Paolo Cian grabs early lead in Group B at Allianz Cup

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] Italy’s Paolo Cian, tied for fifth in the match racing world championship standings, leads the Group B round robin at the Allianz Cup Presented by Oracle after four flights. Cian has a perfect 4-0 record at Stage 5 of the 2006-’07 World Match Racing Tour.

Cian won Stage 3, the St. Moritz Match Race, in August for his first World Tour victory. Today he defeated Larry Ellison, Brian Angel, Cameron Dunn and Jesper Bank in light winds for his undefeated record.

“We are pretty happy,” said Cian, the 39-year-old from Naples, Italy. “It’s too early to say anything, but today, light breeze, I think we had a couple of good starts and my team did an incredible job speedwise upwind and downwind. So we were able to get 4 points from four races. That is a good way to start. We look forward to get another point tomorrow because, as far as I see in the other group, you come through the first stage with 5 points.”

Racing in the San Francisco bay in the second day of the Allianz Cup. Video copyright Sportshows Television/Narrowstep - Allianz Cup

After Cian there’s a tie for second, at 3-1, between old foes Ed Baird of Alinghi and Peter Gilmour of PST. Gilmour staged a furious comeback against Baird two years ago to win the 2004-’05 Tour championship. They’re scheduled to meet in Flight 6. Today it was Baird who came-from-behind in two races to snatch victory.

“We don’t really enjoy being behind, but it was fun to get back in front,” said Baird. “One of the key’s in match racing is if you are behind just to stay very close and try to keep the pressure on the guys in front. We had two races we were basically overlapped after the hoist at the weather mark and it fell our way in the end. It was close.”

The wind conditions were light for Day 2 of the $100,000 regatta. The wind blew from the northeast for most of the day around 6 knots. It would build to 8 knots at times, but also drop to 4 knots or less.

Larry Ellison leads Paolo Cian towards the starting line during their Flight 1 pre-start maneuvers. (Allianz Cup/Paul Todd photo)

Like Day 1, the current played a major factor in the racing, on the runs in particular. In a largely ebb tide starboard jibe was the fast tack, going with the 2-knot current.

“Someone said yesterday that when you get your nose downwind into the current it’s strange apparent wind angles,” said Gilmour, 46, the reigning match racing world champion. “I was trying to imagine what they were saying but it’s not until you get out there and actually do it and feel the boat downwind and the apparent breeze in the strong current, the sort of changes to those angles. It was quite challenging.”

Denmark’s Jesper Bank, skipper of United Internet Team Germany, and Frenchman Mathieu Richard, the 30-year-old skipper of Saba Sailing Team, are tied at 2-2. Cameron Dunn of Mascalzone Latino – Capitalia is sixth at 1-3 and tied with Brian Angel of Redondo Beach, Calif.

Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle, the world’s largest enterprise software company, and a member of the BMW ORACLE Racing afterguard, completes the round at 0-4. He’s competing in his first World Tour event as a skipper. In the past three years he’s won the Owner/Driver series at the Moët Cup and UBS Trophy, both America’s Cup Class regattas. He’s also a five-time maxi yacht world champion.

Jesper Bank (left) keeps a steely eye on Ed Baird during their Flight 1 match, won by Bank. (Allianz Cup/Paul Todd photo)

According to tactician Gavin Brady, Ellison had trouble in today’s light winds.

“We’ve spent a couple weeks out there getting used to the conditions and of course the conditions when you’re training never seem to be the same when you do the event,” said Gavin Brady, tactician for Ellison. “I think the lightest breeze we had was 15 knots the last two weeks, so its’ a bit of a shock to the system to sail in 6 or 7 knots.

“We made a couple little mistakes, in the start mostly, and paid the price for it,” Brady continued. “On the positive side I think we were only one mistake away from winning a couple of those races. It wasn’t like we were out there making up the numbers. So I think Larry is happy with that and we know we can tighten it up a little more.”