Reports and Updates

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Team Pindar triumphs again at Skandia Cowes Week

Pindar’s World Match Racing Champion Ian Williams today won the Laser SB3 class at Skandia Cowes Week, a great finish to a successful week for Team Pindar, who also won the Artemis Challenge on Tuesday.

The Laser SB3 class is the biggest at Skandia Cowes week, attracting a fleet of over 80 boats. Racing takes place over seven days, with competitors counting six races out of seven for their total score. The format makes for exciting sailing, with racing skill and tactics the most important factors in winning.

Williams and his crew of Mark Nicholls and Simon Shaw were at Skandia Cowes Week in training for the World Match Racing Tour. The team finished 30th in the first race, but enjoyed a dramatic improvement on the second day, finishing in first position with a significant lead of one minute and 17 secs. Team Pindar continued to perform well during the week, finishing either 2nd or 6th in the remaining races and entering the final day with a lead of three points.

In an exciting final race, Team Pindar were in fourth position for much of the competition until a late surge brought them into first place, securing their overall win in the SB3 class.

Williams commented, ‘ We are delighted to have won today against an impressive fleet of 83 boats. Some of the guys in the class are very experienced and we’ve spent just two weekends competing in SB3s over the past 18 months, so winning is a fantastic achievement for us. The week has been thoroughly enjoyable and has provided us with an excellent opportunity to race ahead of the Danish Open, where we hope to repeat today’s performance and ultimately increase our lead in the World Match Racing Tour.’

Chairman of the Pindar Group Andrew Pindar added, 'In only their second outing in the SB3s, it just goes to show the immense talent of Ian, Mark and Simon. We are all very excited about following their progress at the World Match Racing Tour in Denmark at the end of the month and then Switzerland at the beginning of September. Its going to be some run in to Bermuda and Malaysia!'

Williams will travel to Denmark on August 27 for the next stage on the 2008 World Match Racing Tour, which he is currently leading by 7 points.

Williams regains World top spot

 

Team Pindar’s World Match Racing Champion, Ian Williams, has regained his position at the top of the ISAF World Match Race Rankings, ahead of this week’s fourth leg on the World Match Racing Tour, Match Cup Sweden in Marstrand from 1- 6 July.

Williams, who held the number one spot between May and September 2007, took the title back from French opponent Mathieu Richard after finishing second at Korea Match Cup, earlier this month, whilst also extending his lead to 14 points in the World Match Racing Tour standings.

Match Cup Sweden has attracted 12 of the world’s leading match race skippers, including seven of the Tour’s top 10. Fellow Brit and Olympian, Ben Ainslie, of Team Origin will be making his first Tour appearance since winning the Allianz Cup in San Francisco in 2006, whilst Mathieu Richard (French Match Racing Team) will be fighting to win back the world No. 1 spot.

This is the second time Williams has competed in Sweden this year, having won the Grade 3 ‘Ice Breaker Cup’ in April. Speaking from Marstrand, Williams said: ‘It feels great to be leading the ISAF standings again. So far, 2008 has been going very well and I’m lucky to be able to compete with a strong and consistent crew. Match Cup Sweden will be a big test – it’s a strong line up, but we’ll give it our best shot and hope to return to the UK with our first win of 2008.’

Match Cup Sweden is one of the most popular events on the World Match Racing Tour, with a large number of spectators anticipated over the weekend. Competitors will race in DS37 yachts and a celebrity race will take place on Friday 4 July featuring Princess Madeleine of Sweden and NHL ice hockey goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

The ISAF Match Race Rankings are calculated by adding together a sailor’s best four result scores from international events in each of the last two years. Events are graded by ISAF according to strict criteria. The ISAF Match Race Rankings are released approximately once a month throughout the season. The next release of the ISAF World Match Race Rankings will be on 30 July 2008.

Williams remains at top of World Match Racing Tour standings

Team Pindar’s Ian Williams continues to lead the World Match Racing Tour after finishing second at the Korea Match Cup on Sunday, where he narrowly lost out to Sebastian Col (French Match Racing Team) in an intense final.

Williams first faced some tough competition to reach the final stage in Korea, facing Paolo Cian (Team Shosholoza), in the quarterfinals. Having fallen to Cian at the penultimate stage in Brazil, Williams won the quarterfinal stage in Korea 2-0. Williams then faced New Zealander Adam Minoprio (Emirates Team New Zealand/BlackMatch Racing) in an exciting semi final, where Team Pindar won the deciding match by a mere metre.

The final was another heated event, with Col and Williams contesting four eventful matches that included collisions, penalties, and a number of lead changes. It was the final fourth match, where Col maintained a slight lead throughout, despite several challenges from Team Pindar, which allowed the French Match Racing Team to leave Korea victorious.

Williams commented, ‘It’ been a terrific week and despite losing out in the final, I’m delighted to retain the lead in the tour standings. Seb and the French Match Racing Team did a great job, they just seemed to have a little more pace than us, but hopefully we’ll be able to go one better at Match Cup Sweden and come back with a win. The Korea Match Cup was an excellent event, the winds were perfect for sailing and the crowds were great. We look forward to returning next year.’

Williams breaks ice in bid for second world title

 

As the start of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) fast approaches, reigning champion Ian Williams (Team Pindar) has made a promising start to 2008, including another win at the Grade Three Ice Breaker Cup in Sweden on April 13.

 

The win in Sweden comes just weeks after Ian won the Casa de Campo Sponsor Challenge in the Dominican Republic. The Englishman looks set to mount a strong bid to retain the WMRT title, which commences with the Brazil Sailing Cup on April 21-26 in Vitoria.

 

This year’s series is shaping up to be one of the most competitive ever. With uncertainty still hanging over the future of the America’s Cup, Ian will face tough competition from a world class line up including America’s Cup talent: Paolo Cian (Team Shosholoza), Magnus Holmberg (Victory Challenge), Sébastion Col (K-Challenge), Philippe Presti (French Spirit), Ben Ainslie (Team Origin) and Adam Minoprio (Emirates Team New Zealand). Also competing will be the current World No.1 Mathieu Richard (French Match Racing Team) and four time World Champion Peter Gilmour (Team PST).

 

Speaking after his win in Långedrag in Sweden, Ian commented, ‘Things have been going well and the crew is in good shape. It feels great to have secured a few wins before the start of the season and we’re looking forward to the prospect of more regular racing against the America’s Cup guys. It would be fantastic to win the title again.’

 

After his dramatic victory at the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia in 2007, Ian Williams entered the history books to become the first ever Brit to win the World Match Racing Tour and with it the ISAF Match Racing World Championship title. Ian, now 30, turned professional in 2005 after making the brave decision to quit his City life in London, where he worked as a solicitor, to concentrate on sailing full time. Within months he had won two Grade 1 events and broke into the top five of the International Sailing Federation’s (ISAF) World Match Racing rankings and has not looked back since.

 

Chairman of the Pindar Group, Andrew Pindar commented, ‘We are immensely proud of Ian and delighted to be involved in the World Match Racing Tour again. We wish Ian and the crew every success in what promises to be another fiercely competitive series.’

 

The 2008 tour begins in Vitoria in Brazil next week and will span 9 countries before concluding with the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia in December. The 2008 edition also features an exciting new venue in Gyeonggi, Korea and a total prize purse of $1,515.000, an increase of over 20% on 2007.

 

Team Pindar in action

This month team pindars performances at the Portugal Match Cup and St Moritz Match race are to be aired on both Eurosport and SkySports UK.

Eurosport

St Moritz match race 19th Sept

Sky Sports UK

Portugal Match Cup 17th Sept

St Moritz match race 24th Sept

Ian Williams wins St Moritz Match Race

Team Pindar extends lead in World Match Racing Tour

 

Ian Williams, who is sponsored by print and electronic media company Pindar, this weekend won the St Moritz Match Race, clinching the coveted ‘King of the Mountain’ title and extending his lead of the World Match Racing Tour. Racing in the three-man twin trapeze ‘Streamline’ class, Williams sailed an impeccable series. He won all of his nine preliminary matches to beat Mark Mendelblatt’s Team Kaenon in the five race final.

 

Ian, 30, who is based in Southampton, UK, is currently ranked number one on the World Match Racing Tour. Sailing at this event, the tenth stage in the World Match Racing Tour with Mark Nicholls and Andrew Estcourt, Williams is currently Britain’s most successful match racing sailor. No Briton has ever won the World Match Racing Tour, which is currently in its seventh season and was formerly known as the Swedish Match Tour and the World Championships.

 

Ian Williams commented: “We had an excellent event in St Moritz, and consistently sailed at the top of our game in every race. Without much opportunity for training in these very specific boats, you are thrown straight in at the deep end, but we had some great races against Eric Monnin in the semi final. Next event for Team Pindar is a new event in Rome, Italy, the Latium Match Cup, and we hope to be back here in St Moritz next year.”

 

Andrew Pindar, Chairman of the Pindar Group commented: “This is a fantastic result for Ian and Team Pindar at a fantastic event. The St Moritz Match Race is one of the highlights of the Tour calendar, made even more spectacular by the twin trapeze boats used for this event. The teams must adapt their skills to these specialist boats, which Team Pindar did with extraordinary flair.”

 

Team Pindar World Match Racing Tour Results 2006/7

1st – St Moritz Match Race 07

3rd - Danish Open 07

2nd - Troia Portugal Match Cup 07

10th - Match Cup Sweden 07

11th - Match Race Germany 07

3rd - Monsoon Cup 06

4th - Allianz Cup 06

1st - Bermuda Gold Cup 06

10th - St. Moritz Match Race 06

5th - Danish Open 06

9th - Portugal Match Cup 06

Ian Williams is World Number One

Best ever ISAF World Match Race Ranking for any British sailor

Ian Williams, who is sponsored by print and electronic media company Pindar today became the World Number One match racing sailor. In confirming first place at the head of the ISAF International Sailing Federation) World Match Race Rankings, Ian knocked Sebastien Col (FRA) off the top spot, a position he has held for the past seven months. This is the first time any British sailor has led the ISAF World Match Race Rankings in the history of the classification, crowning Ian as the nation’s most successful match racing sailor.

Ian, 30, who is based in Southampton, UK has been ranked in the top ten of the ISAF World Match Race Open Rankings since July 2003. Ian broke into the top five in October 2005 while he was taking a sabbatical from his work as a solicitor in London to concentrate on his match racing. Having now won three grade one match racing events, as well as winning his biggest international event to date in Bermuda last year, Ian is now sailing full time and has been steadily climbing the ladder over the past two years.

 

The ISAF Match Race Rankings are calculated by adding together a sailor’s best four result scores from international events in each of the last two years. Events are graded by ISAF according to strict criteria, which relate to the kudos of the event. The ISAF Match Race Rankings are released approximately once a month throughout the season. Previous top Britons include Chris Law and Andy Green.

 

Ian Williams commented: “It is particularly satisfying for me to have reached the number one spot exactly two years after having taken up sailing full time. During this time I have been able to concentrate on developing a strong, consistent team, especially with the support of Pindar, which I think has been reflected in our recent performance. Getting to number one is a great achievement but the hardest part will be defending the position.”

 

Andrew Pindar, Chairman of the Pindar Group commented: “Being crowned World Number One is a fantastic achievement for Ian and a goal I know he has been working towards for many years. To be both leading the current World Match Racing Tour and to top the ISAF Match Race Rankings puts Ian in an incredibly strong position for the remainder of the season and is a testament to his dedication to the sport. As a long-term supporter of sailing we at Pindar are proud to be associated with the world’s best as well as being great believers in developing tomorrow’s talent.”

Ian Williams victorious at Marseille International Match Race

British match racing sensation Ian Williams of ‘Team Pindar’ this weekend won the Marseille International Match Race, after a breezy 2-0 final against Frenchman Pierre Antoine Morvan. Williams’ result at the Marseille regatta, a Grade 1 event, will enable him to take first position in the ISAF World Match Race Rankings, the best ever placing for any British sailor.

After four days of close racing, ‘Team Pindar’ finished the semi-finals with a score of 3-0, sailing three exciting matches against Russian Evgeny Neugodnikov. French sailor Mathieu Richard, one of Williams’ closest rivals on the match racing circuit was beaten in his semi-final by the young Pierre Antoine Morvan. Ian and his team of Simon Shaw, Mark Williams and Mark Nicholls then went on to compete in the best of three final against Antoine Morvan in a testing 20-25 knots of wind and big seas.

Ian Williams commented: “I am delighted with our performance in Marseille. We stayed calm and focussed throughout the event, and while there was pandemonium going on around us in the semi finals, in both our matches and in others, we maintained our composure. The final was breezy so it was important to have impeccable boat handling in the strong conditions. Sailing with our regular team I think our experience showed through in the final which was pretty gnarly!”

Andrew Pindar, Chairman of the Pindar Group commented: “Ian and ‘Team Pindar’ have sailed incredibly well this weekend and thoroughly deserve this big win in Marseille. We have a very talented helmsman in Ian who leads a strong team and I am sure this is one of many more triumphs to come.”

Ian and his team are sponsored by Pindar, the leading print and electronic media company who also support record-breaking round-the-world yachtsman, Mike Sanderson, Emma Sanderson (née Richards) MBE, and 2012 hopeful Hannah Mills. Having signed a fourteen month deal at the end of last year, Pindar’s sponsorship enables Ian to compete at the highest level, with a strong, consistent team.

Ian, Britain’s most promising match racing helm, is currently leading the World Match Racing Tour. At present he lies second in the ISAF Match Race Rankings, however he will move up to first place when future rankings are announced. No Briton has ever been ranked higher on the open ISAF ladder, or ever led the World Match Racing Tour before.

Team Pindar second in the ISAF Match Race Rankings

British match racing sensation Ian Williams of ‘Team Pindar’ today climbs into second place in the ISAF Match Race Rankings, equalling the highest ever open ranking for any British sailor. Having achieved two top four results at recent World Match Racing Tour events in San Francisco and Malaysia, Williams has leap-frogged Paolo Cian (ITA) and Peter Gilmour (AUS) making him one of Britain’s most successful ever match racing helms.

Williams, 29, recently signed a fourteen month sponsorship deal with print and electronic media company Pindar. Today’s ranking release enables Williams, based in Southampton, to end the year on a real high. Currently leading the World Match Racing Tour, Williams won his first ever World Match Race Tour event in Bermuda in October of this year. No Briton has ever been ranked higher on the open ISAF ladder, or ever led the World Match Racing Tour before. Chris Law is the only other British male to have previously ranked second on the open ISAF ladder, in 1998.

ISAF World Match Race Rankings rate skippers based on their performances over the last two years, during which period Williams, formerly a solicitor in London, began to sail professionally. World Match Racing Tour events carry the most points towards the ISAF rankings, while other independent events carry points dependant on their grading. Williams’ recent fourth place at the Allianz Cup Presented by Oracle and third place at the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia, in addition to a win in Bermuda have significantly raised his overall ranking this year.

The next ISAF Match Race Rankings are due to be released on 1st February 2007, following the Auckland Match Race, at which Ian will compete. The World Match Racing Tour now takes a break until May, when it kicks off again with Match Race Germany. Next year’s Monsoon Cup will be the final event of the 2006-2007 season, where the World Champion will be crowned. Over the winter months Team Pindar will also compete in the UK based JP Morgan Match Racing Series, held at Queen Mary Reservoir, London.

  Ian Williams commented: “I am thrilled to move into second place in today’s ISAF World Match Race Rankings, and am really proud of the results we have achieved as part of Team Pindar. Having beaten Cian and Gilmour in Malaysia we have managed to forge ahead, but the points are really close as we go into 2007. My ultimate dream is to win the World Match Racing Tour and we are currently well placed, although still less than half way through the Tour. With perseverance and good teamwork next year and continued support from our sponsor Pindar, I believe we have every chance of success.

Andrew Pindar, Chairman of the Pindar Group commented: “Today’s ISAF Match Race Rankings release is a great accomplishment for Ian and Team Pindar, and really shows how progressive they are. Ian and his crew are incredibly talented sailors and deserve to be recognised as being within the top flight of British sailing.”

Pindar announce sponsorship of Britain’s top match racer

Pindar, the leading print and electronic media company and well known sponsor of international sailing campaigns today announced its sponsorship of British match racing sensation, Ian Williams. Ian is Britain’s most promising match racing helm who is currently leading the World Match Racing Tour and recently won the illustrious King Edward VII Gold Cup in Bermuda.

Williams, 29, has signed a fourteen month deal with Pindar, which includes re-naming the team to ‘Team Pindar’ and supporting them throughout the 2006-7 season (the remainder of the current World Match Racing Tour). Next event on the calendar for Williams and his team is the Allianz Cup Presented by Oracle which is the only US event of the World Match Racing Tour. In celebration of their support of Williams, Pindar will also be a main partner of the Allianz Cup Presented by Oracle, Stage 5 of the 2006-07 World Championship season, which has an impressive line-up featuring several America’s Cup syndicate teams. The event is hosted by the St Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco Bay from 24 – 29th October.

Since making a bold move to begin full-time professional match racing, quitting his ‘day job’ as a lawyer in London in May of last year, Ian has notched up a series of great results, finishing second at the 2006 Elba Cup/Trofeo Locman, third at the Match Race Germany and second overall in the 2006 World Match Racing Championships which culminated in July. Ian’s stunning performance in Bermuda moves him five points ahead of Frenchman Mathieu Richard in the current 2006-07 World Match Race Tour.

Williams, based in Southampton, England, sails with a core crew taken from his squad of five; Mark Nicholls (trimmer), Mark Williams (bowman), Gerry Mitchell (trimmer), Bill Hardesty (tactician) and Simon Shaw (trimmer/tactician). Dependent upon the boats sailed in each event, Williams selects his team based upon each of their key strengths.

Pindar’s sponsorship of Ian will work in addition to their on-going sponsorship of round-the-world yachtswoman Emma Sanderson (nee Richards), Olympic dinghy sailing hopeful Hannah Mills, and quadriplegic sailor Hilary Lister. Pindar also recently announced their plans to build a new Open 60, in collaboration with Volvo Ocean Race winner Mike Sanderson, and celebrated designer Juan Kouyoumdjian.

Andrew Pindar, Chairman of the Pindar Group commented: “I am delighted to be able to announce Pindar’s sponsorship of Ian, whom we believe is one of the rising stars of the professional match racing circuit. I would like to congratulate Ian on his recent win at the Bermuda Gold Cup, and wish him every success in the World Match Racing Tour. The west coast of the USA is an important area to us as a business, so San Francisco is the perfect event for us to announce our involvement in the match racing scene and we are excited to be involved in this event.”

Ian Williams commented: “I am really excited about my team becoming a part of the Pindar family, a sponsor who is well known and respected within the sailing world. With the backing of Pindar I will now be able to concentrate my efforts 100% upon winning the World Match Racing Tour which is my ultimate dream. I was delighted with my team’s performance at the King Edward VII Gold Cup and the aim in San Francisco will be to remain at the top of the ladder. It is early days yet as we are only four events into the calendar of 15 but to be the first Briton to win the World Title would be amazing.”

2006 EVENT REPORTS

LOCMAN CUP, ELBA ISLAND

WILLIAMS SAIL RACING CLINCHES SILVER MEDAL ON FINAL DAY OF 05/06 WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR

On a dramatic day in Porto Azurro on the Island of Elba, the Williams Sail Racing Team of Ian Williams, Simon Shaw, Mark Nicholls, Bill Hardesty and Mark Williams secured second place in the ‘05/’06 World Match Racing Tour. Needing to beat Staffan Lindberg by 2 places overall, we faced the newly crowned World Champion, Peter Gilmour, in the finals whilst Lindberg sailed Cameron Dunn in the petite final. We were at 1-1 in the final when Dunn crossed the line to take the petite final 2-0 and hand us the silver medal.

Racing started at 10am in a light easterly breeze, but the morning easterly had proved to be fickle all week and so it proved again. We started at the starboard end of the line with Gilmour at the pin just as the breeze began to track right. About 3 minutes into the race the wind had gone about 30 degrees to the right, the race committee abandoned the race and, after a short period of deliberation, sent us back in to wait for more stable breeze. For a while it looked as though the more stable westerly may never materialize, which would have given us the event due to our 1st position in the double round robin, but at 2pm the easterly faded and by 2.30 their were signs that the westerly would come. The race committee sent us onto the course and by 3pm the wind had stabilized enough to start racing in about 8-14 knots of breeze although the late start resulted in the race committee shortening the final to a first to two series.

The re-started race 1 saw us dominate the pre-start exchanges. We held the dial-up for about a minute before Gilmour allowed his bow to come down a little too far onto starboard. This was our opportunity to circle around and come back again, so pushing Gilmour towards the pin end of the line and a shut-out. At about 1 minute to the start, Gilmour brought his bow down on starboard towards the pin end and we turned to follow, preventing him from gybing around to get back to the line. As the boats converged, with us to leeward, Gilmour bore off to close the gap and then threw his boat up and into a tack. This had the effect of locking us in and we were unable to prevent him tacking. At the same time, we protested claiming that Gilmour, as windward boat, had not sufficiently kept clear of us but unfortunately the umpires were not of the same opinion.

However, we still had a good start at the favoured port end of the line on port tack whilst Gilmour was at the starboard end, also on port tack. The left shift that we were in held almost to the layline but finally Gilmour picked up a right-hander and tacked across towards us. At first, we were bow forward but as we approached the wind clicked a little further right leaving us bow to bow. We put in a lee-bow tack and just had enough speed to get bow forward and begin to put in the squeeze. Unfortunately though, we were fast approaching the 2 boat-length circle with Gilmour inside. At the last possible moment we luffed hard, trying to force Gilmour to have to tack away, but he was just able to retain enough speed to hang off us to windward and eventually we came down on starboard with Gilmour to windward and inside at the mark. We pressed Gilmour down the run, but on the one-sided course there were no passing opportunities and despite rounding the second windward mark still right on Gilmour’s tail, we were unable to force him into an error and he went 1-0 up.

Race 2 had us entering from the port end. In the dial up we were able to back our jib onto port and clear Gilmour and lead around the committee boat but when we went for the gybe around his bow onto starboard we were just below the layline for the committee boat which allowed Gilmour to round up on port and tack in to windward and to the right. To counter this we immediately tacked onto port, forcing Gilmour to bring his bow down towards us to prevent us lee-bow tacking and holding him head to wind until start time. This opened up the gap at the committee boat for us this time and we ducked Gilmour, tacked into windward and started right on the boat with Gilmour close to leeward. We continued on a short way until the breeze began to head and we tacked off towards better pressure on the right. After a short time, Gilmour tacked to follow but as we pressed into the right hander we became stronger. We tacked onto starboard and at the cross Gilmour was just able to put in the lee-bow tack. We tacked away and again Gilmour followed. A further right hander but us bow forwards and we tacked back onto starboard, now close to the layline. Again Gilmour tacked to leeward but this time we were far enough bow forward to hang on on starboard and role over the top. Gimour to leeward then began to fall out of pressure which we just retained and in not very long we had a sizeable lead. We rounded the top mark with a 4 length lead but in a completely calm patch and Gilmour was able to close to 2 lengths down the run. Up the next beat we consolidated but were unable to shake off Gilmour and our 2 length lead at the top mark suddenly did not look very comfortable as we again rounded in no breeze. Gilmour rounded in more pressure and immediately sailed in to leeward of our line. There he held until a left shift half way down the run allowed us to get our gybe in onto starboard and force Gilmour to gybe to windward. Gilmour then slowly rolled over the top but we were able to hold him past the port tack layline back to the finish and when we led the gybe back to the line Gilmour was under a little too much pressure and broached out whilst we sailed conservatively over the finish line.

We then watched Lindberg go down 2-0 in the petite final which handed us 2nd place in the World Tour irrespective of our result, but we were still fired up to win the Locman Trophy and our first World Tour event. In the deciding race we entered from the starboard end, led away from the dial-up around the committee boat then initiated a circle. Unfortunately, Gilmour did a slightly better job of his circle and when we came back together he had positioned his boat to leeward of ours and in a controlling position. This forced us to tack back towards the line a little earlier than we wanted and from then Gilmour chased hard. As we approached the line we slowed and luffed and for a moment it looked like Gilmour was hooked in to windward, but he just managed to bring his bow below our transom and hook us up, forcing us towards the committee boat too early. To compound our problems, we had a foul up on the lazy jib sheet and suddenly we were unable to lay the committee boat on port with Gilmour preventing us from tacking. Our only option was to duck the committee boat and then tack around back behind it while Gilmour rounded up and started a clear 5 lengths ahead. We tried to get back into the race but Gilmour made no mistakes and we were unable to make any impact on his lead.

So a disappointing end to the regatta for us, but still a great result and mission accomplished in terms of securing the combined World Championship/World Tour silver medal, the first medal ever won in match racing by a British team.

IAN WILLIAMS WINS DOUBLE ROUND ROBIN AND FIRST EVER BRITISH MATCH RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEDAL

The Williams Sail Racing Team of Ian Williams, Simon Shaw, Mark Nicholls, Bill Hardesty and Mark Williams has today completed the double round robin of the Locman Cup - Elba Island in first place. This gives us the dubious honour of being able to choose our semi-final opponents. The theory is that you can choose the person that you think you are most likely to beat, however it also has the effect of piling the pressure on to the winner of the round-robin as they are then expected to beat whomever they chose to race.

For us it’s an easy decision due to the position we are currently holding in the World Tour. Assured of the first Match Racing World Championship medal ever for a British team, we are now fighting to make that a silver medal. In order to pip Staffan Lindberg (FIN) to the post, we need to beat him by 2 places here in Elba, which is the last event of this season’s World Match Racing Tour. That means the logical thing to do is to pick him to try to knock him out in the semi-finals. Then we would have to at least match his result in the final.

The round-robin win came after a hum-dinger of a match against Peter Gilmour, the new World Champion. Going into the match, Gilmour and we were tied on points with 1 loss each. Ours had been to Staffan Lindberg early in the regatta and his had been to us in the first round-robin, so the winner of the match would win the double round robin. On a particularly shifty course, we took the heavily favoured starboard end of the line whilst he took the pin end, both boats on starboard. As we tracked out to the better pressure on the left, the wind backed and Gilmour tacked towards us. At first, we were bow to bow, but a further left shift put Gilmour’s bow forward. At the cross, we bore away and protested, missing Gilmour’s transome by about a foot, but the umpires adjudged that he would have crossed without our bear away and hoisted the green flag. However, we tacked on Gilmour’s hip and when he tacked back onto starboard, we were still close and had to duck him. Gilmour then went for the slam dunk but tacked too close as we luffed. We pulled our bow down to avoid the collision and then luffed again, each time protesting as Gilmour sailed straight on a close hauled course. This time the umpires came down on our side and gave Gilmour 2 penalties, one for tacking too close to windward, and one for not then avoiding us on the second luff. Gilmour then bore away round our bow to carry out one of the penalties. Again our bow became very close to his transome and we luffed to avoid hitting him, but the umpires this time came down on his side adjudging that he would have crossed our bow again. However, we were now a fair way ahead and still a penalty up.

From there, we sailed our own shifts whilst keeping an eye on Gilmour and by the bottom mark we had pulled out a 100 metre lead. This we consolidated up the second beat to round about 10 lengths ahead where we gybe-set to get away from the headland which appeared to be what was making the breeze so fluky. Gilmour rounded and carried on on port which at first did not look like a great option but then, about half way down the run, the wind in the middle of the course died completely and began to fill from 90 degrees on the right side. Having gone to that side, Gilmour picked up the breeze first, and we could only watch, completely becalmed, as Gilmour reached towards the finish line. Finally we picked up some breeze and began to approach the line ourselves but we were stuck at the unfavoured pin end, unable to sail any higher, and only had about half the boatspeed of Gilmour. Gilmour surged in towards the committee boat end and reached the line before us, but just as he started to take his penalty, the stronger breeze that he had come down in finally got all the way to us and we accelerated to the finish, eventually winning by about 6 seconds.

Tomorrow (Saturday) we have a first to win 3 points semi-final. We will choose our opponent tomorrow morning but Lindberg is certainly expecting to get chosen. The finals will be run on Sunday.

Match Race Germany

Williams Sail Racing clinch the final podium place at Match Race Germany

Peter Gilmour sewed up his third Match Race Germany title in a row and his third World Match Racing Tour (formerly Swedish Match Tour) title yesterday with a 2-1 finals win over Jesper Bank. The final was scheduled to be first to 3 points but at the cut-off time of 4.30 pm the light winds of Lake Constance had taken their toll on the format for the first time this week, allowing only 3 races to be sailed. Gilmour had taken an early 2-0 lead before Bank had clawed one back but time eventually ran out on Bank.

The Williams Sail Racing Team of Ian Williams, Bill Hardesty, Mark Nicholls, Simon Shaw and Mark Williams were sailing against Staffan Lindberg and his Alandia Sailing Team in the petite final which provided the closest racing of the finals day for the grandstands full of spectators. Leading off the start in race 1, we tacked to cover Lindberg out to the right hand side of the course and then led him back to the top mark, 4 lengths ahead. Seeing more pressure on the left hand side of the run, we gybed soon after the hoist whilst Lindberg carried on. Unfortunately, the extra pressure never materialized and when we gybed back on to port, we were unable to cross Lindberg. This allowed him to hold us past the layline to the bottom mark and lead back to the bottom mark, and from there he sailed smart and fast, never giving us an opportunity to overtake.

In race 2, we again won the start and came off the line on port tack to leeward but well ahead. Lindberg however picked up a bit of private pressure and was able to lift off us and position himself to be able to put in the lee-bow tack after we tacked. We traded a couple of tacks and Lindberg led round the top mark by about 4 lengths, a lead which he maintained down the run and up the next beat. Going down the run for the last time, this time it was Lindberg who rounded in the light spot and had to make the difficult decision of whether to carry on and keep his momentum going or to gybe in light airs towards the better pressure on the left. He chose the gybe and we carried on on port past his line before gybing as well. However, our gybe was in more pressure and we had now closed to within 2 lengths of Lindberg as we crossed to the left and he came back to the right. Maintaining the momentum down the run allowed us to close so much that we next came together with us just ahead but on port and not quite able to cross. We chose the gybe to windward, planning to the roll over the top but, sailing very low angles down the run, we were somehow unable to affect his breeze enough to allow us to get ahead of him coming into the finish. In a last gasp attempt, we heated the boat up, accelerated, and the opportunity came to gybe and go behind Lindberg. We took the gybe and that moment knew it was going to work out well for us as we were now traveling much faster than Lindberg. All he could do was watch as we crossed behind him, slowing him even more and accelerating ourselves, and then soaked away towards the finish line, passing him half a length from the line.

The deciding race saw an even start with us heading out to the left and Lindberg the right. Coming back about 4 lengths below the layline on port, we initially looked strong but a bit of right hand pressure gave Lindberg a 2-length lead as we came to the cross. Lindberg tacked to protect the right hand side and we tacked back to the left which we were still backing. This time it came in for us and when we tacked back we were crossing Lindberg. However, in the very light airs he was able to hunt us up and force us to tack away from the mark before tacking towards the mark himself. This left us 2 lengths behind again but close enough to really attack down the run. We finally rolled him on starboard before gybing back towards the mark simultaneously. An immediate luff by us resulted in a penalty on Lindberg and although he led round the bottom mark and at one stage had pulled out quite a distance on us, when he came to do the penalty at the finish we were able to pass him and win the race by about 8 seconds.

This win gave us 3rd place overall – our highest finish in a World Tour event. We are now 5th on the World Tour with one event to go – 2 points behind Jesper Bank and Ben Ainslie in 3rd equal and 6 points behind Lindberg in 2nd.

ACI Adris Cup

Williams Sail Racing finished the ACI Adris Cup in 6th place after a disappointing final day. Going into the last day of the double round robin, we were holding an 11-5 record with 4 races still to sail and were sitting in 4th place, very close to 2nd and 6th overall.

The first race of the day, conducted in about 14 knots of breeze, was against Johnnie Berntsson who had been on fire in the lighter conditions earlier in the week, only losing 2 races of his first 16. We came off the line to leeward and ahead and soon were able to cross Berntsson’s bow to the right hand side of the course. The obligatory tacking duel ensued with us protecting the right hand side each time but we were not able to shake the Swede off and we rounded the top mark with only a boatlength of clear water between us. That was soon swallowed up and we went down the whole run overlapped. As we came towards the leeward mark, Berntsson crossed close behind us to the right and was able to take us past the mark, although picking up a penalty in the process. We trailed round the bottom mark and spent the next beat trying to stay as close as possible, a task that was made more difficult by the presence of another race just ahead of us casting quite a big wind shadow. Berntsson chose to do his penalty towards the top of the beat which left us overlapped again around the top mark. However, despite positioning ourselves well in the early stages of the run, we didn’t quite have the downwind boatspeed needed to affect Berntsson’s air and he was able to hold on for the victory.

This left us with a must-win race against Paolo Cian whom we had started the day level on points with. In a very dramatic start, we picked up a penalty about 10 seconds before the start but both boats were over the line at start time. We were the first to return and as we gybed round the front of Cian, he put his bow down and into the side of us, for which he picked up a penalty (as the boat still returning to the line). That left us even on penalties and with a small lead on the right which we protected and extended up the beat to round 3 lengths ahead. However, our downwind speed again let us down and Cian was able to sail up to us and sit close to leeward on port gybe. As we got to the lay-line for the bottom mark, we put the gybe in ahead of Cian but the umpires adjudged it to be too close and penalized us with a red-flag penalty, saying that the control in the match changed by our infringement. Once we had done the penalty after the bottom mark, we were now 3 lengths behind and although we closed a little up the beat we never really looked like threatening Cian’s lead.

Those 2 losses left us facing elimination from the event and next up we had Peter Gilmour. We started snug to leeward of Gilmour and forced him to tack away early but when we tacked to cover, a match ahead of us came around the bottom mark and tacked on top of us. That forced us to tack away and then tack back (the shift was left at the time) and those extra tacks enabled Gilmour to extend enough to cross back well ahead. We managed to stay in touch around the course and at the last top mark, as Gilmour hoisted his spinnaker it touched our shrouds as we came up the beat. Unfortunately though, the umpires did not see the infringement and Gilmour was able to finish ahead.

We were now definitely out of the running for a semi-final spot but there was still plenty of pride at stake in our last race against Mathieu Richard. In an almost carbon-copy of the race against Cian, we were both over the line at start time with us positioned to leeward of Richard holding him up. Again we returned first and again our opponent hit us as we gybed round the front of them and again they picked up a penalty. However, during the prestart maneuvering the leachline in our genoa had snapped and the genoa leach was now flapping away. At the first cross we were comfortably ahead and protected the right, but at the second cross Richard had gained and he was able to duck us and cross to the right. That allowed him to round the top mark ahead and again our lack of downwind boatspeed cost us as Richard slowly pulled away. We hung in well up the next beat with our flapping genoa, but as we came to the finish Richard was just able to complete his penalty and cross the finish line ahead of us.

So what had looked like such a promising day for us did not turn out as we had hoped. We made a couple of errors under pressure but really felt that it was never meant to be our day, with a mixture of a slow boat, less than favourable umpire calls, some unfortunate damage and other difficulty with traffic on the course. I think that sailing with a new crew (2 of whom I only met for the first time on arrival) meant that we were not really able to deal with those things as well as a well practiced crew might.

The teams that made the semi finals were Johnnie Berntsson, Peter Gilmour, Paolo Cian and Mathieu Richard. Berntsson beat Cian 3-2 in the semi-finals whilst Richard dispatched Gilmour 3-1. Berntsson then won the final 3-1 and Gilmour the petit-final 2-0. Congratulations must go to Johnnie who ended the regatta with a 24-5 record against a top level field.

This result moves us on to the World Match Racing Tour leaderboard – we’re now placed 7th on the Tour. We go on to Match Race Germany next week hoping for a more satisfying result.

Congressional Cup

Finals Day

The Williams Sail Racing Team of Mark Williams, Matt Ciesicki, Gerry Mitchell, Bill Hardesty, Chad Hough and Ian Williams completed their first Congressional Cup in 2nd place on Saturday after being defeated in the finals by Gavin Brady from New Zealand.

After the double round-robin we were tied for first place with Brady with a 15-3 record. France’s Mathieu Richard was in third place on 13-5 and amazingly the fourth spot for the semi-finals was won with an 8-10 record, the coveted spot being taken by local favourite Scott Dickson. Brady took first place by virtue of the fact that he had won the races between us and unsurprisingly chose Dickson to race in the semi-finals.

That left us with a semi-final tie against Richard, a team that we had been very even with all week. Things were no different in the semi-finals. Off the line in the first race in the first-to-two series, Richard started with better speed and on the right and the obligatory tacking duel ensued. Each time we came back from the left, Richard would tack ahead and to leeward of us, protecting the right, but each time we were a little further forward. Eventually, we got far enough forward that Richard chose to carry on and force us to duck. Unfortunately, we did this poorly, allowing Richard to re-establish his lead which this time he never relinquished.

Race 2 saw us come off the line to leeward of Richard but bow forward and close enough to force the Frenchman to tack. We then carried on for a couple of lengths and put in the cover tack. Slightly better speed allowed us to slowly pull forward, and when Richard tacked we were crossing. However, he slowly luffed his boat to the point that we were no longer crossing, and then tacked below to avoid us with a loud protest. A few anxious moments went by as the umpires had to decide whether our best option to keep clear would have been to tack or whether Richard was already too close when he luffed for us to tack away. Much to Richard’s evident disappointment, the umpires sided with us and although Richard closed to within a length of us up the second beat, good downwind speed allowed us to finish ahead relatively comfortably.

Race 3 finally saw us nail a start in the way that has brought us success in the past. Coming back to the line on port tack with Richard to windward, a sharp luff by us forced the Frenchman into a tack and over start line. We extended away on port and when we came back together had a 2 boat-length lead. Richard did an excellent job of minimizing losses up the first beat and rounded exactly that distance behind, but with the solid 12-knot breeze and a right favoured beat, it was always going to be a hard day to get past anybody and so it proved too hard for Richard and his team.

This set up a final against Brady who had beaten Dickson 2-0, although not without some drama as Dickson had led the second race for 3 of the 4 legs. With the right side of the course heavily favoured for pressure, the committee set a port-biased line which left us with the difficult decision – do you take the bias on the line and give away the right or suffer the early loss to get the favoured side of the beat? Having seen Richard cross Dickson from the port end in the petit-final, we led back to the line in the first race in order to take the bias at the pin. We tacked at start time, as did Brady at the starboard end and as the boats came together we were crossing. However, Brady slowly luffed his boat, this time early enough for us to be able to tack and keep clear which we did. After about 6 lengths, both boats tacked again and this time Brady did not require a luff to prevent us crossing. This pattern continued up the beat – each time we came back together Brady had gained another eighth of a boat-length until eventually we could not make the lee-bow tack. We tried to duck to get to the right but Brady executed a well-timed tack underneath forcing us again to the left and into the lighter pressure. By the top mark Brady had stretched the lead to 3 lengths and although we closed down the run, we never looked like passing and he was able to stretch away to an insurmountable lead up the second beat.

 Race 2 again saw us in control of the start at 30 seconds to go and, having learned our lesson from the first race, we peeled off towards the committee boat and forced Brady towards the port end. As start time came however, we were a little close to the committee boat and had to luff to clear the anchor chain. This error, combined with more pressure at Brady’s end of the line left us unable to catch Brady on starboard. We continued out to the right below Brady but never got enough of a shift to reach Brady and eventually tacked behind to try to force him into an error. Working the left, we managed to make small gains but at the top Brady was able to do 2 less tacks which gave him enough of a lead to be comfortable down the run and on to the finish to take his third Congressional Cup win.

Richard won the petit-final 2-1.

It’s always disappointing not to win an event when you come so close but in the end Brady was a little sharper off the start line and deserved the victory. Having lost in the final 4 times since his last win here in ’98, I guess that he is pretty relieved to have finally won again. Considering it was our first time in Long Beach and our first time in the slightly idiosyncratic Catalina 37’s, we are pleased to have come through in 2nd place and plan to return stronger next year with a decent point to start from.

Day 2

Day 2 of the 42nd Congressional Cup was a similar affair to day 1. A light 6-10 knot thermal breeze made for some tricky calls and a crowded race course (there are 5 matches on the race-course at one time) didn’t make it any easier. It was also a similar day for the Williams Sail Racing Team in that we lost just one race, although we edged out yesterday’s performance by winning 5 today against the 4 from yesterday.

Race 1 against Johnie Berntsson of Sweden we led from start to finish, but Staffan Lindberg from Finland did not make things so easy for us in race 2. Coming off the line a little down speed on port, we expected to reach better pressure and a slight right hand shift to take us ahead of Lindberg but the expected conditions did not materialize. When we tacked across, Lindberg had half a length clear on us and our strategy changed to that of trying to stay close in order to attack on the run. However, Lindberg gave us a little too much separation on the left and a small shift allowed us right back into the race. We crossed sides again, then as we approached the top mark on starboard, Lindberg was just crossing on port but we were able to hunt him up and prevent him from crossing. Lindberg pressed a little too hard to try and cross, picking up a penalty for his trouble, whilst we were able to roll into the tack, set our spinnaker and sail off. From that moment, the race was relatively comfortable, as was race 3 against Peter Wibroe (Denmark).

Race 4 against Mathieu Richard of France was always going to be a big test. We were going into the race with a 7-1 score line but Richard was on 8-0. After dominating the pre-start, we started at the committee boat on port and proceeded to what appeared to be the favoured right hand side whilst Richard sailed out to the left. With so many races coming downwind, there were no opportunities for either boat to tack back to the middle without suffering some bad air, so both boats went all the way to their respective laylines. Unfortunately for us, the left came in on this occasion and Richard crossed us at the top by a good 5 lengths. Although we caught up again near the top of the second beat, Richard sailed a smart race and never gave us an opportunity to pass, giving him the perfect 9-0 score line for the round robin.

 The race committee rolled straight into the second round robin, of which we got in 2 races; one against Simon Minoprio (New Zealand) and one against Brian Angel (USA). In the first, we won the favoured right hand side which gave us an early 3 length lead which we defended all the way round. In the second, we managed to shut out Angel at the committee boat at the start which gave us a 4 length lead at the start. We extended a little up the beat to round about 6 lengths ahead. From there, Angel showed an impressive turn of speed – it seemed that every time we came to a cross, either upwind or down, he had gained a bit. Eventually we won the race, but only by about a length in the end.

 So we’re now on a 9-2 record which leaves us 2nd overall. Richard leads on 10-1 and Brady is third on 8-3. It’s looking like there’ll be a real scrap for 4th with Lindberg on 6-5 and Minoprio and Berntsson on 5-6 each. We just need to make sure we don’t get sucked into that scrap whilst still working on familiarizing ourselves with the boats and the venue in these light tricky conditions, hopefully setting ourselves up to be as strong as possible for the semi-finals.

Day 1

The Williams Sail Racing Team have completed the first day of the 42nd Congressional Cup with a promising record of 4-1. After 5 extremely close races we’re very pleased to have such a good record and are looking forward to trying to emulate this success tomorrow.

The day went past in a bit of a blur with our first 4 races taking on a very similar pattern. Racing in a light 8-10 sea breeze which was kept so by an opposing low pressure system, the shifts and pressure differences were very difficult to pick and this led to a lot of place changing over the day.

We started strongly in race 1 against the young Kiwi Simon Minoprio, taking the favoured right side and converting this to a 2 boat-length lead at the top mark but a poor spinnaker set and problems with a boat in another match allowed Minoprio to close around the top mark. In the light airs, attacking options are always there downwind and after an intense gybing duel, Minoprio managed to roll over us on starboard. However, he was unable to gybe across our bow and eventually tried to force it, picking up a red flag (immediate) penalty in the process. A delay in taking that penalty saw him pick up another and from there the race was over.

Races 2 and 3 against Brian Angel and Scott Dickson were very similar. Both involved us winning the favoured side at start time and rounding the top mark just ahead and both involved us trying to defend downwind. Against Dickson we were successful and managed a relatively comfortable win eventually. Against Angel we were not so successful, with Angel rolling over the top of us and leading round the bottom mark. However, we were able to close up on the beat and eventually force Angel into an error. With us approaching Angel on port and looking to duck him, he chose to dial us down to make our duck more difficult. In doing so he sailed below a beam-reach and consequently picked up a penalty. We also crossed over to the favoured right side at the same time and from there we were able to come back ahead and then go on to win.

Race 4 was another nail-biter. Again, we took the right side off the line which appeared to have more pressure, but our opponent, Cameron Appleton, was able to pick up enough on the left to lead at the first cross by a clear length. We kept in touch up the beat and then proceeded to attack downwind. At one point it looked as though we would pass Appleton, as we caught him on starboard tack and he was forced to gybe to windward of us. However, unlike Minoprio before, he was able to pull away just enough to roll around the front of us and lead back to the bottom mark. A dummy tack around the bottom mark sent Appleton to the right and we split left. As we came back, a small left shift put us ahead, and although we did not quite cross when the boats came together, a couple of tacks later we were able to cross and from there we extended to the top mark. There were a few anxious moments down the run as we got a little mixed up with another race but we eventually won with a few lengths to spare.

Our last race of the day was against pre-event favourite Gavin Brady, a 2-time winner of the Congressional Cup. A slightly sloppy pre-start by us gave Brady the heavily favoured right and from there he was able to defend comfortably up the first beat. A slightly better hoist also allowed him some respite on the run, but we were able to draw him in towards the bottom mark and rounded just behind. Both boats tacked around the bottom and we immediately tacked away to the left. This time, the left came in a little better for us, but each time we came back together we were not far enough forward to get in the lee-bow tack. Consequently, each time we were forced to begin a duck before Brady tacked off to the right. Finally, we came back looking strong enough to make the lee-bow with Brady on the starboard lay-line, but a big right shift late on ruined that plan and left us with very few options. Brady rounded ahead and we never really looked like taking him on the run.

So we’re looking fairly solid after day 1 with a 4-1 scoreline. Mathieu Richard is leading the regatta on 5-0, with Staffan Lindberg and us on 4-1. Next up are Brady and Minoprio on 3-2. The big surprise was to see Cameron Appleton end the day on 0-5 after sailing a pretty good race against us. However, with the format here of a double round robin and then on to semi-finals, there is a long way still to go before the cut and I wouldn’t count anybody either in or out at this stage.

Auckland Match Racing Cup

Day 4

The Williams Sail Racing team dominated in its 5th/6th playoff against Matthieu Richard of France, winning 2-0 in two almost identical races. In each race, we started strongly and rounded the top mark into a strong windward going tide with Richard right on our transom. In both races, we sailed a distance on port before both gybing and in both races Richard rolled over the top of us. However, on each occasion he was not able to get clear ahead and we were able to take him well past the lay-line for the leeward mark, eventually leading him back to the mark without spinnakers. On the second beat, we continuously bounced him out to the unfavoured side of the course (which was different in each race), also forcing him to take 2 extra tacks. This allowed us to extend a few lengths with left us with a more comfortable run to the finish.

Dean Barker (Emirates Team New Zealand) and Bertrand Pace (BMW Oracle) swept into the finals, each winning their respective semi-finals 3-0. The morning started with Barker, as winner of the round robin, choosing to sail against Cameron Appleton leaving the BMW Oracle sail-off in the other semi-final between Pace and Chris Dickson.

The races were not without controversy however. In race 2 between Barker and Appleton, Barker appeared to luff above head to wind in a close situation by the committee boat at start time. Immediately a blue flag was flown, signaling a penalty on Barker. A few seconds later, a second blue flag was flown signaling a double penalty on Barker – this seemed a bit harsh. Just as the boats reached the windward mark with Appleton in a sizeable lead the race was abandoned. It turned out that the umpires had not thought that Barker had gone through head to wind and that they had intended to penalize Appleton twice for barging in at the committee boat. As the umpires are unable to correct mistakes in match racing, the race committee was advised by the chief umpire that the race was not a fair one and they abandoned the race.

The other playoffs all went to three races – Baird beat Holmberg for 7th, and Lindberg beat Col for 9th.

Day 3

Local knowledge paid off today at the Auckland Match Racing Cup with three New Zealanders and a long time New Zealand resident making the final cut for the semi-finals. Dean Barker (Emirates Team New Zealand) led the standings with a highly impressive 15-3 scoreline. Following up were Cameron Appleton, Bertrand Pace and Chris Dickson (both BMW Oracle) on 12-6, 12-6 and 11-7 respectively.

The day started off with an hour long delay waiting for the breeze to fill in. It then quickly built resulting in the first flight of the day being held in about 14 knots of breeze, increasing to about 20 knots for the later flights of the day. The Williams Sail Racing team got off to a bad start, being adjudged OCS by the race committee against Cameron Appleton on a course which had become very one-sided due to a 20 degree shift. With so much of the beat and run on one tack, there was no way back and this set the tone for the start of our day.

Next up, we faced Magnus Holmberg (Victory Challenge) who had been having a poor regatta. Unfortunately for us, Holmberg had come back into some form and an epic race ensued. We started to leeward and ahead but a shift to the right left us with a slight deficit. Superior boathandling in the ensuing tacking duel allowed us to apply serious pressure and we rounded the top mark overlapped inside. Holmberg gybed early onto starboard forcing us to gybe in parallel. By getting enough gage to break the overlap we forced Holmberg to gybe back to the leeward mark and give us an inside overlap. A better drop allowed us to extend by half a length in the early part of the beat but a couple of missed shifts and a patch of chop allowed Holmberg back into the race. Coming into the top mark, we went for a lee-bow tack onto starboard that the umpires adjudged was too close and we were penalized. Trying to offset the penalty at the top mark allowed Holmberg to pass and round ahead but a poor hoist again allowed us back into the race. We hoisted, luffed and cruised over the top of Holmberg. We and our on-board observer thought we had broken the overlap but unfortunately Holmberg and the umpires did not agree. Holmberg stayed high which meant we did not have the room to get the gybe in onto starboard to try to equalize the penalty. Eventually we lost patience and tried to force the gybe, but it was all a bit too close and we were penalized a second time, handing Holmberg the match.

 Already feeling deflated, we had another excruciatingly close match, this time with Sebastian Col of France. A poor start left us battling to get past for 2 rounds. Twice we got our bow in front, but we could never break clear and a poor spinnaker hoist allowed the heat off the Frenchman on the last run.

By now we were 3 down for the day and on our way out of the regatta. However, the character of the young team I have assembled here (3 young Kiwis and a not quite so young Australian) showed through and we came out fighting against Chris Dickson. We led off the start but picked up a penalty after a dummy tack by Dickson. However, we immediately began to extend to the point that we were comfortably able to complete our penalty at the finish. Next up for us was Bertrand Pace. Again, the race was won on the start. We hooked into leeward of Pace and immediately luffed to push him the wrong side of the committee boat. Pace’s lack of response resulted in him picking up a penalty, but the umpires also adjudged that we had luffed too soon and penalized us at the same time. His lack of response also allowed him to start to windward and ahead and although we pushed hard and stayed close, Pace did not make the mistake we needed him to make.

Next up we faced Staffan Lindberg. Another very close pre-start saw us just squeezing in between the committee boat and a head to wind Lindberg. Perhaps trying a bit too hard, Lindberg then edged up a bit too far, sailing through head to wind and picking up a penalty for the error. On the tidally influenced course, we were able to extend from Lindberg for a relatively comfortable win before facing up to Dean Barker in our final race. We entered from the starboard end and forced Barker into the traditional dial-up. This position we held for about 2 minutes, with both boats eventually going backwards at about 3 knots. We were first to break away from the dial up and led Barker back towards the start line. Barker hooked us late, but we were able to tack for the committee boat end and out towards the favoured right hand side of the course. We used that advantage to pull out a two boat length lead which we were able to hold and then extend to four boatlengths coming into the second top mark. A twist in the spinnaker gave us some anxious moments but great work on the bow cleared the problem and we inflicted a 3rd loss of the regatta on Barker.

That win left on us 9-9 for the series, in 6th place. Ordinarily, when you have beaten Ed Baird and Magnus Holmberg at an event you feel relatively pleased but we are left with a feeling of what could have been had we been a bit more clinical in finishing off our races this morning. Tomorrow, we have a 5th/6th play-off against Matthieu Richard and then we plan to enjoy the Auckland Festival which is running this weekend.

Day 2

After day 2 of the Auckland Match Racing Cup, the Williams Sail Racing Team is hanging in there on 6 wins and 5 losses. As expected, Ed Baird (Alinghi) came back to form today with 5 straight wins, including 2 very close races against us. Also going 5-0 for the day were Dean Barker (Emirates Team New Zealand) and Bertrand Pace (BMW Oracle) and those 2 now look good for the semis on 10-1 and 8-3 respectively. We had 3 important wins today, one against Cameron Appleton who is lying 3rd on 7-4, and two against Matthieu Richard who is lying 4th equal along with Chris Dickson (BMW Oracle), Ed Baird and ourselves.

 As ever in match racing events, each day is more important than the last. Tomorrow we have huge races against Appleton and Dickson which will probably be decisive in deciding whether we make the semi-finals or not. I hope to report tomorrow on a satisfactory result!

Day 1

Battle resumed on the Waitemata Harbour in Auckland today after a 4 year hiatus. The newly named Auckland Match Racing Cup, run by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, lived up to its billing with plenty of close races in the Farr designed MRX’s.

The Williams Sail Racing Team had an extremely eventful first day, posting a 3-3 score line. Starting off against Dean Barker (Emirates Team New Zealand) in 15 knots of breeze, we were given a clear lesson on how to sail the MRX’s, losing by 6 lengths. With those lessons learnt, we proceeded to have two very close races with Staffan Lindberg and Bertrand Pace (BMW Oracle), both races being decided by the umpires right on the finish line. Fortunately for us, it was Lindberg and Pace who received the penalties having crossed the finish line first.

Following a drop in breeze as the centre of the low pressure passed close to Auckland, Williams Racing were forced over the start line early by Chris Dickson (BMW Oracle). Confusion followed as the recall flag was not raised for 5-6 seconds after the start, the result being a clear win for Dickson. Following the inevitable red flag protest, the jury found that there was an error by the race committee, but that it had not affected the result of the race so the result stood.

Next for Williams Racing was Sebastian Col (K Challenge). A clear 4 boat-length lead at the top mark soon turned into a huge deficit as we were reduced to half-speed for the run after hooking up a lump of kelp the size of the New Forest on the rudder and one the size of the Amazon on the keel. After limping across the line a distant second having used a mooring rope to clear the keel and a boat-hook to clear the rudder during the race, we then had the ignominy of being informed by our umpires that they though we had some stuck on the prop shaft!

The final race of the day for Williams Racing was against Magnus Holmberg (Victory Challenge). On a very one sided track due to the strong current in the harbour, a 1 boatlength lead at the start soon turned into a 6 boatlength lead and a comfortable win for the team. After a lot of luck – both good and bad, Williams Racing are sitting in equal 5th place after the first day. However, with only 6 races of the 18 race double round robin completed, there is a long long way to go. The grinners for the day were Dean Barker and Cameron Appleton (both on 5-1), closely followed by Mattieu Richard and Chris Dickson (4-2). The big surprise of the day was the poor form of 3 times world champion Ed Baird (Alinghi – 1-5). However, you wouldn’t bet against him coming out much stronger tomorrow and still making the semi-finals.

Swedish Match Tour/Guido Cantini