Wikipedia

Stena Match Cup Sweden

Match Cup Sweden (previously Swedish Match Cup, Stena Match Cup Sweden) is a sailing event on the World Match Racing Tour held in Marstrand, Sweden in the beginning of July every year. Organizers of Match Cup Sweden are The Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club and Brandspot.

Stena Match Cup Sweden
Finals in Match Cup Sweden 2016 between Phil Robertson (NZL) och Taylor Canfield (USA).
OrganizerRoyal Gothenburg Yacht Club
Brandspot
Typematch racing final on the World Match Racing Tour
ClassesM32
VenueMarstrand, Sweden
Competitors20
ChampionBjörn Hansen
Most titlesPeter Gilmour (6)
Websitewww.matchcupsweden.com

The tournament consists of an open class and a women’s class, both of which compete in match race sailing. It is one of the pivotal events on the World Match Racing Tour, being among the longest running events on the tour. The event has attracted well over 100.000 spectators [1] on an annual basis.

History edit

The first edition of Match Cup Sweden was held in 1994, then as Swedish Match Cup. The initiator of the event was Swedish sailing legend Magnus Holmberg,[2] who with the help from The Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club and Swedish Match arranged the first event in Marstrand, Sweden.

Between 1994 and 2002 the tournament used the DS 37 Matchracer boat, until the introduction of the Swedish Match 40 in 2003. The new boat was designed by another sailing legend, Pelle Petterson, specifically for the Swedish Match Tour, which was the equivalent of today’s World Match Racing Tour.

Due to a change of the Swedish legislation prior to the 2006 event, Swedish Match, being a tobacco company, were prohibited of sponsoring the event. Losing its title sponsor, the 2006 event had to be cancelled, only to return in 2007 under the new name ’’’Match Cup Sweden’’’. The organizers then decided to go back to the original DS 37 Matchracer boats.[1]

Hall of Fame edit

For the 15th edition of Match Cup Sweden in 2009, the organizers set up a Hall of Fame for to celebrate the already rich history of the event. Two inductees were elected for the opening of the Hall of Fame; Magnus Holmberg and Peter Gilmour.

Magnus Holmberg, Sweden, was inducted for his vital role in the founding and upbringing of the event, arguably being the most important individual of its history. Along with stellar performances on the water, his place in the Hall of Fame was meant to be.

Peter Gilmour, Australia, is, among many big names victorious in Marstrand, the biggest of them all. He celebrated his induction by winning his seventh Match Cup Sweden, meaning that he had won almost half of the editions in the history of the event. A pioneer in matchracing, Gilmour is now both a household name in Marstrand as well as the current acting president of the World Match Racing Tour.

 
Marstrand seen from the East

Location edit

One of the most popular locations among the sailors, Marstrand offers a unique combination of world class sailing and an extraordinary spectators’ arena. The narrow waters on the South side of Marstrand brings the audience within meters from the boats, still providing enough wind to create intense sailing. The picturesque environments that Marstrand and its surroundings offer has single-handedly attracted a great number of both world-class sailors and spectators to the event throughout the years.

Results edit

Open class edit

Year Champion Runner-up Third place Fourth place
1994   Peter Gilmour   Ed Baird   Magnus Holmberg   Russell Coutts
1995   Peter Gilmour   Ed Baird   Bertrand Pacé   Magnus Holmberg
1996   Bertrand Pacé   Russell Coutts   Peter Gilmour   Ed Baird
1997   Peter Gilmour   Ed Baird   Jesper Bank   Magnus Holmberg
1998   Peter Gilmour[a]   Sten Mohr   Dean Barker   Bertrand Pacé
1999   Peter Gilmour[a]   Ed Baird   Tomislav Basic   Magnus Holmberg
2000   Dean Barker   Bertrand Pacé   Sten Mohr   Magnus Holmberg
2001   Russell Coutts[b]   Luc Pillot   Magnus Holmberg   Björn Hansen
2002   Dean Barker   Russell Coutts[b]   Ed Baird   Bertrand Pacé
2003   Chris Law   Karol Jabłoński   Peter Holmberg   Jesper Bank
2004   Russell Coutts   Peter Gilmour   Magnus Holmberg   Chris Law
2005   Peter Gilmour   Magnus Holmberg   Dean Barker   Peter Holmberg
2006 no races
2007   Björn Hansen   Magnus Holmberg   Jesper Radich   Mattias Rahm
2008   Mattias Rahm   Torvar Mirsky   Magnus Holmberg   Mathieu Richard
2009   Peter Gilmour   Mathieu Richard   Sebastien Col   Damien Iehl
2010   Ben Ainslie   Jesper Radich   Magnus Holmberg   Torvar Mirsky
2011   Ian Williams   Björn Hansen   Jesper Radich   Peter Gilmour
2012   Björn Hansen   Peter Gilmour   Ian Williams   Phil Robertson
2013   Björn Hansen   Phil Robertson   Simone Ferrarese   Keith Swinton
2014   Björn Hansen   Ian Williams   Taylor Canfield   Francesco Bruni
2015   Björn Hansen   Ian Williams   Keith Swinton   Taylor Canfield
  1. ^ a b under Japanese nationality.
  2. ^ a b under Swiss nationality.

Women’s class edit

Year Champion Runner-up Third place Fourth place
1999   Dorte O. Jensen   Christine Briand   Betsy Alison   Marie Björling
2000   Dorte O. Jensen   Betsy Alison   Malin Källström   Marie Björling
2001   Dorte O. Jensen   Malin Källström   Malin Millbourn   Sharon Ferris
2002   Marie Björling   Dorte O. Jensen   Malin Millbourn   Betsy Alison
2003   Marie Björling   Malin Källström   Annette Ström   Malin Millbourn
2004   Marie Björling   Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen   Claire Leroy   Betsy Alison
2005   Malin Millbourn   Marie Björling   Claire Leroy   Linda Rahm
2006 no races
2007 no women's class
2008   Claire Leroy   Anna Kjellberg   Linda Rahm   Jenny Axhede
2009   Katie Spithill   Anna Kjellberg   Linda Rahm   Lucy MacGregor
2010   Ekaterina Skudina   Renee Groeneveld   Lucy MacGregor   Katie Spithill
2011   Claire Leroy
2012 no women's class
2013   Stephanie Roble
2014 no women's class
2015 no women's class

External links edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b WMRT.com, Event information.
  2. ^ A Perfect Match, written by Joakim Hermansson, p. 26-29.
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