Friday, March 18, 2011

CONTESSA 32 SM

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Rolex 2000 ISAF Women’s World Match Racing - Overall


Author: Strategic EventsDORTE JENSEN WINS HER SECOND WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Dorte Jensen of Denmark retained her crown after a lack of wind forced the
cancellation of the finals of the Rolex 2000 ISAF Women's World Match
Racing Championship today in St Petersburg, Florida.

The four semi-finalists cast off in their Sonar keelboats at dawn to
capture the best of the morning breeze, but the wind never climbed higher
than 4 knots. Jensen dominated her third heat against Britain's Shirley
Robertson after getting the better of the start, so that was the defending
champion safely through.

Then it was Sweden's Marie Bjorling turn to win the pre-start and lead
America's Betsy Alison off the line by some way, and stretch to an
unassailable lead by the final run downwind.

So the stage was set for an all-Scandinavian final, with the defending
champion pitted against the underdogs who just three weeks ago were handed
a last-minute entry to the event after the No.1 Swedish team pulled out
with crew injuries.

But the wind, which has been light and fickle all week, again refused to
co-operate and the race committee sent the fleet ashore to wait until 4pm
in the hope of picking up some late afternoon breeze. When that failed to
materialise, the championship was handed to Jensen because she had won the
quarter-final round robin ahead of Bjorling in second. Jensen and her team
celebrated with the traditional champagne celebration. They threw their
arms around each other in joy and relief and the two finalist teams
congratulated each other.

Jensen admitted she had been waiting tensely all afternoon for the final
decision. "It would have been better to settle the championship on the
water," she said, "but this afternoon was a very nervous time for me. Now
that I've won it feels fantastic, just as good as when we won last year."

Despite Bjorling's underdog status, she felt she had the skills to go all
the way to the top, and was disappointed not to be able to prove her point.
"We had great teamwork and good speed this week, and I had a few tricks up
my sleeve for the pre-start if the wind had been a bit stronger," she
commented. "So I am disappointed but I am also really pleased with our
result this week."

Shirley Robertson also was sad not to be able to fight it out with Betsy
Alison in the petit-final for third place overall. "Considering our lack of
match racing this year, we sailed really well and I think we could have
beaten Betsy if we had been given the chance."

Robertson's bid to attack Jensen downwind in the last semi-final heat was
ruined when the head of the spinnaker parted company from the snapshackle.
It lost them valuable time, and when they turned downwind for the final
run, it meant bowman Sam Davies had to drop the jib and re-attach the
spinnaker head to the jib halyard. It was done slickly enough, but Jensen
punished the smallest of errors, let alone a bigger mishap like this one.

But Robertson and her team were the first to laugh about their misfortune,
feeling they had sailed as well as they could and happy to see a sailor of
Jensen's calibre progress to the final.

Betsy Alison nearly planted a penalty on Bjorling in their concluding
semi-final heat, and it took the umpires some time before they raised the
green flag that let Bjorling off the hook. That was the last opportunity
Alison had to take the fight to the Swedes, who sailed off to an easy
victory.

In the play-offs for 5th and 6th overall, Klaartje Zuiderbaan of the
Netherlands beat the USA's Hannah Swett, and Katie Spithill of Australia
defeated Paula Lewin of Bermuda in the race for 7th and 8th. This is a game
of experience, so the fact that Spithill has progressed so far at just 18
years old suggests she could be a major star of the future.

In the evening, Bill Sandberg of Rolex Watch USA presented Jensen with a
Stainless Steel Lady Datejust Rolex timepiece for winning the world title,
and she has promised to return next year in a bid to complete a hatrick of
world championships.

Results after Day Seven:



Final positions overall


Skipper Country
1 Dorte Jensen Denmark
2 Marie Bjorling Sweden
3 Betsy Alison USA
4 Shirley Robertson Great Britain
5 Klaartje Zuiderbaan Netherlands
6 Hannah Swett USA
7 Katie Spithill Australia
8 Paula Lewin Bermuda
9 Christine Briand France
10, Cristiana Monina Italy
11, Cordelia Eglin Great Britain
12, Malin Millbourn Sweden
13, Carolijn Brouwer Netherlands
14, Amy Waring New Zealand
15, Dru Slattery USA
16, Gwen Joulie France

More Information:

  • St Petersburg Yacht Club Website

See also: CONTESSA 32 for sale