Perfect Swedish summer conditions greeted eighteen match racing crews at Marstrand this week, with sunshine, fresh winds and hundreds of spectators creating an ideal backdrop for the opening day of the 2026 GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women’s Trophy.
Ten Open teams and eight all-female crews took to the famous fjord to begin their campaigns for two of the sport’s most prestigious titles. Home favourite Johnie Berntsson set the tone early, winning all three of his matches to lead the Open leaderboard after day one. “It is great to be back here in Marstrand,” said defending 2025 champion Jeppe Borch of Denmark, who begins his title defence today. “We love racing here and while it looks like we may have some windy conditions this week, we are looking forward to the challenge of defending our title.”
Defending 2024 champion Chris Poole brought his Riptide Racing team, including 2009 World Match Racing Champion Adam Minoprio, but managed only one win from three races on the opening day. Cole Tapper and Ange Delerce, making his first appearance at the event, each claimed two wins from three matches, keeping themselves firmly in the hunt as the qualifying rounds continue.
The women’s competition saw fierce competition from the outset. Pauline Courtois of France and Sweden’s Anna Östling each recorded three wins from four races, but the standout performance came from fellow Swede Martina Carlsson, who remained undefeated after two starts.
Carlsson felt the benefit of racing in front of her home crowd. “Marstrand is a very special place for us,” she said. “There is always such a huge crowd and so many Swedish flags, which really encourages us. We enjoy sailing in stronger breeze and, after finishing fourth last year, we’re definitely aiming for the podium this week.”
Two American crews made their debuts in the Women’s Trophy: Lindsey Baab’s Fog Racing from San Francisco and Caroline Bayless’ Team Something Chill from Annapolis. Both teams faced a steep learning curve, having completed only one light-air practice session before encountering stronger winds and their first races in the FarEast 28 keelboats. Kate Shiber from Fog Racing reflected on the experience. “Today was challenging because we’re still learning the FarEast 28 and sailing with asymmetric spinnakers. Every race taught us something, especially about our timing and teamwork. It’s an incredible venue and we’re thrilled to have been invited.”
Racing resumes at 0930 local time today, with round robin matches continuing through Saturday as teams battle for knockout spots. The GKSS Match Cup Sweden, now in its 32nd edition, has anchored the World Match Racing Tour since 2000. Match racing demands precision and crew work in one-on-one duels where identical boats mean tactics win races. The 2026 season champion crowned here and at other stops around the tour becomes World Sailing Match Racing World Champion, a title contested annually across the longest-running professional sailing series in the world.
