2023 GKSS Match Cup Sweden - Day 1
by WMRT 6 Jul 2023 05:40 NZST
4-9 July 2023
2023 GKSS Match Cup Sweden day 1 © Anders Dahlberg
Switzerland's Eric Monnin and his Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team finished a blustery opening day of the 2023 GKSS Match Cup Sweden undefeated with four wins from four races in the qualifying round-robin stage.
The Swedish event is a championship stage of the 2023 World Match Racing Tour, returning to the Tour for the first time since 2019 after the pandemic.
After several weeks of summer sunshine on Sweden's west coast, conditions for the opening day of the highly anticipated GKSS Match Cup Sweden graced the island with sporadic rains and a fickle 8-15 knot southerly breeze on the iconic Marstrand racecourse.
Familiar to Marstrand and also the Far East 28R yachts the teams are racing this week, Switzerland's Monnin was pleased with the performance of his Capvis Swiss Match Race Team of Simon Brügger, Lukas Gerig, Ute Monnin-Wagner and Jean -Claude Monnin:
"It's great to be back here in Marstrand, we've been very much looking forward to coming back" said Monnin "We had a strong day with some tight races and plenty of overtaking - it wasn't looking particularly good for us in two of the races, but we got lucky to get back in the game and end the day well!".
Finishing the day a point behind Monnin with 3 wins out of 5 races are two of the Swedish teams competing this week, five-time winner of the Marstrand event Björn Hansen (Extend Commerce Sailing Team), and 22yr old Oscar Engstrom (Team Liros) who was recently appointed to join the Swedish Challenge for the 2024 Youth America's Cup.
"'It was a good first day for us but with very tricky conditions" added Engstrom. "We had breeze from the land so there were a lot of puffs that we needed to get to first which made it challenging, but it was great fun match racing!"
The ten teams from seven countries including reigning Match Racing World Champion Nick Egnot-Johnson/Knots Racing from New Zealand will aim to complete the qualifying round robin stage tomorrow before advancing to the Quarter-finals and Semi-Finals, with Finals day on Saturday.
Strong winds are forecast for tomorrow's racing before calmer and brighter conditions arrive in time for the weekend.
See full results here
More information on the World Match Racing Tour is at wmrt.com.
More information on GKSS Match Cup Sweden: www.gkssmatchcupsweden.se
The GKSS Match Cup Sweden 2023 is proudly sponsored by Main Partners Nordea and Vinga.