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The International Women's Match Racing Series have declared that "the future is here" and "we want you to be a part of it".
The New Zealand Women's Match Racing Team. Photo: Live Sail Die.
Five young New Zealand sailors will be doing just that when they compete in the first leg of the series in Finland this week. The New Zealand Women's Match Racing Team of Celia Willison, Charlotte Porter, Paige Cook, Alison Kent and Erica Dawson will line up against 12 other teams when four days of racing starts tomorrow night (NZ time).
This year marks the sixth consecutive season of the WIM Series, the world’s first and only women’s professional sailing series founded in 2012. The New Zealand team will contest only the Finland leg of the series - others will be in Sweden, Russia and the US Virgin Islands - but Willison hopes it's something they do more regularly as more opportunities open up.
"We hope the team has got a future," Willison said. "We don't know how the first one will go so we will give it our all and reassess from there.
"One team is ranked third in the world and there are lots of older women who have been doing it for yonks, so it will be good to see how we go against them. There are also a couple of younger teams like us. If we can finish in the top half, that would be great."
Willison, who helms the crew, is presently ranked 44th in the world after two ranking regattas. The 19-year-old was part of the winning team representing the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club who won this year's Hardy Cup at the Youth Match Racing Regatta in Sydney and last year helmed the crew that placed third at the Marianassess Women’s Match Racing Regatta, also in Sydney.
Porter (main) and Cook (trim) both have experience racing in the WIM Series and Cook and Kent (bow) have sailed with the Magenta Project, who are committed to creating equal access and opportunities for women in sailing. Dawson is best known as a women's skiff sailor but has also got into keelboat racing to broaden her skills.
The team have been working with Reuben Corbett, who was ranked among the world's top 10 match racers and is now leading the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's world-renowned youth training programme. Corbett has been helping them with their starts as well as a few set plays.
"It's been absolutely incredible working with him," Willison said. "Things are starting to come together as a team and it's really exciting to see what we can do."
A good result might prompt them to look at doing September's Australian women's national championships as well as the open nationals in Sydney. It might also help them attract more sponsorship because it wasn't easy finding the money to get to Finland.
The team set up a givealittle page, which raised more than $7000.
"That was incredible," Willison said. "That as well as some really good sponsors and others who have given us advice. We'll try to keep the team together and look to learn as much as we can in Finland."
