Match Racing

Match Racing

4 Seasons

A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head.

In sailboat racing it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams consisting of 2, 3 or 4 boats compete together in a team race, with their results being combined.

The Match Racing Association promotes the sport of sailing to the public through match racing around the world at all levels of the sport. It supports and advances member match racing events and the sailors who compete in them.

The goal of the MRA is to promote the sport of match race sailing globally by fostering the highest quality competitions and providing access to all sailors. The MRA was established in 1985 in Long Beach, CA. when representatives of five founding member events organized the first match race sailing series in the world. This action was precipitated by interest from America’s Cup teams that were looking for a forum to match race in an annual series of events leading up to the classic monohull America’s Cup match races.

The MRA has evolved into the international organization that is the voice for all match racing events from new events hoping to offer march racing competition for developing competitors at local or regional events to events which have qualified for the Alpari World Match Racing Tour. Events are graded from “World” for Tour events to ISAF Grade 5 for local events and from Grace 4 up to 1 for events inviting international competitors of the highest ISAF Open ranking sailors and their teams. The Tour competition is the ISAF World Championship of Match Race Sailing and the MRA is a major stakeholder in the series.

Match Racing
  • 2016 St Thomas WIM Series - Practice Day

    Episode 1

    The 2016 WIM Series Finale arrives in Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Twelve top teams and five of them in the run for overall podium places. Time to shake off the cobwebs and get racing.

    Video Producer: WIM Racing Series

  • 2016 St Thomas WIM Series - Day 1

    Episode 2

    The 2016 WIM Series Finale arrives in Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Renee Groeneveld is leading the Carlos Aguilar Match Race, the 5th and final event of the 2016 WIM Series, after the first day of round-robin. The Dutch skipper controlled the shifty conditions in the Charlotte ...

  • 2016 St Thomas WIM Series - Day 2

    Episode 3

    The 2016 WIM Series Finale arrives in Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands. The Dutch match racing star earned her right to select quarterfinal opponent by winning the round-robin 10 – 1. The only skipper to defeat her was Pauline Courtois of France, one of her four contestants for the ...

  • 2016 St Thomas WIM Series - Day 3

    Episode 4

    The 2016 WIM Series Finale arrives in St Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Within arm’s reach of the Charlotte Amalie shoreline, the world-class crews threw around their boats in breath-taking manoeuvres. Not only were the quarterfinals decided, but two matches in each semi final were also run. Approach...

  • 2016 St Thomas WIM Series - Final Day

    Episode 5

    The 2016 WIM Series Finale arrives in Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Olympic match racing star Renee Groeneveld and her Dutch team of Annemieke Bes, Lobke Berkhout and Mijke Lievens, won their first WIM Series event ever. They defeated Stephanie Roble’s Epic Racing 3 – 0 in the t...

  • 2016 St Thomas WIM Series - Island Challenge

    Episode 6

    The now infamous WIM Racing Series Challenge - this time 'health and safety' were not around to intervene when the girls got out their machettes and coconuts... Watch out for fingerless gloves next season!

    Video Producer: WIM Racing Series