Luc Pillot's French team (right) endeavors to fend off Hans Wallens and crew from Sweden in the first round robin of the Swedish Match Cup.

MARSTRAND, SWEDEN — For the rest of this week and through the weekend, the picturesque seaside town of Marstrand will be flooded with an estimated 120,000 spectators here to witness exciting match race action in the Swedish Match Cup. With a beautiful natural amphitheater formed from the glacial rocky outcrops that line the harbor's shore, it is truly a spectacle to see so many people contradict that too-common maxim that watching sailboat racing is like watching paint dry. This regatta—the halfway point in the Swedish Match Tour—is one of the largest sporting events of any kind in this country, which is a tribute to organizers from the Royal Gotenberg Yacht Club. The club was elected as last year's Sports Club of the Year by one of the country's top daily newspapers.
Twelve top-ranked men's teams and eight women's teams from around the world are competing for a piece of the $95,000 purse and valuable Grade-One points on both the World Match Race Ranking List and the Swedish Match tour, where $150,000 in prize money awaits collection. Future and former America's Cup, Olympic, and Whitbread veterans litter the fleet, with young Dean Barker of New Zealand having moved into the lead early today among the men. In the women's action, the top-ranked Dorte Jensen is undefeated after six flights.
Visit the event's web site for complete results and live audio action brought to you from Marstrand at www.swedishmatchcup.com, and tune log on to SailNet on Monday for a complete report on this exciting event.