London (22 March 2024) – The Women’s World Match Racing Tour today announced changes to the 2024 Tour schedule after the unfortunate cancellation of the opening season events in Annapolis and San Francisco due to a shortage of registered teams. The updated Tour schedule will comprise four events for 2024 including the new women’s event in Bermuda announced last week to take place in October.
‘It is a great shame the Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis and Casa Vela Cup in San Francisco have had to cancel this year’ commented WMRT Executive Director James Pleasance. ‘Both the events were hugely successful last year and we look forward to welcoming them back on Tour for 2025. This year is an exceptionally busy year for women in sailing including the Paris Olympics and the first Women’s Americas Cup in Barcelona, as a result the scheduling for sailors and teams has proved challenging.’
The revised 2024 women’s tour schedule also sees the addition of the newly announced women’s trophy event in Bermuda to take place during the iconic Bermuda Gold Cup, a founding event of the World Match Racing Tour this year celebrating its 71st edition. The combined Bermuda events have been scheduled later in the season (29 Oct – 3 Nov) to ensure they take place after the America’s Cup in Barcelona. Prize money will be awarded at both the Open and Women’s Bermuda events.
‘Opportunities for women in sailing are growing fast at the moment’ adds Pleasance. ‘When the WIM Series started in 2013 (re-launched as the Women’s World Match Racing Tour in 2022), the series set out with a very clear mission to grow and strengthen opportunities for women in match racing and competitive sailing at every level. This year demonstrates we are achieving those goals and, after 10 years, it is encouraging to see so many new opportunities for women in sailing. Over 200 women sailors have competed on the Tour in just the last two years.’
Update Women’s WMRT Schedule – 23 March 2024
For more information on the Women’s World Match Racing Tour, visit https://womenswmrt.com/
Women’s World Match Racing Tour 2024 (Updated 22 Mar 2024)
Stage 1 – Santa Maria Cup, Eastport Yacht Club, Annapolis, USA, 23-26 April Cancelled
Stage 2 – Casa Vela Cup, St. Francis Yacht Club, San Francisco, USA, 2-4 May Cancelled
Stage 3 – Normandy Match Cup, Le Havre, France, 17-20 May
Stage 4 – Nordea Womens Trophy – Match Cup Sweden, Marstrand, Sweden 1-6 July
Stage 5 – KDY Women’s Match Race, Royal Danish Yacht Club, Skovshoved, Denmark, 5-8 Sept
Stage 6 – Bermuda Women’s Trophy, Hamitlon, Bermuda, 29 Oct – 3 Nov
For updates and information on the Women’s World Match Racing Tour and event documents, visit womenswmrt.com and follow us on social media at Facebook (@womenswmrt), Instagram (@womenswmrt) and X (@womenswmrt)
About Women’s World Match Racing Tour
The Women’s World Match Racing Tour was launched in 2022 to continue the hugely successful legacy of the WIM Series (Women’s International Match Racing Series) providing a global match racing series for female sailors. The name of the series was re-launched as the Women’s World Match Racing Tour with its continued mission to expand and strengthen global match racing and promote opportunities for competitive women’s sailing at every level. The Women’s World Match Racing Tour is the world’s first and only professional sailing series for women providing a valuable pathway for aspiring female world champions in the sport of sailing. See womenswmrt.com