Julie Bossard (FRA) and Ekaterina Skudina (RUS). The two teams finished first and second in Repechage B Stage 2. Image copyright Fried Elliott/www.friedbits.com
by Michael Levitt
Today was do or die at the ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship. In the third day, the fleet, split into gold and two repechage groups, saw its first taste of qualifying action as sailors struggled to gain better seeding and the coveted seven and eight slot for tomorrow’s quarter finals.
“We have everything to win and nothing to lose,” said Julie Bossard, the Repechage B group winner. The three fleets raced in a fading northerly that led to a 180-degree shift for some racers, then a steadying southeast breeze of around eight knots.
It was a heart breaking day for the twelve teams not able to advance in the regatta. As the teams sailed into the docks in a fading light, coaches were there to evaluate and help unrig the boats, but there was always the optimistic smile on the crew’s faces that will carry them to the next event with more experience.
Anne-Claire Le Berre's (FRA) team just missed out on qualifying from the Repechage. Image copyright Fried Elliott/www.friedbits.com
Bossard and Ekaterina Skudina were the top two teams of the B group, finishing at sunset today. They will have a first-to-two wins knock-out series tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. against the winners of Repechage A. The pairings will be Bossard versus group A runner up Groeneveld, and Skudina versus group A winner Anna Tunnicliffe.
The winners of these knockout series will go right into the quarterfinals where number one seed from the gold fleet, Lucy Macgregor, will meet the number eight seed. Sally Barkow, seeded second, will meet the seventh seed. The known quarterfinal matches are between the two Australians, Nicky Souter, seeded third, versus Katie Spithill, sixth seed, and Genny Tulloch, fourth, versus Claire Le Roy, fifth seed.
The forecast for Friday and Saturday is vintage fall sailing here with bright sunshine and building southerlies in the mid teens.
Today the cream certainly rose to the top as four teams battled within feet of each other for every point to have just one more chance at advancing. “Yesterday we said, ‘Tomorrow’s another day,’” said Bossard as she made her way to the gala dinner at New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court tonight. “Now we have to beat just one person. We will take it one match at a time and see where we go.”
Stage Two results with points
Gold Group
1 Macgregor (3)
2 Barkow (3)
3 Souter (3)
4 Tulloch (3)
5 Leroy (2)
6 Spithill (1)
Repechage A
1 Tunnicliffe (5)
2 Groeneveld (5)
3 Le Berre (4)
4 Meldgaard (3)
5 Senfft (2)
6 Bekatorou (2)
7 Goncalves (0)
Repechage B
1 Bossard (5)
2 Skudina (5)
3 Ulrikkeholm (3)
4 Lehtinen (3)
5 Osborne (3)
6 Roca (2)
7 Kliba (0)
Women's Match Racing Worlds
