Aspen Announces Title Sponsorship Of Bermuda Women’s Match Racing Regatta, Skippers Confirmed

HAMILTON, Bermuda (September 24, 2024) - The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and World Match Racing Tour today announced leading speciality insurer and re-insurer Aspen as title sponsor of the new (inaugural) Aspen Bermuda Women’s Match Racing Regatta to take place alongside the 71st Bermuda Gold Cup from 29 October to 3 November in Hamilton Harbour. It is the first time that Bermuda will host two world-class match racing events on the same racecourse: the Bermuda Gold Cup (for the King Edward VII Gold Cup) and this new all-female event.

This inaugural regatta will also host the final event of the 2024 Women’s World Match Racing Tour season, marking the first time the women’s world tour will be hosted in Bermuda since it was launched in 2022. The Aspen Bermuda Women’s Match Racing Regatta will award a prize purse of USD 40,000, the highest prize on the women’s tour in 2024.

"Equity and inclusivity lie at the heart of Aspen’s culture and the ability to support women in sport aligns well with that ethos" commented Mark Cloutier, Executive Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer of Aspen. "We are proud to sponsor the Aspen Bermuda Women’s Match Racing Regatta that we hope will not only provide great competition on the water but will also create lasting camaraderie amongst the teams and be an inspiration to women across the globe."

"Royal Bermuda Yacht Club is incredibly proud to announce the upcoming Aspen Bermuda Women’s Match Racing Regatta, to run alongside the annual Bermuda Gold Cup." added RBYC Commodore Rebecca Roberts. "This event will bring together some of the world’s best female sailors for an exciting competition, highlighting the growing prominence of women in sailing, and fostering both fierce competition and strong camaraderie."

Leading independent offshore bank and trust company Butterfield Group joins the Women’s event as a Supporting Sponsor. Bermuda-based global reinsurance provider RenaissanceRe also returns as long-term sponsor to the 71st Bermuda Gold Cup, as well as their 20th consecutive year as title sponsor of the RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup, an invitational event for Optimist sailors to be staged from 29 Oct - 2 Nov.

Eight teams will compete from 29 October to 3 November including world rank #2 Anna Östling and her WINGS team from Sweden, also current defending Women’s World Match Racing Tour champion.

Three-time Women’s Match Racing World Champion Pauline Courtois, and current women’s #1, from Brest, France will also be returning to Bermuda with her ’Match in Pink’ team from Normandy. Courtois is currently competing as a member of the French Orient Express Racing Team challenging for the Puig Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona and will head to Bermuda when the America’s Cup draws to a close in mid-October. Courtois has an opportunity to clinch the 2024 Women’s WMRT title in Bermuda, along with New Zealand’s Megan Thomson/ 2.0 Racing and Julia Aartsen’s Team Out of the Box from the Netherlands.

Completing the women’s skippers is Great Britain’s Sophie Otter, Australia’s Juliet Costanzo and Denmark’s Kristine Mauritzen and Lea Vogelius.

Aspen Bermuda Women’s Match Racing Regatta 2024 Skippers’ List*
Pauline Courtois (Women’s Ranking #1, FRA)
Megan Thomson (Women’s Ranking #2, NZL)
Anna Östling (Women’s Ranking #3, SWE)
Julia Aartsen (Women’s Ranking #4, NED)
Lea Olesen (Women’s Ranking #5, DEN)
Kristine Mauritzen (Women’s Ranking #9, DEN)
Juliet Costanzo (Women’s Ranking #20, AUS)
Sophie Otter (Women’s Ranking #21, GBR)

*Rankings are current as of 1 October 2024 ( sailing.org )

For More Information
Nicole Butterworth, Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Sailing Office, sailing@rbyc.bm
James Pleasance, World Match Racing Tour, info@wmrt.com

Visit the Bermuda Gold Cup and Women’s World Match Racing Tour websites for more information.

For more updates and information on the Women’s World Match Racing Tour and event documents, visit womenswmrt.com and follow us on social media at Facebook (@womenswmrt), Instagram (@womenswmrt) and Twitter (@womenswmrt)

About Women’s World Match Racing Tour

The Women’s World Match Racing Tour was launched in 2022 to continue the hugely successful legacy of the WIM Series (Women’s International Match Racing Series) providing a global match racing series for female sailors. The name of the series was re-launched as the Women’s World Match Racing Tour with its continued mission to expand and strengthen global match racing and promote opportunities for competitive women’s sailing at every level. The Women’s World Match Racing Tour is the world’s first and only professional sailing series for women providing a valuable pathway for aspiring female world champions in the sport of sailing. womenswmrt.com
womenswmrt.com