Mark Mendelblatt and Paolo Cian have early advantage in Saint Moritz Match Race semifinals

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] Mark Mendelblatt and Paolo Cian have a mission: to eliminate Alinghi helmsmen at the 4th annual St. Moritz Match Race, Stage 3 of the 2006-’07 World Match Racing Tour. They’re one win away from mission accomplished.

Mendelblatt leads current nemesis and former coach Ed Baird 1-0 in their semifinal match, and Cian leads former idol Jochen Schuemann by the same score in the other. The winner of each match will be the first to 2 points. The two series are scheduled to resume tomorrow morning at 11:00 am.

Baird and Schuemann, two of the three helmsmen for America’s Cup defender Alinghi, were self-critical in their assessments. “We didn’t sail our best race today,” said Baird, who’s attempting to repeat as event champion. “We beat ourselves today,” said Schuemann, who’s attempting to win his first St. Mortiz Match Race.

Jochen Schuemann chases Paolo Cian in the pre-start of their semifinal match. Photo copyright Guido Cantini/World Match Racing Tour

Schuemann beat himself early in the match when he was over the start line early. By the time he re-rounded the pin end Cian, who looked up to the legendary Schuemann when he start sailing Solings, was gone. The Italian led by nearly 20 seconds at the first windward mark and was never threatened.

Cian won the match despite trimmer Nello Pavoni sailing with a bad knee that he injured yesterday. “Apparently he’s much, much faster with a bad knee, so we’re thinking of breaking the other one,” Cian said.

Cian advanced to the semis after taking down the third Alinghi helmsman in the event, Peter Holmberg. Cian won the quarterfinal match 2-1, getting a penalty on Holmberg in the decider to help turn it in his favor.

While Cian won easily, the Mendelblatt-Baird race, a rematch of last year’s final, was much closer.

A fairly even start saw both come off the line on starboard. Mendelblatt wrested control nearly halfway up the first leg when he rode Baird out to the right side of the racecourse on port tack. When they tacked to starboard Mendelblatt was on Baird’s leebow and leading to the windward mark.

Mark Mendelblatt rides port tack across Ed Baird’s bow in their semifinal match. Photo copyright Guido Cantini/World Match Racing Tour

Mendelblatt led by about two boatlengths around the first lap and a half of the three-lap race. Baird, however, got a piece of him on the second run. Baird initiated a jibing duel and closed up to Mendelblatt’s transom rounding the second leeward mark.

Up the third beat Mendelblatt covered Baird tack-for-tack, never letting him get to one side or the other. Competitors observing the race thought that could be a costly move because he wasn’t sailing to the pressure and Lake St. Moritz is completely unpredictable.

But it worked out in Mendelblatt’s favor and he rounded the windward mark for the last time with a nearly three-boatlength lead, which he extended on the run to the finish.

“A lot of times I’ll split and go for the bigger gain,” Mendelblatt said of his tactics on the third upwind leg. “Today was odd because the direction was steady but the pressure was up and down and we couldn’t figure out which side was favored, so we just kept covering.”

Other racing today included battles for fifth through eighth and 13th and 14th. Ian Ainslie placed fifth, Holmberg sixth, Eric Monnin seventh and Sébastian Col eighth. Wearn Haw Tan of Singapore placed 13th when he defeated 17-year-old Arnaud Psarofaghis of Switzerland 2-0.