Women's Match Racing Worlds Head Down Under

[Source: ISAF]

The Notice of Race for the 2008 ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship is now available on the newly launched championship microsite.

View the Notice of Race, along with past World Championship results, at the newly launched championship microsite - www.sailing.org/wmatchworlds.

The tenth edition of the ISAF Women’s World Championship will also be the first held in the Southern Hemisphere, with the world’s top women match racers set to go head to head in Auckland, New Zealand from 1-6 April.

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, winner of the 1995 and 2000 America’s Cup, will host the 2008 Worlds.

Racing on Waitemata Harbour will take place in ten Elliott 6m boats owned by the Squadron and used for the New Zealand Women’s Match Racing Championship over the last few years.

On 1 April 2008 the Opening Ceremony at the RNZYS will get the Worlds underway, with the final, to decide the 2008 ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Champion, scheduled for 6 April.

Fourteen skippers will be invited to contest the title. As defending champion Claire LEROY (FRA), long time leader of the ISAF World Match Race Rankings and a nominee for the 2007 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award, receives an automatic invite. Invitations will also be sent to the top ten skippers from next release of the Women’s ISAF World Match Race Rankings on 24 October (affectively the top 11 with LEROY already occupying the #1 spot).

Two qualifying events – the ISAF Grade 2 CYCA Harken Women’s Match Race in Sydney and the ISAF Grade 3 New Zealand Women’s Match Racing Championships will offer lower Ranked skippers an opportunity to earn the right to challenge for the World title. In addition to this their will be one wildcard entry.

John CRAWFORD, RNZYS Commodore, is looking forward to host the Worlds, "We have the world class resources to run this event!” he said. “Ten fully equalized boats, experienced Race and Boat Management teams, a great umpire team, including America's Cup Umpires - we are really looking forward to hosting this world class competition."Sara ROBERTS, RNZYS Sailing Manager and a former match racer, added, “It is a great opportunity to see the world’s best girls here in Auckland. We are sure that we will have a real World Championship on a very high level!”