Double header in Western Australia adds to 2017 WMRT Calendar

World Match Racing Tour action in Fremantle © Ian Roman / WMRT

Following the announcement of the WMRT Match Cup Australia in Perth last week, the World Match Racing Tour has revealed two more events in Australia in the first two months of 2017. The WMRT Swan River Match Cup and the WMRT Geographe Bay Cup will ensure that the world's match racing focus will be on Western Australia at the start of 2017.

Both events are World Tour (WT) level events, the same as the WMRT Perth Match Cup, which was announced on Friday. A WT event gives places one through eight World Championship points and the finalists receive an invitation to a World Championship level event. This provides for an excellent stepping-stone for aspiring teams who are looking to make an impact on the World Match Racing Tour. During last year's WMRT Final in Marstrand, Sweden no less than nine of the twenty teams came through the World Tour level events.

For Western Australians this will create great opportunities to watch some exciting racing with three WT events: WMRT Swan River Match Cup, WMRT Geographe Bay Cup, WMRT Perth Match Cup and one WC (World Championship level) event; the WMRT Match Cup Australia, all in the first three months of the year.

WMRT Swan River Match Cup will be sailed on the river in Perth, January 23rd-25th, 2017, training ground for many successful Australian sailors. The WMRT Geographe Bay Cup will be sailed alongside the Busselton Jetty down in the famous wine district of Margaret River over February 11th-13th, 2017. The two events will qualify teams into two WC events outside of the Australasian continent, events which will be announced when the full WMRT season is revealed in the days leading up to Christmas.

Together with the WMRT Perth Match Cup held March 16th-18th 2017, the road to the World Match Racing Tour could not be more open for local Aussies as well as teams from throughout the world.

"This will for sure broaden the base for Australian match racing and we are convinced that this will draw international teams' attention too. We have not seen this much focus on match racing in decades." Said Skip Lissiman, Australian Manager.

All three events will be sailed in M32 catamarans and teams interested in an invite will be required to hold an M32 Match Racing License.

Invite requests to the WT events should be made through

For further information please visit www.wmrt.com