In the semi finals both series went to 4 matches with Souter beating Leroy 3-1 and in the battle of the Swedish Bjorling beat Kjellberg 3-1 and after a break for lunch it was Souter on form in the finals and Anna Kjellberg with the edge in the petite final beating defending champion Claire Leroy 2-0.

Our 9th/10th playoff was raced at the beginning of the day against Linda Rahm. After a good start we led the first lap well but were then caught up on the second up wind and final downwind. A solid defending position however gave us a clear gybe to the bias end of the finish line and take the win.

Its been a tough regatta for us where just one more win could have made such a massive difference but we’ve used the event well to learn for the long run and we’re certainly looking forward to the European Championships next week!

Today the programme is to sail the quarter finals and then our playoffs but the current conditions outside are about 35knots and horizontal rain so it currently looks like we could be spending the day onshore!

Through to the quarter finals are Leroy (FRA), Bjorlling (SWE), Kjellberg (SWE), Souter (AUS), Spithill (AUS), Ulrikkeholm (DEN)

Update: no racing at all today due to the conditions, so the top four are going straight through to semi-finals and finals tomorrow.

The results are still all quite close, so if we can sail well tomorrow and do the all important posting of some more wins then we can still make it through to the top 6 quarter final round robin.

It’s looking like another breezy day tomorrow which is good for us, so fingers crossed!

Lucy x

After a good break however we were sailing really well this afternoon, first winning against Linda Rahm pre-start and extending throughout to a win. Next we had a fantastic race against Claire Leroy where a split tack off the line saw us ahead up the first beat and leading round the windward mark by half a length. Down the run the control switched from boat to boat and unfortunately it was Claire who rounded ahead. Another tacking duel up the next beat resulted in us inches away on the final run, but unable to roll and loosing by just half a length in the end.

Although we’re dissapointed to be 4–1 down in the start of the round robin, we learnt a lot this morning and converted it into some great sailing this afternoon, so bring on the other races!

For full results check out the event website at http://en.lysekilwomensmatch.se/, and if your Swedish is up to scratch you can enjoy live video and commentary as the event progresses over the next few days.

I can’t really believe the World’s is actually next week as the last few months seem to have flown by! But Annie, Ally and I feel like we’ve made great progress so far this season, and we’re really looking forward to next week as probably the toughest event of the season so far, on a technical basis, physically, plus the best entry list with very few of the top teams missing. We are luckily to be joined by Bird Watson (trim 2), Jo Ryley (pit) and Mary Rook (trim 1) for the event making a strong team and although we have not sailed together or sailed on the DS37s anywhere near as much as some of the other teams, we all know each other very well and are really confident as a team.

We’ve only been to Lysekil once before but it’s a fantastic venue where the Swedes really getting behind the event with hundreds turning out to watch from the rocks and us sailing only meters away from the shore. The organisers have put a lot of effort into the press for the event so keep checking the event website www.lysekilwomensmatch.se and of course here for our updates!…..but don’t laugh at the pirate pictures!

Keep sailing!

Lucy x

Having won the round robin stages we elected to sail against the 4th place finisher Katie Spithill in the semi finals. In the first match we controlled most of the pre-start, and set off from the line on opposite tacks. Spithill proceeded to bang the left hand corner which turned out to have paid off, arriving at the windward mark with a lead from which we could not recover.

The second match was much closer, with an even pre-start and the lead changing several times going up the first beat. Approaching the windward mark we luffed hard trying to force a penalty, but the umpires ruled that no infringement occurred. Several tacking and gybing duels ensued, however Spithill just clinched this one to go 2–0 ahead.

In match three we had a good start whereas Spithill was OCS and had to duck the line again. We split tacks up the first beat, this time with the right hand side being favoured. With a comfortable lead at the windward mark we extended throughout the race to take the score to 2–1 against.

In match four — a must-win for us to make it through to the finals — we dominated most of the pre-start before stalling in the last few seconds before the start. This let Spithill break away and approach the line with better speed, taking the lead upwind. They had a poor hoist and we sailed an excellent first downwind leg, overtaking the Australians. Spithill then engaged in a fierce tacking battle in the final upwind leg, during which she took a slight advantage once again. The final run was neck and neck, though in the last minutes they managed to find some extra breeze to pull ahead enough to win the semi-final 3–1.

In the other semi the two “local heroes” Linda Rahm and Anna Kjellberg had an equally close battle, with Kjellberg victorious 3–1, leaving us to face Rahm in a first to two points petit final for 3rd/4th playoff.

The first match of the petit final was very close with an even start, however the Swedish team held us out to the side upwind to take a small advantage which they maintained to the finish despite our best efforts to pass! Pre-start in the next match didn’t go quite according to plan, with errors on our part earning us two penalties — the first of which we have to take immediately on starting. This let Rahm sail away to a commanding lead, taking the petit-final 2–0 and 3rd place overall.

We’re a little disappointed to have ended up 4th, as generally we have been sailing well and have improved throughout the week — it has just been silly tactical errors that have let us down. However 4th in such a good field is still a credible result, and we’re confident we can learn from and work on minimising the odd few mistakes we’ve made this week.

Our next event is an RYA National Ranker in Plymouth in two weeks, before we return to Sweden for the World Championships at the end of the month. We’ll keep you updated!

Video round-up of the day’s action courtesy of Match Cup Sweden and Lemonwhale –

Tomorrow morning we sail the quarter-finals, and as winners of the round robin have elected to face Katie Spithill (AUS). The other quarter will see the two local teams of Anna Kjellberg and Linda Rahm (SWE) go head to head, before the finals are held in the afternoon.

The Match Cup Sweden website is streaming live video during the day in conjunction with Lemonwhale, as well as producing daily summaries (yesterday’s compilation below).

As a team we definitely improved from yesterday and with me getting slightly more used to helming the boats we were able to maintain speed much better both pre-start and on the course. Helping that though we started well today and lead round every mark in our races against Spithill, Kjellberg, Leroy and Barkow to finish the day with 4 wins out of 4 and advancing through to the semis in 1st.

Joining us in the semi finals are the teams of Kjellberg (SWE), Spithill (AUS) and Rahm (SWE) and as the winners of the round robin we get to choose who we compete against…..but you’ll have to check tomorrow to find out!

Our second race was against Lotte Meldegaard Pedersen’s Danish team in similar breeze we split tacks at by the windward mark were side by side head to wind waiting for each other to make the first move. The good news it was us who were able to then split to the right and come into the windward mark on starboard with the advantage. Them having to double tack meant we were able to gain some distance and hold ahead to the finish.

Next up was the Swedish team helmed by Linda Rahm, one of the favourites for the event. Again a split start saw us fairly equal by the top mark but this time the shift was not on our side and it was Linda who lead round the first mark. We closed slightly downwind but not enough to make up the difference so finished the morning 1–2.

We’re now finished racing for the day so it’s time for a spot of lunch while watching the Pro-Am and Men’s racing… More tomorrow!

Lucy x

Joining Ally and I this week is Vicky Lenz (main), Mary Rook (trim), Lauren Martel (pit) and Bird Watson (mast). The forecast is looking fairly light all week and they have quite a full schedule with the boys racing too, but it’s a great opportunity for us training for the Worlds.

In the women’s event we have a small but good quality fleet comprising of Leroy, Rahm, Barkow, Meldegaard Pedersen, Spithill, Kjelleberg, Souter and ourselves. Racing starts for us tomorrow morning so we’ll keep you posted on how we go.

Lucy x