WIM Series Carlos Aguilar Match Race - Day 3

Renée Groeneveld (left) had a tough quarterfinal against Josefine Boel Rasmussen (right), in the Carlos Aguilar Match Race, the 5th and final event of the 2016 WIM Series © Dean Barnes / CAMR

Groeneveld & Roble leading their semis 2 – 0 – tough challenge for Sylvan & Östling to catch up Sunday

Saturday in the Carlos Aguilar Match Race, the 5th and final event of the 2016 WIM Series, offered some really exciting racing. Within arm's reach of the Charlotte Amalie shoreline, the world-class crews threw around their boats in breathtaking manoeuvres. Not only were the quarterfinals decided, but two matches in each semi final were also run. Approaching Sunday's conclusion, Dutch round-robin winner Renée Groeneveld and Stephanie Roble, USA, are both leading their respective semis 2 – 0. Their opponents Caroline Sylvan and Anna Östling, both from Sweden, will not have an easy task to break back and stay alive in the regatta.

Stephanie Roble and her team Epic Racing really showed their skills and consistency Saturday, first defeating the Finnish crew led by Antonia Degerlund 3 – 0 in their quarterfinal. Then, later in the afternoon, the Americans reloaded to gain a 2 – 0 lead in their semi final over World Champion and World #1 Anna Östling:

"Our prestarts were really hard, with a lot of changes in control and a lot of manoeuvring, but my girls did a really nice job calling the shift that they wanted on the final approach, and we were able to execute that both times," Roble explains.

"We got to go to the side that we wanted after the start, and I think we had good speed throughout the two races, and played the shifts really well. The entire crew just nailed it, spot on with the shifts!"

Östling would obviously rather have liked to go to bed Saturday evening without being two down, and will now try to completely delete the lost semi final matches from her mind: "This afternoon I simply didn't do my job the way I usually do it. We still have to win three races, and in a semi final it doesn't really matter which three races you win. We will erase the later part of what happened today, focusing instead on what we have to do tomorrow," she comments.

Renée Groeneveld picked Josefine Boel Rasmussen of Team Ulrikkeholm for her quarters, and may have regret that a bit as the Danes put up a fierce fight. The Dutch won the first match, but earned two penalties in the second and lost it. After two more hard fought wins, Groeneveld chose Caroline Sylvan for their semis. Maybe a brave choice as Sylvan beat Groeneveld in the round-robins of both the Sheboygan and the Busan WIM Series event earlier this year. However, the Dutch team took two quite comfortable semi matches Saturday afternoon, over Sylvan's New Sweden Match Racing Team:

"We know we can beat them, but today we had some boat speed problems and they sailed really well. Tomorrow is another day, and it'll be different!" promises Caroline Sylvan.

The Carlos Aguilar Match Race, the 5th and final event of the 2016 WIM Series, concludes Sunday with the semis, the final and the petite final, in the Charlotte Amalie harbour of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Semi Finals Standings:
Renée Groeneveld, NED – Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 2 – 0
Stephanie Roble, USA – Anna Östling, SWE, 2 – 0

Quarterfinal Results:
Renée Groeneveld, NED – Josefine Boel Rasmussen, DEN, 3 – 1
Stephanie Roble, USA – Antonia Degerlund, FIN, 3 – 0
Caroline Sylvan, SWE – Nicole Breault, USA, 3 – 1
Anna Östling, SWE – Pauline Courtois, FRA, 3 – 0

Results in the mini round-robin for places 9–12:
9. Johanna Bergqvist, SWE, 3 – 0
10. Morgan Collins, USA, 2 – 1
11. Linnea Floser, SWE, 1 – 2
12. Sandy Hayes, USA, 0 – 3