KEY POINTS:
The two Kiwi hopes in the ISAF Women's World Match Racing Championships are confident that their familiarity with the Elliott 6 boats and knowledge of local conditions will stand them in good stead for the regatta.
The queens of international match racing have descended on the Royal New
Zealand Yacht Squadron for the championships, with six of the top-10 ranked skippers in the world and their crewmates entered in the event starting today.
While they don't have the same top billing as some of their rivals, Kiwi entrants Jessica Smyth and Jan Dawson will be hoping to use boat handling to their advantage. Both women compete and train regularly in the dinghy-like Elliot 6s, with Smyth particularly familiar with the class through her time in the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's youth development programme.
Smyth said boats for match racing were generally quite conservative but the Elliott 6s are a lot more complex and require more finetuning.
"They are very different boats to what the Europeans normally sail, faster and with more control changes," she said.
But with a classy fleet assembled in Auckland, the racing on the Waitemata is expected to be tight.
Three-times world champion Claire Leroy of France is looking to once again defend her crown and is the favourite for the event. But Leroy should be well tested by the likes of world No 2 Lotte Meldgaard Pederson from Denmark and Australian Katie Spithill, sister of America's Cup veteran James Spithill, who goes into the regatta holding down the third spot in the rankings.
The 14-strong fleet will go through single round-robin matches, with the top-six ranked sailors advancing through to the second round. From there the semifinal match-ups will be found with the first sailor in each to score three wins advancing through to the final.
Most entrants have spent time in New Zealand and Australia in the lead up to racing, acclimatising and getting to know the Elliot 6 boats. But just what conditions the competitors will experience is difficult to predict. Late summer conditions are forecast to return to Auckland some time during the first day's racing with the week providing a mix of light to heavy sailing.
* TOP-CLASS FIELD
Women's World Match Racing Championships entrants:
Jan Dawson NZL
Jessica Smyth NZL
Claire Leroy FRA
Christine Phileppe FRA
Lotte Meldgaard Pederson DEN
Camilla Ulrikkeholm DEN
Katie Spithill AUS
Nicky Souter AUS
Josephine Gibson GBR
Gemma Farrell GBR
Silke Hahlbrook GER
Elizabeth Baylis USA
Silja Lehtinen FIN
