Seventeen events in 11 countries have been confirmed for sailing’s World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) 2021 world championship.
The season will start in Szczecin, Poland, at the end of April and finish with the inaugural WMRT Final in Shenzhen, China, in December.
James Pleasance, WMRT executive director, said: “Last year was challenging for all international sports. We were very fortunate to be able to award the WMRT championship in Bermuda in October due to the fantastic efforts of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. We are very hopeful 2021 will allow for a full tour season however, understandably, organisers and sailors are cautious of ongoing restrictions, which is why we have set the tour schedule not to start before the end of April.”
As with last year, the 2021 WMRT season will consist of “World Tour” events and “World Championship” events, opening with the Szczecin Match Race, Poland, from 30 April to 2 May. All events are organised under World Sailing rules as open match racing events, allowing both men and women skippers, as well as mixed teams to compete.
Taylor Canfield, the defending two-time match racing world champion with his Stars+Stripes USA team, said: “WMRT is a great platform for sailors and fans to experience the best match racing competition globally. The Tour has done a fantastic job creating a racing schedule in the US, Europe, and Asia. We are excited for 2021 and our team and partners are looking forward to defending the world championship title this year.”
2021 World Match Racing Tour schedule
- 30 April-2 May: Szczecin Match Race, Poland
- 7-9 May: Porto Montenegro Match Race
- 21-23 May: NJK Open Spring Cup, Finland
- 29-30 May: GKKS Spring Cup, Gothenburg, Sweden
- 6-10 July: GKSS Match Cup Marstrand*, Marstrand, Sweden
- 29 July-4 August: Internationaux de France Match Racing, Pornichet
- 6-8 August: The Chicago Cup
- 19-22 August: International Match Race for the Detroit Cup
- 25-29 August: Baltic Match Race, Estonia
- 27-30 August: Oakcliff International, Oyster Bay NY
- 1-4 September: Thompson Cup, Oyster Bay NY
- 9-12 September: Ficker Cup, Long Beach USA
- 8-12 September: Match Race Germany, Lake Constance
- 14-19 September: The Congressional Cup Regatta*, Long Beach USA
- 30 September-3 October: DBS Marina Bay Cup, Singapore
- 27 September-2 October: Bermuda Gold Cup*
- 15-19 December: Shenzhen Bao’an Match Cup, WMRT Final* Shenzhen, China
- * World championship events
Main image: © Ian Roman/WMRT