The sell-out RYA Marlow Ropes Women's Match Racing Championship finale saw two Scottish skippers battling for the title, with Alison Morrish's team taking the crown and Irish Flying Fifteen champion Juliette Kennedy of Strangford Lough finishing fourth. 

The latest edition of the championship was due to have taken place at Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy in September 2022 but was postponed following the death of Her Majesty The Queen, who was the Patron of the RYA.

Rescheduled for 11-12 February 2023, eight teams competed for the title in British Keelboat Sailing's fleet of Elliott 6Ms. Saturday had light winds and although this delayed the start until around 10 am, it was still possible to fit in 26 races.

Overall placings

1. Ali Morrish, GBR
2. Rebecca Coles, GBR
3. Sophie Otter, GBR
4. Juliette Kennedy, GBR
5. Octavia Owen, GBR
6. Fiona Tylecote, GBR
7. Emily Page, GBR
8. Ellen Morley, GBR

Results here

The world’s top match racing skippers will return to Long Beach, Calif. April 18 to 22, 2023 for the 58th Congressional Cup regatta at Long Beach Yacht Club, and a founding event on the World Match Racing Tour.

Reigning 2022 Congressional Cup Champion Ian Williams (GBR) will return to defend his title and clinch the crown as the most-capped skipper in Congressional Cup history. But it won’t be without challenge! Rivals include the world’s number-one ranked match racing skipper Eric Monnin (SUI): back after a 2022 ‘babymoon’ hiatus. A perennial Congressional Cup favourite, in 2021, Monnin captured his first podium finish, and is poised to continue his ascent.

Also climbing the Congressional Cup ladder is Chris Poole (USA). Poole finished second in the 2022 WMRT championship after a third-place finish in the Spring 2022 Congressional Cup – edging out past champion (2009) Johnie Berntsson (SWE), who is still eager to add another Crimson Blazer to his wardrobe.

The list goes on! The roster includes Nick Egnot-Johnson (NZL) who was recently crowned 2022 World Sailing Match Racing World Champion and is ranked number three in the world; plus Harry Price (AUS), Jeppe Borch (DEN) and hometown favourite David Hood (USA) – all veterans of Congressional Cup racing.

Rounding out the Congressional Cup lineup will be the top two finishers in the April 13 to 15 Ficker Cup regatta. A Grade Two WMRT event in its own right, the Ficker Cup also serves as a qualifier for the Congressional Cup. The 2023 field is fiery, and competition promises to be thrilling when racing begins April 18.

Congressional Cup is recognized as the ‘grandfather’ of modern world-class match racing. Founded by Long Beach Yacht Club in 1965, the event set the standard for top-level match racing worldwide, pioneering the concept of on-the-water umpiring in a spectator-friendly venue.

Eric Monnin (SUI) and Johnie Berntsson (SWE) compete in the Congressional Cup 2022  Photo: Sharon Green

After a practice day April 17, 2023, racing will commence April 18 off Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier at roughly 11:30 am each day. Five days of racing will see the sailors compete in a double-round robin format that gives competitors twice the chance to familiarize with the boats and conditions, and sharpen their skills. Famed for turning the leaderboard upside down, the 10-boat double-round robin format promises spirited contests as teams pair off and battle round the course: a delight to racers and spectators alike.

Matches are held directly off the pier where spectators can enjoy live commentary and camaraderie from roughly 11:30 am to 5:00 pm. After three days of round-robins the leaders will advance into semi-finals and petit finals, culminating with the final matches Saturday, April 22, where the winner of the Congressional Cup will receive the coveted Crimson Blazer. The Crimson Blazer is yacht racing’s equivalent to the Masters' Tournament Green Jacket: a symbol of victory in one of the most prestigious yacht racing events in the world, and a gateway to the America’s Cup.

The Women’s World Match Racing Tour has announced four events for its 2023 season, including San Francisco, Annapolis, Le Havre, and Copenhagen.

The Tour is the world’s only professional sailing series for women designed to promote and grow female participation in professional sailing.

Following the successful first season for the women’s tour launched last year, the 2023 season will kick off in April at the inaugural Casa Vela Cup at the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco from 24 - 28 April. Teams will compete in matched J/22 boats over 4 days racing directly in front of the Club with its impressive backdrop of San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island.

“In line with our commitment to developing women skippers and crew, the St. Francis Yacht Club is delighted to have been selected to host the opening stage of the 2023 Women’s World Match Racing Tour, and it is our intention for this to be an annual event,” commented Regatta Chair Bruce Stone.

Straight after San Francisco, teams will head to the US East Coast for Stage 2 of the Tour and the return of the popular Santa Maria Cup at Eastport Yacht Club in Annapolis, MD from 30 April – 4 May. The Santa Maria Cup has been a premier match racing event for women for over 20 years. After a ten-year hiatus, it now makes its long-awaited comeback as part of the WWMRT. The event will be sailed in J/22s on the Severn River in Annapolis.

“Eastport Yacht Club is thrilled to be part of the Women’s World Match Racing Tour for 2023” commented Event Director Jeff Borland. “We are looking forward to hosting the top women’s match racing teams in Annapolis again for the Santa Maria Cup.”

Eastport Yacht Club, Annapolis, MD

The Tour will then head to Europe for the Normandy Match Cup in Le Havre, France from 26-29 May, sailed in First 7.5 keelboats. Last year’s Normandy event was won by defending champion Pauline Courtois and her Match in Pink Normandy Elite Team who went on to win the overall 2022 Women’s World Match Racing Tour title at the Championship in Auckland, New Zealand.

Megan Thomson (NZL) at the 2022 Normandy Match Cup, Le Havre, France

Stage 4 of the 2023 Tour will see the teams return to Skovshoved Harbour in Copenhagen, Denmark from 21-24 Sept for the second edition of the KDY Women’s Match Race Denmark hosted by the Royal Danish Yacht Club. Won last year by former World Champion Anna Östling and her Wings Match Racing Team from Sweden, the Danish Tour stage will test the physical limits of teams in the bigger and heavier DS37 yachts with up to six crew.

Anna Östling (SWE) and the Wings Sailing Team at the 2022 KDY Women's Match Race=

“We are very excited to announce the 2023 Women’s World Match Racing Tour season today 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 also hope to add a fifth tour stage this year for 2023 which would be a great addition.”

Nick Egnot-Johnson, Sam Barnett, Zak Merton & Bradley McLaughlin, representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron have been crowned 2022 Open Match Racing World Champions after an epic five days of racing on Sydney Harbour in strong conditions. USA’s Chris Poole, Joachim Aschenbrenner, Malcolm Parker & Graeme Spence finished in second place with Australia’s Harry Price, Taylor Balogh, Niall Morrow & Josh Wijohn secured third place.

Spectacular conditions and a fresh breeze once again graced the competitors for the final day of the 2022 World Match Racing Tour Final on Sydney Harbour, co-hosted with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA). The final four teams completed the semi-final stage of the regatta in the morning with USA’s Riptide Racing, skippered by Chris Poole, despatching Denmark’s Borch Racing with Jeppe Borch as skipper, 3 – 1 to secure the American their place in the final.

In the other semi-final match, Nick Egnot-Johnson, KNOTS Racing team, defeated local Sydney team, DownUnder Racing skippered by Harry Price, 3 – 1 to secure their berth in the Finals.

As the morning rain cleared, a fresh southerly breeze took over the harbour, peaking at 23 knots during the Finals Series. Joining the sailors on the water was a flurry of spectator vessels including the official spectator vessel, the “Royale” Rosman Ferry donated by Noakes Group for the Finals Series. The 60+ guests onboard then witnessed one of the toughest fought Finals series.

Nick Egnot-Johnson’s KNOTS Racing were first to score in the first-to-three-point final. However, Chris Poole’s Riptide Racing, who had only lost one race to date then levelled out the series in the second race.

The Kiwis bounced back in Race 3, showing a dominate display of speed and boat handling. Riptide Racing then came storming back yet again to level the match 2 – 2 and take the Final to a winner-takes-all decider.

After winning the start, KNOTS Racing tore up the initial three legs of the race, with the American team looking out of touch. However the difficult breeze saw Poole gain take an advantage for the final run, with only two boat lengths separating the finalists, metres from the finish. In the end, the Kiwis were able to hold onto their lead, to cross the finish line as World Champions. Sydney Harbour Port Authority were in position to shower the racecourse with a water display and christen the new Open Match Racing World Champions.

“We are just stoked to win, it’s a dream come true for us” commented Egnot-Johnson. “Chris and the Riptide team have been a rival for such a long time so it was awesome to come up against them in the finals, you can’t get any closer than that to finish – Sydney really turned it on for us today, it’s an amazing feeling.”

Tight racing at the 2022 Open Match Racing World Champions after an epic five days of racing on Sydney Harbour Photo: Andrea Francolini/WMRT

As teams gathered in the CYCA’s Sydney Village, special guest Vice President of the Australian Olympic Committee Matt Allen AM presented the Bronze medals to the Australian team followed by Vice President of World Sailing Sarah Kenny who presented the Silver medals to the American team. CYCA Commodore Arthur Lane and WMRT Executive Director, James Pleasance completed the podium presentation, with Gold medals and WMRT Trophy respectively for the new Open Match Racing World Champions.

Over the five days, 106 races were completed with Sydney serving up an average wind strength of 22 knots over the series.

The line-up for the World Match Racing Tour Final 2022 has been confirmed, with ten teams invited for the inaugural Tour event to be sailed on Sydney Harbour.

In just under a week, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, home of the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, will welcome the teams to Sydney for five scheduled race days from Wednesday, 14 to Sunday, 18 December 2022.

Seven countries will be represented at this year’s World Championship. Denmark, Estonia, France and Italy each have one entry, whilst hosts Australia, New Zealand and the United States will field two teams for the event.

Sailing on one of the world's most beautiful waterways, the race course will be situated just off one of the Harbour's islands, enabling close spectator access as well as the stunning backdrop of Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House.

"We are very excited to see racing get underway next week on beautiful Sydney Harbour. The regatta will feature some of the world’s best match racers and a new World Champion will be crowned," WMRT Executive Director James Pleasance said.

American Chris Poole heads into the Championship as one of the favourites. Poole currently tops the overall Tour leaderboard after finishing third at the Long Beach Yacht Club’s 57th Congressional Cup in April, followed by a regatta win at the Chicago Grand Slam WMRT Qualifier event in August.

Fellow Americans David Hood and his DH3 Racing team complete the USA line-up, having had strong results at events in Los Angeles and Italy this year.

Using the CYCA’s fleet of Elliott 7m keelboats, with crews of four or five, the strongest challengers to Poole will come from the home Club, with Cole Tapper and Harry Price representing the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.

Price’s DownUnder Racing has been a regular on the World Match Racing Tour for the past three seasons and was the 2017 Youth Match Racing World Champion. Whilst for Cole, this will be his first appearance at a World Championship-level event.

Nick Egnot-Johnson & Megan Thomson from New Zealand will also feel right at home in the Elliott 7s, with their home Club, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, also owning a fleet. For Egnot-Johnson, this will be his first open World Championship, representing New Zealand at the 2019 & 2020 Youth World Championships.

Thomson will be the only female skipper in the event and will also be a strong contender, having won a bronze medal at the 2022 Women’s Match Racing World Championship last month.

Estonian Mati Sepp, Denmark’s Jeppe Borch and Frenchman Jean Baptiste-Bernaz complete the line-up. All skippers are new to the World Match Racing Tour in 2022, having qualified for the WMRT Congressional Cup as well as putting in strong performances in WMRT qualifiers throughout the year.

The event format will include a qualifying round-robin on Wednesday and Thursday, where the top two will gain automatic entry to the Quarter Finals. The remaining eight teams will then sail a repechage round on Friday for the final six Quarter Final positions.

The weekend will then see the knockout stages begin, all culminating with a new World Champion being crowned on Sunday afternoon. Racing is scheduled from 1200hrs AEDT, with live results available throughout the week.

Pauline Courtois and her Match in Pink match racing team from France have successfully defended their world title, winning the 2022 Barfoot & Thompson World Women’s Match Racing Championships in Auckland, New Zealand. The team were also crowned champions of the inaugural 2022 Women’s World Match Racing Tour after scoring the highest points over the four-event world tour.

Four days of match racing with the world’s best female sailors, all vying for the title of Women’s Match Racing World Champions, drew to a close, but not before delivering all of the excitement that comes with match racing to spectators. The global fleet of female sailors has been battling it out on the Waitemata Harbour in Auckland’s changeable and challenging conditions. Fog, squalls, sun and rain have kept sailors on their toes with four days of tight match racing right in front of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and next to Auckland’s iconic Harbour Bridge.

The winning skipper of the Barfoot & Thompson 2022 Women’s Match Racing World Championship is a 33-year-old sports teacher from Brest and the helm of ‘Match in Pink’ (FRA), Pauline Courtois. Courtois started sailing at seven and racing at nine, and has been in match racing in different positions since 2011. Her favourite boat for match racing is the Elliott 6m, so racing in Elliot 7m this week saw her years of experience pay off at the end of the day when Courtois became champion of the event, taking a clean sweep 2-0 win against 24 year old Celia Willison’s Edge Women’s Match (NZL) in the finals match. The win comes just one week after also taking out the New Zealand Women’s Match Racing title, with the same two teams head to head and Courtois taking the top New Zealand spot from Willison.

The five-strong Match in Pink team held on tight at the top of the pack throughout the round-robin flights, landing themselves in a fiercely competitive three-way tie for first place after the round-robin was completed. Courtois held strong into the semi-finals before finishing with an astonishing win today.

Courtois and her team, consisting of Maelenn Lemaitre, Louise Acker, Thea Khelif and Clara Bayou, stood proudly onstage as the prize-giving guests gave them a hearty Kiwi congratulations and a standing ovation before Courtois delivered her short acceptance speech.

“A big thanks to the organisers and umpires. We had two amazing weeks here. To all the teams we thank you!”

Pauline Courtois and Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team (FRA) of Maelenn Lemaitre, Louise Acker, Thea Khelif, Clara Bayou. Photo: Adam Mustill / Live Sail Die

Celia Willisons’ New Zealand team, Edge Women’s Match, which is made up of Willison and her longtime teammates Charlotte Porter, Serena Woodall, Paige Cook and Alison Kent, proudly took second place on the podium after an enjoyable competition sailing on home waters. Willison thanked the race sponsors, race committee and the umpires before congratulating her team and finally making special note of her tough competitor Courtois.

“Thank you to Pauline for just giving us ‘heaps’ in that final, it was a repeat of last week, and we can't wait to race again!”

 Celia Willison and the Edge Womens Match Team of Alison Kent, Charlotte Porter, Paige Cook, Serena Woodall. Photo: Adam Mustill / Live Sail Die

Sweden's Anna Östling and her team ‘Wings’ have ventured across the world alongside their supporters and have held on tightly to the top of the pack. Today they were paired with New Zealand’s Megan Thomson and her team ‘2.0 Racing’. The teams went head-to-head today in the petit final, which was a sudden death, with Thompson ultimately taking out third place for the Kiwis on 2.0 Racing.

“Thanks very much to Pauline and her team. That semi-final was… Crazy,” said Östling.

Anna Östling, WINGS (SWE) Anna Holmdal, Annika Carlunger, Annie Wennergren, Linnéa Wennergren Photo: Adam Mustill / Live Sail Die

Auckland delivered light, shifty and frustrating conditions for the final day of racing, with the outgoing tide also providing another element for the sailors to deal with. However, there was enough wind for racing to get underway, and only a few short breaks were required due to changeable conditions.

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Commodore, Andrew Aitken, said Auckland lived up to its reputation as the City of Sails.

“We’ve seen Auckland deliver every sort of weather possible, today, we had four seasons in half an hour! But the various teams, particularly the race management volunteers, pulled through to make the event a true success,” said Aitken.

“We’ve seen some great racing, some really close racing, and in fact, all 14 teams were just right up there, which is just tremendous for women's sailing.” he continued.

“It’s magic to have a world-class event hosted here at the RNZYS and in Auckland, it's the sort of thing we like to do, and we probably don't do it enough. It’s great to see yachting happening at this level in little New Zealand, competitors travelled from Australia, Great Britain, France, Sweden and the USA - it's really cool. I’d like to say well done to the competitors and we can’t wait to have you back racing with the Squadron again!” said Aitken.

2022 Women’s World Match Racing Tour Results

2022 Women’s World Match Racing Tour Results

Dun Laoghaire's National Yacht Club will host a match racing series in the club's own fleet of Elliott 6m one-design keelboats.

The series will run for a period of four weeks, beginning the weekend of 5th-6th November.

The series is open to members and non-members, with preference given to members if demand is high.

The Dun Laoghaire Harbour-based match racing series will be held in the NYC's own fleet of Elliott 6m one-design keelboats Photo: Afloat

There is an option to join as a team or as individual sailors where NYC will endeavour to match sailors to make up teams.

If you are interested in competing, please complete the Google form here

Organisers of the World Match Racing Tour have announced the 2022 WMRT Final has been re-scheduled to 13-18 December in Sydney, Australia. The event will be co-hosted with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) and the winner will be crowned the official 2022 Match Racing World Champion.

The change of venue for the 2022 WMRT Final follows the ongoing border closures in China, where the WMRT Final was previously scheduled to take place in Shenzhen from 6-11 December. Strict travel restrictions for international visitors to China have been in place since the start of the global pandemic in 2020

“It is unfortunate we have been unable to host the WMRT Final in Shenzhen again this year due to the continued travel restrictions to China” commented WMRT Executive Director James Pleasance “however, to ensure we can still host the tour final this year, we are very pleased to partner with the CYCA to host the event in Sydney - the club has a great deal of experience in running world-class match racing events and sailing conditions in Sydney in December should be ideal as well.”

The Elliott 7m match racing fleet at the CYCA in Sydney

Up to 12 teams are being invited to the event, including defending match racing world champion Taylor Canfield (Stars + Stripes Team USA) and six-time world champion Ian Williams from Great Britain. The event will be sailed in the CYCA fleet of Elliott 7m keelboats with crews of 4 or 5. Racing will take place over five days with a single round robin stage followed by a repechage, Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and Final on Sunday, 18 December.

The CYCA is also home to the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race and the club will be busy in late December preparing for the 77th edition of the iconic race starting on 26 December as CYCA Commodore Arthur Lane explains;

“It is extremely exciting for us to partner with the World Match Racing Tour to bring the Finals to the southern hemisphere for the very first time. The Club has a strong history in hosting world-class sailing events, so adding the World Match Racing Tour to our calendar this December will be very special. We look forward to welcoming all the teams to Sydney and to the CYCA.”

 Taylor Canfield (centre) and Stars+Stripes Team USA, WMRT Champions 2020

WMRT Match Racing World Championship Trophy by Garrard & Co.

Pauline Courtois and her ‘Match in Pink’ Normandie team from France have won the 2022 EUROSAF Women’s European Match Racing Championship in Corfu, Greece.

The event is stage 3 of the 2022 Women’s World Match Racing Tour.

Courtois and team beat Dutch skipper Renee Groeneveld 2-0 in a close first-to-two-points final in light winds.

After a wait ashore yesterday morning at the Corfu Sailing Club, the race committee doubted if there would be any breeze at all for the final day. Fortunately a light 2-4 knot southerly filled over the bay under the Old Fortress of Corfu to start the final and a shortened first-to-one-point Petit-Final.

Pauline Courtois and her ‘Match in Pink’ Normandie team from France have won the 2022 EUROSAF Women’s European Match Racing Championship in Corfu

Meeting in the Petit-Final were New Zealand’s Celia Willison/ Edge Racing and Margot Vennin/ Match Moiselles from France. After a near photo finish, Margot Vennin held the lead to clinch the single point, and 3rd place for the regatta.

As the quarter-finals and semi-finals had to be cut from the format due to the typically light winds on Saturday, the final standings for 5th -12th position were taken from the round robin qualifying stage; 

EUROSAF Women’s European Championship 2022 – Final Standings

1. Pauline Courtois (FRA) - Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team
2. Renee Groenevel (NED) - Dutch Match Racing Team
3. Margot Vennin (FRA) - Matchmoiselles
4. Celia Willison (NZL) - Edge Womens Match
5. Lea Vogelius (DEN) - Team Kattnakken
6. Sophie Otter (GBR) - Otter Racing
7. Juliet Costanzo (AUS) - Easy Tiger Racing
8. Ali Morrish (GBR) - Five by Five
9. Margot Riou (FRA) - APCC Women’s Sailing Team
10.  Laurane Mettraux (SUI) - CER – Ville de Genève
11. Sofia Matsikidou (GRE)
12. Sara Edholm (SWE) - Team Sparkling Unicorns

A storm front over the Mediterranean island of Corfu presented challenging conditions today for the 12 teams competing in the 2022 EUROSAF Women’s European Championship, stage 3 of the Women’s World Match Racing Tour.

Fickle winds between 2-12knots and a consistent rain graced the second day of the EUROSAF Women’s Championship as the teams swapped shorts for wet weather gear to complete the qualifying round robin stage of the regatta. 

Finishing the day with 16 of 22 flights completed, just three teams completed their qualifying matches – Denmark’s Lea Richter Vogelius (7-4), Great Britain’s Sophie Otter (6-5) and Greece’s Sofia Matsikidou (1-10).

Normal Mediterranean conditions are forecast for the next two days with sunny skies and light winds.

Current results of Round robin of the Women's European Match Racing Championships