKEHOLM Denmark
9º Silke HAHLBROCK Germany
10º Klaartje ZUIDERBAAN Holland
11º Samantha OSBORNE New Zealand

Organized by the Real Club Nautico Calpe, the XII International Women’s Criterium has gathered in the charming Spanish village the best Match Racing specialist worldwide.

Her Royal Highness Infanta Doña Cristina is the honorary president of the regatta.