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Diana Kissane Leads Irish Charge In Women's Match Racing World Series

22nd May 2015
Diana Kissane Leads Irish Charge In Women's Match Racing World Series

#MatchRacing - Ireland's Diana Kissane will skipper a team in the upcoming Women's International Match Racing Series, how entering its third year of competition.

The Howth Yact Club match racer leads one of the 20 teams already confirmed for the new season, which kicks off 47 days from now at the ISAF Women’s Match Racing Worlds in Middelfart, Denmark from 8-12 July.

That will be followed by the Lysekil Women’s Match in Sweden on 3-8 August, the Buddy Melges Challenge in Sheboygan, Wisconsin on Lake Michigan on 16-20 September, and the Busan Cup in South Korea from 28 October to 1 November.

But first things first, Danish skipper Camilla Ulrikkeholm will be looking to avenge her team's loss to Anna Östling (neé Kjellberg) at the 2014 ISAF Match Racing Worlds in Cork Harbour last June.

“We are never in it not to win it. We will fight for every win this year, as every year,” says Ulrikkeholm, who will have the advantage of home waters for the WIM Series kickoff.

Published in Match Racing
MacDara Conroy

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MacDara Conroy

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MacDara Conroy is a contributor covering all things on the water, from boating and wildlife to science and business

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About Match Racing

A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head.

In yacht racing, it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams consisting of 2, 3 or 4 boats compete together in a team race, with their results being combined.

A match race consists of two identical boats racing against each other. With effective boat handling and clever use of wind and currents, a trailing boat can escape the grasp of the leader and pass. The leader uses blocking techniques to hold the other boat back. This one-on-one duel is a game of strategy and tactics.

About the World Match Racing Tour

Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) promotes the sport of match racing around the world and is the longest running global professional series in the sport of sailing. The WMRT is awarded ‘Special Event’ status by the sport’s world governing body – World Sailing – and the winner of the WMRT each year is crowned World Sailing Match Racing World Champion. Previous champions include Sir Ben Ainslie (GBR), Taylor Canfield (USA), Peter Gilmour (AUS), Magnus Holmberg (SWE), Peter Holmberg (ISV), Adam Minoprio (NZL), Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Bertrand Pace (FRA), Jesper Radich (DEN), Phil Robertson (NZL) and Ian Williams (GBR). Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have awarded over USD23million in prize money to sailors which has helped to contribute to the career pathway of many of today’s professional sailors