WMRT_ Stenna Match Cup

[Guest]

With three kiwis competing in Sweden it could be a great regatta for Kiwi fans of match racing.

 

Several skippers have started strongly at the third stage of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour, with Tour stalwart Peter Gilmour finishing the day as the man to beat on four victories and a loss whilst Australian Keith Swinton also staked an early claim in the race to win STENA Match Cup Sweden in his adopted home country.

 

Gothenberg-based Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing finished Qualifying Session 1 on three wins without a loss but won’t begin to relax until he has confirmed his place in the event Quarter Final: “Obviously it’s good to win three races but I think we’re going to need seven wins to be guaranteed to go through to the Quarter Finals.

 

“We still have plenty to do and I think there are plenty of improvements to be made for us too.”

 

“I know lots of people here and have a few fans that have come down so it’s a really nice feeling to compete.”

 

A good win against Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing was a highlight for Swinton, taking the race despite carrying a penalty for much of the race. Swinton got a good start which saw him move into an early lead but a mistake in the second half of the first leg allowed Robertson to close the gap and by the leeward gate it was neck-and-neck with the boats choosing opposite marks.

 

When the pair crossed again Swinton was given a penalty turn: “We did a dial down when we came back together and got a penalty which made things a bit more difficult than we’d have liked going into the closing stages. Thankfully, a good run to the line gave us enough room to do the turn before the finish.

 

“We have to learn the track as there were a couple of different wind directions today which makes it a little bit difficult and we had to adjust. We’ve been doing a bit of sailing on these boats in the last couple of years and we have a couple of Swedish guys on the team who are pretty familiar on them too so I guess that helps.”

 

Tour Card Holder Keith Swinton was also keeping tabs on another team during the day, often training with young Swedish skipper Viktor Ogeman (SWE) Team Veja as part of his role as mentor for Magnus Holmberg’s Elite Challenge GKSS Youth Squad. Swinton, said: “This event is fantastic for those guys. I was so pleased to hear when they got the wildcard spot as I think it’s important for them and for the development of the young Swedish teams to come and see what they have to do to step up to the next level. I’m sure we’ll see them back here a few times in the future.”

 

Four-time Tour Champion Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing Team said that whilst very pleased with the start his team have made, at this stage he is just looking to progress to the next round: “We treat these early rounds as an opportunity for additional practice and the aim is just to put ourselves into the Quarter Finals. It’s early days and there is still a lot of work to be done.

 

“There will be lots of challenges to deal with and we just need to keep ourselves out of the group at the bottom who are struggling for wins.”

 

Sweden’s top two match racers came head-to-head in the sixth and final flight of the day and Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team took a win against Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team as he looks to extend his lead at the top of the overall Tour standings. Hansen, said: “We got two wins today so we’re happy but there is still a lot to be done tomorrow.”

 

The loss was disappointing for Berntsson, who had started the day with impressive victories over an in-form Phil Robertson (NZ) WAKA Racing and Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Miss Sophie before losing out to reigning Tour Champion Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar. Williams took an early lead over the start line by a couple of lengths, favouring the left side of the course. He found some good pressure out on that side and continued to build a lead as he rounded the top mark the first time, extending downwind.

 

In a bid to make up the ground, Berntsson went hard left on the second upwind leg but the gamble didn’t pay off, leaving Williams with a comfortable win and three victories for the day. Williams said: “We’re pleased to have three wins under our belt already at this stage. On the DS37’s used here the trailing boat, particularly in strong air, can often catch up and put a lot of pressure on when you get to the gate so we never relaxed in the match against Johnie [berntsson], even when we were ahead.

 

“We’re slightly rusty on the boats having not really sailed them since this time last year and had a couple of really close races today, particularly the first two [against Reuben Corbett and Simone Ferrarese]. Having this good early start should give us a good base to go forward in Qualifying.”

 

After an opening loss in qualifying to home favourite Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team, Phil Robertson’s (NZ) WAKA Racing returned to their impressive early season form which has seen him take a first and a third place at Match Race Germany and Korea Match Cup in the two opening events of the 2012 Tour. Robertson came out on top of a tight encounter against compatriot Laurie Jury (NZ) Kiwi Match to leave him on three wins and two losses going into the second day of the event.

[Guest]

Quarter finals start tonight with one of the match ups being an all kiwi affair with top qualifiers Waka Racing going up against Aon Racing Team.

 

Phil Robertson went unbeaten in Qualifying Session 4 at STENA Match Cup Sweden to finish top and get the first pick of opposition in the Quarter Final of the event as he looks to continue his fantastic early season form through the Alpari World Match Racing Tour.

 

Robertson (NZ) WAKA Racing Team may have gone under the radar of some of his fellow skippers, having taken two of his three qualifying losses in the first day of sailing before winning seven from eight to secure the early advantage. A win in the final flight of the day saw him beat Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing in a match that was set to decide first position. Robertson, said: “When we started the Gilmour match, we didn’t realise on board that it could allow us to top qualifying.

 

“There was a 30 degree wind shift about two minutes out and the guys on board did a beautiful job to position ourselves to get there first and we got a massive lead in the light shifting winds so it was a hard match to stay ahead, especially with a big lead. He caught right up then as the match got closer it was a bit more comfortable for us as we were able to stay in the same area and do what we do best which is keep it close and keep ahead.

 

“Our crew are all really comfortable with each other and one of our big strengths is the wind and spotting the breeze. When it comes down to that, when it’s shifting like it was, I’d back our team any day and I have full confidence in them to tell me to go the right way so all I have to do is make sure the boat is going fast.

 

Gilmour remained relaxed about his final standing, saying: “The priority for this team is always to reach the latter stages of the knockout rounds ahead of topping qualification. Whilst it’s important for count-backs and the choosing of your next opponent, we put more importance on getting our team practiced as much as possible at this stage whilst ensuring we’re one of the eight that progress.”

 

Robertson took the lead at the start of the match as a late change of wind direction immediately before the gun caught both teams off-guard. Seeming to make the best of the situation, Robertson crossed ahead on the first upwind leg, perhaps adapting to conditions which suited his easy-going sailing style, something noted by Gilmour before the race: “Phil sails pretty loose. The team are cool and collected.”

 

Good boat handling from Gilmour near the first mark allowed him to make back some of the distance and he turned downwind only marginally behind. The gap remained tight as the skippers chose different gate marks and Gilmour looked to make his move on the final lap. The gamble didn’t pay off and Robertson ended up closing out the race to take a comfortable win and the lead in the race for the Quarter Final.

 

Gilmour still secured second choice of Quarter Final opponent and chose to sail against fellow Australian, Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing whilst Robertson took Reuben Corbett (NZ) AON Racing Team to set up a battle of New Zealand.

 

After dominating performances in the opening three days of qualifying, local hero Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team struggled against the other skippers looking for top spot in the qualification table, losing out to Tour Champion Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar and seven-time STENA Match Cup Sweden winner, Peter Gilmour.

 

Hansen’s Flight 22 pairing against Williams got off to a promising start for the Swede, getting the better positioning at the start, winning the left side of the course. The boats came together for the first time and Williams made a big dial down trying to throw Hansen off balance and force a penalty on him but the umpires ruled that Hansen had done enough to avoid his competitor and raised a green flag.

 

The boats remained close going into the top mark for the first time with Williams managing to give Hanson bad air from his controlling position on the right hand side of the course. Williams extended into a one length lead as the pair chose opposite gate marks coming downwind for the first time, with Hansen searching out the right hand side of the course for better pressure and an opportunity to get himself back into the match.

 

The move failed to help Hansen find a way back and Williams saw out a comfortable win, saying: “The guys got it right against Bjorn [Hansen] and a few good calls on tactics were key in putting us in a really good position.

 

“Today we were really focused on winning our last few matches and closing out Qualifying in top spot but we’re still happy to progress.”

 

Hansen was handed a Quarter Final match-up against compatriot Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team on home soil, meaning that local fans can look forward to a thrilling all-Swedish match tomorrow and a definite presence in the Semi-Final on the last day of racing. Williams will face Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA) Vannes Agglo Sailing Team.

 

Simone Ferrarese (ITA) Ferrarese Sailing Team was amongst the group knocked out after the first round, despite a significant improvement over the last two days. He finished on four wins and felt unlucky after a couple of close matches ultimately made the difference between progression and an early exit, saying: “We didn’t get off to a good start but each day we got stronger and got a bit more familiar with the boats. We hadn’t sailed on them before as it’s our first year as a Tour Card Holder.

 

“Today we started on just two wins so were in a must-win situation in all of the matches. We’re disappointed after leading Peter [Gilmour] by about four lengths in our match before losing out on a couple of manoeuvres where he did really well to come back into it, then against Torvar [Mirsky] we got a good start but broke a winch early on and lost that one too.

 

“We’ll stay positive and go to Chicago with more experience.”

[Guest]

Waka Racing won the battle of the Kiwis to proceed to their third straight semi final.

 

Stockholm’s Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team has moved a step closer to the final of his Alpari World Match Racing Tour home event in Marstrand, Sweden as he came out the 3-0 victor against Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team from Gothenburg in their Quart Final match. Hansen, said: “It was great to know that we’d have a Swede in the Semi Finals before my match with Johnie [berntsson] but we would have liked it to have been a Final. I don’t think we would have chosen to sail each other if we could have helped it.”

 

In a rematch of the 2011 event Final, Hansen was handed a Semi Final contest with Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar, which started in a predictably action-packed fashion, as the pair traded penalties and controlling positions throughout their first match. Bjorn Hansen ultimately managed to see out the victory before suffering disappointment in the second match, losing after a penalty decision which he felt could have easily gone his way.

 

After momentarily losing one of their crew into the water during the pre-start, Hansen’s Mekonomen Sailing Team headed left after a split tack start. Williams took the right hand side off of the start line with Hansen tacking on Williams lee bow a number of times before Williams got ahead. An error from Hansen as he attempted to luff Williams after a cover tack by the Brit lost him a boatlength as he realised that he didn’t have the boat speed to force Williams to tack away.

 

Williams had maintained his lead as he turned into the final downwind leg just in front of Hansen, the Swede following closely and managing to take enough of his opponents air to launch an attack, rolling over his bow but earning a penalty when the umpires decided that he hadn’t been clear ahead before there was contact between Hansen’s backstay and Williams’ spinnaker. Hansen felt that the penalty which was awarded in the process, and ultimately cost him a commanding lead, was undeserved, saying: “We were rolling Ian [Williams] and we got ahead of him, he was pretty much right on our stern, the bow was half way in on our boat. We thought he was coming from behind when he touched us with his spinnaker which we’re a bit disappointed to get a penalty for.

 

“Still it feels like we’re sailing quicker than him, especially on the downwind and I think they’re worried about our gybes as we keep managing to roll him on the gybes when it gets close.

 

“We feel good going into the final day but we have to keep working because it’s going to be tough, there aren’t going to be any easy matches for any of us from here on.”

 

Williams, said: “It was disappointing to lose the first one. We were struggling a bit with the boat’s rudder which was frustrating but we know we had to deal with it. I think considering those issues, today was a great result.

 

“I think that we can win it. We’ve come from behind before and won and we can do it again.”

 

Like Hansen, Ian Williams carried his good form from the qualifying stages through into his Quarter Final match with Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA) Vannes Agglo Sailing Team, winning in three straightforward matches.

 

Morvan felt that despite the loss and subsequent exit from the event, his team are in a good position going into their favoured upcoming Tour events, saying: “Ian won the first one and then we won the start in the second but with the Genoas on these type of boats, it gave him a chance to come back into it and he managed to close that one out too. When we changed the Genoa to the smaller jib in the third, we won the start and it was close all the way through.

 

“It is still a positive experience. We’ve learnt a lot on these bigger boats because we’ve sailing against really good opposition and before the event we knew it was going to be hard.

 

“Now there are three events with lighter boats which we’re really looking forward to. We competed at the Chicago Match Cup last year, just losing out to Swinton [Keith] in the final so that’s a good opportunity for us. Then we have Marseille, where we know the boats well and St. Moritz which I’m also expecting us to do well at.”

 

The day’s all-Australian Quarter Final match-up pitted Tour legend and record four-time World Champion, Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing against Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing, who enjoyed some great early form in qualifying but who was unable to overcome his fellow Perth native, who went on to race Phil Robertson (NZ) WAKA Racing Team in the day’s opening Semi Final matches.

 

Robertson had earlier progressed from his Quarter Final in three straight matches against compatriot Reuben Corbett (NZ) AON Racing Team, the scoreline not reflective of the close competition during the knockout encounter. Robertson, said: “It definitely wasn’t straightforward, we didn’t win a start and it was a real battle. We had to fight hard to get ourselves back into every match and there was some really close sailing.

 

“It was the right thing to do for us to pick him but we’d have liked both Kiwis to go as far as possible. Having said that, there was a bit of pride at stake and we definitely wanted to be the top countryman so a bit of pressure on the boys there too.”

 

Robertson ended the day with an important victory against Peter Gilmour, having lost the first encounter in their Semi Final to finish 1-1 in the first to three point series going into the last day of STENA Match Cup Sweden. In one of the defining moments of the tie so far, the second match saw Gilmour trailing narrowly into the finish trying a last ditch aggressive move right on the line. He said: “We got a bad start so just tried to chip away to get back into it at the end. We just threw everything we could at him and tried to make it stick. Tomorrow we’re back to square one.”

 

Robertson, said: “I think the umpire made the right call there and I would have been very disappointed if it had gone any other way. It was a big last attempt to win the race and he knew he wasn’t going to cross the line first. He hit me and forced the umpires to make a decision on the line just to see what would happen and but i think he could have avoided it.

 

“The team are going well and we’re pretty confident. Tomorrow is set up for a cracker I think, it’ll be an awesome day’s sailing.”

[Guest]

Home Champion Crowned after Swedish Masterclass

 

Swedish number one Bjorn Hansen saw off a spirited challenge from Tour legend and four-time World Champion Peter Gilmour to lift the STENA Match Cup Sweden trophy and retain his lead at the top of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour leaderboard.

 

Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing called on all of the experience he has gained during his previous seven wins at the event but was ultimately unable to match Hansen’s (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team, who barely put a foot wrong from the opening day of competition and won the final 3-0. Hitting their best ever form in the 2012 season of the Tour, Hansen, said: “We have a little bit less pressure for the rest of the season now. We already have two wins from three events and now the other guys have to get points on the leaderboard to catch up.

 

“There might be a few more eyes on us in the upcoming regattas but we’d definitely prefer to be in our position going into the second half of the season.”

 

Gilmour felt that his opponent had had the better of the day’s sailing and was philosophical about the loss, saying: “There wasn’t anything specifically that went too far wrong but I think our underlying strategy, probably we needed to start to the right. We were thinking that we needed to start to the left and every time we did, the gap would just get bigger and open up for him whereas normally it goes the other way. Every start was the same and he just had that going for him. When he got 2-0 up a bit of pressure comes into the system and to be honest, they did a really nice job.”

 

“I’m quite pragmatic about it, I’ve been in amongst finals over the years that have gone my way and not gone my way and it’s all part of the game.

 

“This event has a huge history for me, I remember racing Russell Coutts, Ed Baird, Dean Barker, Magnus Holmberg. It’s been a really important place for me and I have a lot of love for this place.”

 

Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team finished the final day unbeaten, having started the session by seeing out the remainder of his Semi Final battle against Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar. He won both remaining matches and booked his place in the STENA Match Cup Sweden Final with a 3-1 victory, much to the delight of the attending home fans.

 

Williams’ must-win fourth match of the tie was defined by a mistake, as he carried a penalty into the race from a misjudged manoeuvre in the pre-start. After a split tack start was perfectly timed by both teams, Hansen went to the left hand side of the course before tacking back towards his opponent.

 

Williams managed to cross Hansen but in the process gave up the right hand side, which turned out to be an error as Hansen came back across, tacking on to the layline for the top mark ahead and in control. Hansen maintained the lead comfortably with Williams still carrying his penalty, to land the knockout blow to Williams’ title challenge. Williams, said: “Our starting was good and the tactics were good but the problem was that when we got close and into a scrap we felt he could accelerate a little faster and that meant we were worried about getting into that situation and we made some mistakes as a result.”

 

“In terms of the Tour leaderboard this season, with the average points that those guys [bjorn Hansen]will get from Portugal, they’re pretty much gone now. If we have some good results we can be close behind them.

 

“They’re doing everything they can to make it hard for us this year. We have to sail a lot better than the other teams now to get ourselves back in it.”

 

Phil Robertson (NZ) WAKA Racing felt aggrieved to have gone into his fourth Semi Final match in a must-win situation at 2-1 down, having been on the receiving end of a controversial double penalty against Peter Gilmour in match 3. Robertson went into the start of match 4 with a real advantage as Gilmour carried a double penalty which he had picked up for squeezing his way in at the committee boat at the start of the race.

 

The penalty was offloaded in one manoeuvre as Gilmour completed a turn away from his opponent, then crossing his stern, appealing that the second had been completed in accordance with the new rules for the season. Some showmanship may have helped to convince the umpires of his viewpoint but Gilmour remained sure that it had been a correct call, saying: “I think it was Phil’s [Robertson] mistake in tacking to allow us to cross his line but once he had, I don’t see a problem with it.

 

“Our double was absolutely deserved. We were trapped there and couldn’t get out of it in the pre-start so no complaints. There was jeopardy on both sides but you really have to think through the solutions.”

 

The umpires agreed that the decision was a difficult one after the match and Robertson felt strongly that it had been incorrect, saying: “We did a really nice job to stick the double penalty on him and I don’t think it was a good decision from the umpires.

 

“30 seconds after getting the two penalties he was doing both of his penalties immediately and gybed around to be carrying one, which is fine, that’s how you clear it. Then after the gybe he crossed our stern and I think bullied the umpires into dropping the other one down. We’re not happy.

 

“We made sure it wasn’t going to affect us into the next match but we didn’t start with enough speed and ended up losing it, which was a shame.

 

“We’re really happy with how we’re sailing on the Tour this season so we’ll look forward to Chicago next week.”

 

In the Petit Final, Robertson locked horns with 2011 Tour Champion Ian Williams with the additional Tour points and prize money still to play for. The teams tied at 1-1 in the best of three contest before Williams was able to close out the third.