Valencia Sailing goes to the Monsoon Cup

There will most probably be no updates during Monday as I'm travelling to Kuala Terengganu for the Monsoon cup, the closing event of this year's World Match Racing Tour.

It will undoubtedly be the closest and fiercest event with five skippers vying for the ISAF World Match Racing champion title. Any of Mathieu Richard, Adam Minoprio, Ben Ainslie, Torvar Mirsky and Ian Williams can be crowned world champion next Sunday and all the variables and possible scenarios couldn't be better described than the excellent, succinct table below.

We'll be back in full force on Tuesday morning, Malaysian time, with photos, videos and interviews from the official practice day.

World Match Racing Tour season's earnings

The world's top tennis and golf players can earn millions of dollars in prize money. For example, the 2010 US Open featured the richest purse in tennis history. This year's US Open purse topped US$ 22.6 million, an increase of US$ 1 million over last year's record purse. Across the Atlantic, the Wimbledon tennis championship awarded this year a record GBP 13.7 million and for the first time ever the prize for the singles champion reached GBP 1 million.

In sailing, the only professional circuit that awards prize money is the World Match Racing Tour. This year it consists of nine events and will award over US$ 1.5 million in prize money. In addition, there is a US$ 250,000 overall prize pool for the top nine teams with a US$50,000 bonus for the outright winner.

The WMRT made public the breakdown of the prize money for the 2010 and 2009 season (tables below). The figures are in US dollars and are approximate since the prizes are mostly given in the local currency of each event.

Adam Minoprio, the reigning ISAF World Match Racing Champion, made a cool 220,000 dollars in 2009, although I suppose this amount has to be split among his team. Second placed Torvar Mirsky earned exactly half of what his kiwi opponent did while third placed Ben Ainslie pocketed close to 175,000 dollars.

This clearly shows that you can very well end up second overall at the end of the season if you finish second or third in each event but you can earn much more if you win a number of events, even if you don't take part in the entire circuit. Ainslie took part in only 4 of the 2009 events, scoring two wins, a third place and an all-important second in the season's grand finale in the Monsoon Cup. On the other hand, Mirsky took part in all events, won only one and had a string of bad results like an 8th and even a 10th.

This year, the same pattern holds true and Mathieu Richard and Ben Ainslie top the earning charts, thanks to 3 and 2 victories, respectively.

World Match Racing Tour earnings in 2010 (as of October 18th)

No.	Skipper	Country	Team	Points	Prize Money
1	Mathieu Richard	FRA	French Match Racing Team	105	US$ 145,112
2	Adam Minoprio	NZL	ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing	90	US$ 86,305
3	Ben Ainslie	GBR	TEAMORIGIN	88	US$ 104,744
4	Torvar Mirsky	AUS	Mirsky Racing Team	76	US$ 73,117
5	Ian Williams	GBR	Team GAC Pindar	72	US$ 94,048
6	Jesper Radich	DEN	Gaastra Racing Team	60	US$ 42,000
7	Francesco Bruni	ITA	Team Azzurra	53	US$ 54,172
8	Peter Gilmour	AUS	YANMAR Racing	51	US$ 51,000

World Match Racing Tour earnings in 2009

No.	Skipper	Country	Team	Points	Prize Money
1	Adam Minoprio	NZL	ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing	138	US$ 219,050
2	Torvar Mirsky	AUS	Mirsky Racing Team	97	US$ 111,800
3	Ben Ainslie	GBR	TEAMORIGIN	95	US$ 173,250
4	Peter Gilmour	AUS	YANMAR Racing	93	US$ 127,400
5	Mathieu Richard	FRA	French Match Racing Team	89	US$ 118,800
6	Ian Williams	GBR	Team Pindar	83	US$ 118,150
7	Sebastien Col	FRA	All4One	59	US$ 96,200
8	Damien Iehl	FRA	French Match Racing Team	48	US$ 59,700
9	Paolo Cian	ITA	Team Shosholoza	31	US$ 72,600
10	Philippe Presti	FRA	French Spirit	26	US$ 33,400

Minoprio, Ainslie and Williams Face Survival Challenge in Bermuda

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing, Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORGIN and Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar sponsored by Argo Group all face a restless night with the knowledge that at least one of them will be a casualty tomorrow in the final Qualifying Session at the Argo Group Gold Cup. It will cap a remarkable few days in Bermuda, which also saw overall World Match Racing Tour leader Mathieu Richard ultimately knocked out of the competition by Jesper Radich (DEN) Gaastra Racing Team.

In contrast to the 10-18 knot winds of the previous two days, today required sailors to adopt an altogether different skill set to deal with a very fickle and incredibly light wind. The reigning champion, Adam Minoprio has a second chance to qualify tomorrow for the Quarter-Finals having failed to qualify directly however he faces formidable competition – this group of six teams includes four of the top 10 names in the ISAF Match Racing Rankings. Björn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team, Minoprio, Williams and Ainslie, are also joined by Alvaro Marinho (POR) Seth Sailing Team (ranked 15), and Phil Robertson (NZL) Waka Racing (ranked 21).

Highlights from day 3 of the Argo Group Gold Cup. Hamilton, 7 October 2010. Video copyright World Match Racing Tour

Competitors were not alone in finding the fickle conditions frustrating – PRO David Campbell-James was in a no-win situation, but did a great job with what he had: “It was a 360-degree day, with the wind swinging right round the compass as the day progressed.”

Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team, one of the six skippers to qualify directly for the Quarter-Finals, reflected: “It was important for us to beat Marinho in Qualifying Session 3. We feel really confident about this week – we’re sailing well have yet to make a tactical mistake. It’s our fourth time here and we have similar boats at home so we are benefiting from having been able to practice there.”

Minoprio, Williams and Ainslie will take some comfort into tomorrow knowing they each won their first races in the Qualifying Play-Off however their toughest matches will come tomorrow. The morning will see a return of 12-18 knots of breeze but with tropical storm Otto heading towards Bermuda, the wind is expected to increase considerably later on, giving skippers in the Quarter-Finals an extra challenge with which to contend.

Quarter Finalists
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 6-0
Jesper Radich (DEN) Gaastra Racing Team 6-1
Taylor Canfield (USA) 6-1
Eric Monnin (SUI) Swiss Match Racing Team 5-1
Johnnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team 5-1
Reuben Corbett (NZL) Black Sheep Racing 4-2

Qualifying Session Play-Off Standings
Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 1-0
Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN 1-0
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar sponsored by Argo Group 1-0
Alvaro Marinho (POR) Seth Sailing Team 0-1
Phil Robertson (NZL) Waka Racing 0-1
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Racing Team 0-1

Torvar Mirsky is on fire, moving to the qualifiers undefeated. Hamilton, 7 October 2010. Photo copyright Subzero Images / World Match Racing Tour

Video: Highlights from the final day of the Danish Open

Highlights from the final day of the Danish Open. Bornholm, 12 September 2010. Video copyright World Match Racing Tour

Adam Minoprio and BlackMatch Racing clinch Danish Open

Hello all from BlackMatch,

Today we managed to get the single win needed against Francesco Bruni to take out the semi final 3 nil, before going on to win a gruelling Final against a rampant Torvar Mirsky 3-2, to become the 2010 Danish Open Champions. Torvar and his Western Australian team had earlier sailed an amazing semi final to win 3 races in a row and take out a miraculous comeback victory over Mathieu Richard, so we knew it would be a tough final.

At two wins apiece the final race was a cliffhanger and after trailing for most of the finale, we made our move half way up the second beat to cross mere metres in front of Mirsky and sail away from then on to take the victory.

After four terrible regatta's in the DK37's we thought that we were doing something very very wrong, so it was great to break the curse and nail a win here in Bornholm. Not only was it great to get our 5th World Match Racing Tour win but it also has helped us out immensely on the overall 2010 World Tour standings. We now trail 2010's 'bolter' Mathieu Richard by 17 points, while a good result in our next regatta in Bermuda will put us right back on his tail going into the final event in Malaysia. Our win here has also helped us to maintain our ISAF World Number 1 Ranking.

We would again like to say a special thank you to our sponsors FedEx Express and Events Clothing/Line 7. Owen Rutter from Events Clothing has supplied us with new sailing gear this season, keeping the boys looking very sharp. The ongoing support of our sponsors is helping make this opportunity possible for the BlackMatch boys and we would also like to thank Emirates Team New Zealand and Steinlager Pure.

BlackMatch Racing this week is Adam Minoprio, Dan McLean, Tom Powrie, David Swete, Nick Blackman and local boy Jonas Frank Hviid-Nielsen.

It was neck and neck between the two young guns but finally Minoprio prevailed and won the Danish Open. Bornholm, 12 September 2010. Photo copyright Loris von Siebenthal / WMRT

Early Exit for Ainslie and Gilmour at Danish Open

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] Three time Olympic Gold medalist Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN and four time Match Racing World Champion Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing were among the big name casualties who were sent packing from the Danish Open today, effectively ending their dreams of winning the ISAF World Match Racing Tour Championship.

Both skippers were resigned to the fact that the Championship probably lies beyond their grasp having lost out on valuable points as reigning Champion Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing, Tour leader Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing, Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team and Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra marched into the semi-finals which are set to be completed tomorrow morning.

With just three flights of qualifying remaining to be completed this morning and 7 skippers still in with a chance of making the semis there were always going to be some big names facing an early exit. Ainslie and Gilmour both went into the morning’s matches with a fighting chance of reaching the semis and faced up to each other in their opening match of the day.

Highlights from day 3 of the Danish Open. Bornholm, 11 September 2010. Video copyright WMRT

It was the experienced Gilmour who came out on top giving the Australian hope of making the semi-finals in Denmark for the second year in a row. However, both Gilmour and Ainslie lost their next matches dashing any chances they had of making it through to the knock out stages.

A disappointed Ainslie said, “In terms of the Tour and doing well we have to face that we’re probably out of it. We had a chance in all three of our races this morning but just couldn’t get into gear and get any speed. It’s been a really frustrating day but we have to take it on the chin. We’ll be at the Argo Group Gold Cup in Bermuda (Stage 8 of the WMRT) and have a good history there so will just have to see how we sit going into the final event in Malaysia. We love being on Tour and match racing is excellent for practicing our skills.”

Gilmour, who reached the semi-finals in Denmark last year said, ”We came into this morning thinking we’d need two wins out of three and when we won against Ben we had a real chance, but we let Mirsky off the hook in the next race. He had a penalty in the pre-race start and we gave a weak one back. It's very noticeable how the standard has improved on the Tour. It’s not so much at the top but more with the rest of the field. In the past you knew you were going to have a few easy matches before the knock out stages. Now every race is a battle.”

Minoprio topped the standings at the end of qualifying which gave him the right to choose his opponent for the semi-finals, opting to take on Italy’s Francesco Bruni, who had not been in action in the morning having completed his qualifying flights on Friday.

With two flights of the first to three point semi finals taking place this afternoon, with the remaining matches being staged tomorrow ahead of the final, Minoprio’s decision to take on Bruni appeared to pay off as he opened up a 2-0 lead. In the other semi-final Richard looked to increase his strangle hold on the championships as he opened up a 2-0 lead over Mirsky.

Speaking after the day’s racing Richard said, “It has been a very good week for us so far. In the past we’ve led the Championship at this stage and then fallen away. This time we are not thinking about our ranking. We are just taking each race one by one and focusing on racing. We have improved technically this season and have a lot more experience now. We’ve been together a long time and it all seems to be working well.”

Semi-final standings
Adam Minoprio leads Francesco Bruni 2-0
Mathieu Richard leads Torvar Mirsky 2-0

Standings at the end of qualifying for Danish Open
Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 9-2
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 9-2
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra 8-3
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 8-3
Björn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team 6-5
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 6-5
Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN 5-6
Bertrand Pacé (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team 5-6
Mads Ebler (DEN) Ebler Matchracing 4-7
William Tiller (NZL) Full Metal Jacket Racing 4-7
Suzanne Ward (DEN) Team Ward 1-10
Michael Buckley (USA) MB Sailing 1-10

A Touch of Luck Defines Day 4 of The St. Moritz Match Race

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] On a frustrating day for the six teams battling to reach the semi-finals of the St. Moritz Match Race, perhaps the biggest fight was off the water between the gradient northerly wind and the thermally induced southerly, which left the racecourse peppered with monumental wind shifts, holes and gusts.

The weather has tested the skippers’ mettle all week and today it created a spectacular sporting moment that had the crowd holding its breath. It looked as if it was all over for reigning ‘King of the Mountain’ Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing in his match against Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team. Iehl, looking to build on a remarkable previous day, had what seemed like an insurmountable lead however he hit a hole and unfavourable wind shift just before the finish line. At the same time, Minoprio caught a big gust that he rode all the way to the end, storming past Ihel just two boat lengths from the finish. The King of the Mountains clearly controls the wind however it was a hollow victory: “Damien did a really good job extending his lead around the course. Then, when it was almost all over, he sailed into a hole and we sailed round him. I really don’t feel good about it, but we need the points.”

Video highlights from day 4 of the St. Moritz Match Race. St. Moritz, 4 September 2010. Photo copyright Ian Roman / WMRT

No skipper was given Minoprio’s luck, forcing them to relentlessly pursue every possible advantage. A pre-start incident between triple Olympic gold medalist Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN and Björn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team saw the umpires find in favour of the British team, as Ainslie explains: “It was a 50-50 situation in which we had to keep clear when Hansen luffed us hard. It was a difficult decision for the jury as to whether he had been too aggressive, or whether our response was too slow. Luckily they decided in our favour.”

Next up was a French derby between Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team against Bertrand Pacé (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team. There was no love lost though as Richard tried to pin Pacé outside the line at the start. In a super-close rounding of the second mark, Richard had the favoured inside line, while Pacé collected a penalty for failing to give him space giving Richard the advantage which he held to the finish.

In what proved to be the final chapter of the day, Ainslie held a big lead over Hansen when a wind shift of such magnitude made it difficult for Hansen to hold the spinnaker. Despite vehement protest from Hansen’s team, the race was not abandoned giving Ainslie a second and decisive win to join Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar in the semi-finals.

Ben Aisnlie cruises to the semifinals. St. Moritz, 4 September 2010. Photo copyright Ian Roman / WMRT


The battle between the two wind systems continued through the afternoon, and despite supreme efforts by the race committee, racing eventually had to be abandoned for the day. The remaining quarter-final races to decide the two teams that will face Ainslie and Williams in the semi-finals, will take place at 1000 local time tomorrow morning.

Quarter-final results at the St. Moritz Match Race:
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar: goes straight to semi-final
Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAM ORIGIN: 2
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team: 1
Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing: 1
Bertrand Pace (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team: 0
Björn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team: 0
Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team: 0

All To Play For At The St. Moritz Match Race

[Source: World MAtch Racing Tour] The opening day of racing at the St. Moritz Match Race dawned bright but cold, with the surface of the lake covered in a thin layer of picturesque mist. However, the tranquil setting belied the intensity of racing that was to come most notably between the British and French teams.

The first start saw double ISAF Match Racing World Champion Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar pitched against local sailor Jérôme Clerc (SUI) Team CER Genève, who gained a wildcard invitation to the event. The young Swiss sailor proved from the outset that he has the talent to mix with sailing's biggest stars, taking the lead just after the start and holding it until tantalisingly close to the finish.

Clerc was next up against Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN. Approaching the first windward mark, Clerc held a small advantage slightly to windward of the British boat, but Ainslie pulled just far enough forward to slip above the Swiss skipper in a deft manoeuvre that cleared his way to round the mark first.
Clerc commented: "It was a lot of fun today - we're not really favourites, but we are really happy to be in contact with them and playing with them."

Adam Minoprio leads St Moritz Match Race 2010 after day one. St Moritz, 1 September 2010. Photo copyright Ian Roman / WMRT

Ainslie's fight with Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team saw the event's first piece of red-hot anger, including a collision, much shouting between the two teams, and a rapid succession of penalties even before the start gun was fired. With a red flag penalty - to be taken immediately - Iehl's race was effectively over at the start.

The Brits went on to dominate the first part of the day's racing, with both teams winning all their races, including Ainslie's match against current World Match Racing Tour leader Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team. "It's the start we wanted, even though we're a bit rusty having missed the last two events. The conditions were very tricky with 20-25 and even 30, degree windshifts and it was important to connect the gusts, especially downwind."

So what would happen when Ainslie and Williams went head-to-head? After close sparring in the pre-start, Williams held Ainslie out to the wrong side of the committee boat, winning the start by a length and a half. At the windward mark Williams misjudged his tack and collided with Ainslie, but maintained a tenuous lead. At the beginning of the final leg he had extended this to three-lengths, but still had a penalty turn to take before finishing - it was impossible to predict the result, until a gust allowed Williams to extend his lead 150m from the finish line.

Ian Williams,Team GAC Pindar, beats Ben Ainslie, TEAMORIGIN in the round robin of the St Moritz Match Race 2010. St Moritz, 1 September 2010. Photo copyright Ian Roman / WMRT

The French teams came to the fore in the final races of the day. Ainslie and Bertrand Pacé (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team were evenly positioned at the start, with Pacé at the left-hand end of the line. With the stronger gusts on the left-hand side of the course he quickly pulled out a small lead. Pacé, reflected: "Then we just tried to sail with the best wind, choosing the right side of the course and staying in phase with the wind shifts - it's easy to stay ahead of the other guy if you do that in these conditions."

The last race, between Mathieu Richard and Ian Williams, was also the closest. With 15 seconds to go the French skipper looked much too early, yet he found enough wriggle room to make a perfect start, much to the surprise of the spectator crowds. He led throughout the race by the tightest of margins - at the finish just one metre separated the two boats.

Richard, said: "The match with Williams was the most challenging for us today - it was so close all the way. We're very pleased with our results and the way we sailed, although we know we can still make small improvements."

It was also a good day for defending champion St. Moritz Match Race Champion, Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing, Björn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team, who top the rankings along with Williams at the end of day one, each of these skippers having won four races and lost one.

Results after Day 1 of the St. Moritz Match Race:
Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing:4-1
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar: 4-1
Björn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team: 4-1
Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN: 3-2
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team: 3-2
Bertrand Pace (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team: 3-2
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team: 2-3
Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team: 2-3
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra: 2-3
Eric Monnin (SUI) Swiss Match Racing Team: 2-3
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team: 1-4
Jérôme Clerc (SUI) CER: 0-5

Adam Minoprio holds on to top spot at match racing rankings

[Source: ISAF] The leaders of the current ISAF World Match Race Rankings remain unchanged in the current release of the ISAF World Match Race Rankings. Current Open World Match Race Champion Adam Minoprio (NZL) continues to lead the Open Match Race Rankings.

There have been very few Open Match Race regattas since the last rankings release and hence very few changes to the top order. Adam Minoprio (NZL) completes his tenth consecutive release in the world number one position followed by Ben Ainslie (GBR) who is currently racing for Team Origin against BMW Oracle Racing for the 1851 Cup in Cowes.


The only major change in the top order is the change of places of Torvar Mirsky (AUS) and Mathieu Richard (FRA). Mirsky moves to the third spot, dropping Richard to fourth. Eugeniy Neugodnikov (RUS) currently in eight position is putting pressure on Bjorn Hansen (SWE) with a third position in the Manu Minard Trophy, Match Racing regatta in Pornichet. Both Sébastien Col and Damien Iehl of France drop out of the top ten.

Pierre-Antoine Morvan of France has moved into the top 10 with a win at the Manu Minard Trophy in Pornichet. Another sailor steadily rising up the rankings is Reuben Corbett (NZL) who jumps from #25 to #18 aided by his second placing in Pornichet.

Video: Highlights from the 2nd day of the Portimao Portugal Match Cup

Video highlights from the 2nd day of the Portimao Portugal Match Cup. Portimao, 24 June 2010. Video copyright World Match Racing Tour

Minoprio still leading Portimao Portugal Match Cup unbeaten

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] Day Two at Portimão brought yet more sun and an afternoon wind stabilising later than yesterday, which again swung right into position from the West and generated some waves for the sea sailors amongst the fleet. The race course has changed the fortunes of some of the top runners with surprising scenarios playing out. Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team lost 2 matches in a row and now sits at 3-2, with Francesco Bruni (ITA) also finishing on 3-2 having been beaten by Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge with Bruni having a half point deducted after a collision that resulted in damage. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team and Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing, the youngest Tour seeds, sit in the most comfortable positions at 4-1 and 4-0 respectively. Minoprio is still the only unbeaten skipper in Stage 4’s Round Robin.

Richard commented on his couple of losses, “We are still at the beginning of the regatta, we take it match after match. Today we were waiting a long time to get out racing, we had a good first match against Manuel Weiller (ESP) Team Iberdrola and after that we had two bad starts with a big timing mistake in the match against Bruni. With Mirsky we had a problem with a sheet, basically we gave it to him. It’s difficult to then come back and not make any more mistakes, that’s the game of match racing. One mistake is enough to change a match especially if your competitor is sailing well, but at the moment there is still everything to play for.”

It's been a tough day for Francesco Bruni. Portimao, 24 June 2010. Photo copyright Gareth Cooke / SubZero Images

Bruni was not impressed with his performance, lamenting after a long day, “We lost 2 and we won 1 against Richard, but we also get half a point taken off. There was a collision with Holmberg which was the most disappointing match, we didn’t have a good start but we kept close to them right up to the last mark, almost bow to bow. There was a first penalty on us but we only just touched and then moments later we had a second contact between our bow and their stern, it felt soft, but apparently there is 3 hours of work required to repair the damage so we have the half point taken off.”

Day three will provide plenty of sporting stimulus to the Poritmão region with Portugal due to play Brazil in the Football World Cup and the final stages of the Round Robin putting further pressure on all entries to make the cut through to the Quarters.

Day 2: Current Round Robin Standings

Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 4-0
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 4-1
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 3-1
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing* 3-1
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 3-2
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra * 3-2
Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge* 2-3
Bertrand Pacé (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team 1-3
Alvaro Marinho (POR) Seth Sailing Team 1-3
Björn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team 1-4
Manuel Weiller (ESP) Team Iberdrola 2-3
Eugeny Neugodnikov (RUS) Team Synergy 0-4

* Deducted 0.5 point for damage

Mathieu Richard, current leader of the World Match Racing Tour. Portimao, 24 June 2010. Photo copyright Gareth Cooke / SubZero Images

Video: Highlights from the 1st day of the Portimao Portugal Match Cup

Video highlights from the 1st day of the Portimao Portugal Match Cup. Portimao, 23 June 2010. Video copyright World Match Racing Tour

Video: Onboard Adam Minoprio's yacht in the Korea Match Cup

Onboard Adam Minoprio's yacht in the race against Johnie Berntsson in the Korea Match Cup round robin. Jeongok Marina, 10 June 2010. Video copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Richard, Minoprio and Williams Lead on opening day of Korea Match Cup

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] The world was welcomed today to South Korea’s Province of Gyeonggi, host to the ISAF World Match Racing Tour’s 3rd Stage of 2010. The global sailing series is bringing the world to Gyeonggi and Gyeonggi to the world by profiling this ambitious venue as an elite match race destination.

During a visually stimulating opening ceremony, which included; a black belt taekwondo demonstration, naval gun salute, rendition of Abba, World Match Racing Tour teams parade and group singing of the Korean national anthem in a colossal open air stadium which saw Korea Match Cup commence.

The Governor of Gyeonggi Province, Republic of Korea addressed the 3000 strong crowd gathered to celebrate the opening of Korea Match Cup and the Korea International Boat Show, after a note of thanks to the Tour his speech confirmed the power of South Korea’s maritime leisure industry, “The ISAF World Match Racing Tour has inspired the people of Gyeonggi, it is one of Korea’s largest annual sporting events and is a powerful event for this region. It is rewarding to host such a high calibre set of sailors and will continue to create young talent for South Korea’s next generation of sailing sport enthusiasts”.

Opening day of the Korea Match Cup. Jeongok Marina, 9 June 2010. Photo copyright World Match Racing Tour

Gyeonggi has a vast international pull and has secured over 2,900 overseas companies to trade in this province, it is noted as ‘the foundation to Korea’s national economy’. Korea Match Cup annually inspires pro-racers from Europe, Asia and Australasia to travel to the race destination. The Northeast Asian hub is focusing on marine leisure and the tourist industry for its future growth, having recently attracted the world’s largest ‘Universal Studio Theme Park’ to take up residence.

The Tour takes in 10 international destinations around the world and allows the global recognition of each venue to grow through this unique sports platform. The WMRT venues have the ability to build an extensive profile and ‘communicate with the world’ through the professional sailing series.

Patrick Lim, Executive Chairman, ISAF World Match Racing Tour, accepted thanks from the Governor of Gyeonggi and highlighted Korea Match Cup as the biggest event on the 2010 Tour programme, “Stage 3 is a high profile event in the Tour annually attracting 300,000 spectators to watch some of the world’s top America’s Cup teams in action. Global fans will also be able to experience the action via live television coverage reaching 600 million households and live internet newsfeeds going to over 183 countries”.

Impressive opening ceremony of the Korea Match Cup. Jeongok Marina, 9 June 2010. Photo copyright World Match Racing Tour

Racing started after the formalities with a light breeze which saw slow tactical boat manoeuvres by the top helms. It was definitely a day for demonstrating the power of the local hero after Park GunWoo (KOR) Busan Match Team, noted as an ‘unknown quantity’ previous to Korea Match Cup, stole the limelight from esteemed match racer Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing. GunWoo, wildcard entry to Korea Match Cup, has racing experience in dinghy fleets but only started the match racing discipline in November 2009. This 28 year old helm has a fantastic potential and is a face that the seasoned skippers will need to take note of.

When asked how he felt after beating a legend today, an excited GunWoo responded, “I just can’t believe it, all the guys racing here are world famous skippers and we are just happy to have an entry and sail against these pro-racers. We sailed well and are very happy”. Gilmour was on hand to offer his congratulations to the new Asian racing star adding, “GunWoo sailed a very good race and provided no openings”.

The big names that have dominated the first two Stages of the 2010 Tour; Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team, Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/Black Match Racing and Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar have continued their consistency into Korea Match Cup all winning 3 out of 3 races on the first day’s racing.

Day 1: Current Round Robin Standings
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 3-0
Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 3-0
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 3-0
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra 2-1
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Gill Global Team 2-1
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 1-2
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 1-2
Bertrand Pacé (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team 1-2
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team 1-2
Park GunWoo (KOR) Busan Match 1-2
Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Italia 0-3
Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing Team 0-3

How NOT to celebrate your victory in a regatta

This being a blog, it's relaxing from time to time to write about something that is not very serious, even if it concerns the world's top-ranked match racers and winners of the 2009 ISAF World Match Racing Championship.

So, here's Adam Minoprio, Tom Powrie, Daniel Mclean, Dave Swete and, in particular, Nick Blackman, that show us how NOT to celebrate victory in a regatta, especially if you don't have strong underwear.

Gilmour and Williams eliminated from Match Race Germany semis

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] There were a series of Quarter Final fights for first place today on Day 4 of Match Race Germany. Two previous ISAF Match Racing World Champions; Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing and Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar were knocked out in the quarters whilst Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing and Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team remained.

Radich is back in the game after a two year break from match racing, “It’s great to be back behind the wheel, I can definitely feel that I’ve taken time out but it’s all coming back to me. My crew have been amazing”, said a satisfied Radich.

Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing, the current World Champion, sailed through to the semi finals after defeating Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team clinched victory over Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing after a controversial call by Gilmour’s team which took them round the wrong windward mark and Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team destroyed the hope of a semi final spot for Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar.

Highlights from Day 4 of Match Race Germany. Langenargen, 23 May 2010. Video copyright World Match Racing Tour

This is a turning point for Mirsky who according to Gilmour has a “long and high profile career ahead of him” – he has beaten his master, who Mirsky back in Marseille said was his ‘inspiration’ to take up this sport.

Minoprio was confident yesterday that he could beat Holmberg and did not disappoint. This is a major achievement for Minoprio as Holmberg is renowned as one of the most competitive sailors in the match racing scene having been involved with the Tour circuit since 1991, representing Sweden in the Olympics 3 times as well as having 2 America’s Cup campaigns under his belt. A hungry Minoprio after 10 hours of racing chatted about the time he put in training with Holmberg before Stage 2, “I was worried at one point today that the training I put in with Holmberg would actually have worked against me and that he might beat us”.

The race committee cracked straight on into the semi finals as the skippers’ prayers for a more stable wind were answered. Minoprio came out on top against Mirsky beating him in 2 matches and Radich is 2 wins up on Richard.

The umpire team, boasting some high profile names, has had an enthralling start to the semi final with a collision between the youngest contenders. Jack Lloyd current Race Director for the Volvo Ocean Race and originally rules advisor to Emirates Team New Zealand during the 2007 America’s Cup is enjoying the WMRT work. After a lengthy debrief Lloyd talked through his views on the WMRT, “The World Match Racing Tour is really striving to create an atmosphere for the public, bringing the racing closer in and building the entertainment factor that match racing has, basically what’s not to like”.

Great performance by Jesper Radich who knocked out former world champion Ian Williams. Langenargen, 23 May 2010. Photo copyright Subzero Images / World Match Racing Tour

Meanwhile, the semi-final of the Match Race Germany 2010 has attracted a staggering 50 sponsors with multinational brands intent on establishing an association with this World Series. BAVARIA has been the official ‘Boat Sponsor’ for Stage 2 of the Tour since 2004 and has signed up for further activity next year. Jasmin Müller, Marketing Manager of BAVARIA, has been hosting guests today at the 17th century castle, “Match Race Germany is key for our involvement with an international racing series. We are really pleased today that the WMRT enabled one of our guests to actually race on board a Bavaria 35 match with the elite crews”. This sponsor initiative is common place now on the Tour, where a ‘hot seat’ position is made available for VIPs to have a ‘once in a lifetime racing experience’.

One of the top players in the automobile industry, Alfa Romeo - part of the Fiat Group, is using Match Race Germany as an exhibition vehicle. This is the first year for Alfa Romeo’s association with match racing. Fiat’s Brand Marketing and Communications Manager, Alexander Knesewitsch, notes the success of having an onsite presence, “It’s excellent to have some of our newest models on display at the event village. The sheer number of people that this sports event draws in is incredible, we have benefited from this footfall with a lot of registered interest in the 8C Spider.” In fact independent quantitative reports show annual figures of 45,000 spectators flocking to this 5 day event.

‘Logistics company for the world’, DHL, one of the top sponsors at Match Race Germany, is proud to support the Tour. “It is always a pleasure for us to invite our guests from all over the world to Langenargen where they are sure to be indulged with a unique experience”, said Ernst Wallaschek representing DHL this year.

Richard got racing this afternoon during the start of the semis and has put his continued success down to maintaining a long term relationship with his crew, “I’ve been racing with my crew now for 10 years – in top teams you find that the crews are very stable, the good results come when you have a consistent crew. It’s a really key point to have the same crew. I think Gilmour is an example of what happens when you change your team line up too much”.

Adam Minoprio and Torvar Mirsky yell, asking for penalties. Minoprio is leading Mrisky 2-1 in the semifinals. Langenargen, 23 May 2010. Photo copyright Subzero Images / World Match Racing Tour


Day 4: Results

Day 4 Semi Finals after 3 Races
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team vs Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Sailing Team 1-2
Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing vs Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 2-1

Quarter Final results
Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing vs Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge 3-1
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar GRB vs Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Sailing Team 3-2
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team vs Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 3-1

Overall Standings:
5 Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar
6 Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing
7 Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge
8 Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Italia
9 Ian Ainslie (RSA) Team Proximo
10 Mads Ebler (DEN) Ebler Matchracing
11 Kathrin Kadelbach (GER) EWE Sailing Team
12 Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Gill Global Team

Adam Minoprio advances to quarterfinals at Match Race Germany

Greetings from BlackMatch,

Finishing the round robin today we ended with a scorecard of 8 wins and 3 losses, tied at the top of the leaderboard with Mathieu Richard and Ian Williams. A countback was needed to decide the top qualifying team who would proceed directly through to the semi final and it was Richard who came out on top, due to wins against both Williams and ourselves. This left us in second position and safely through to the shortened quarterfinal, also earning the right to choose who we were to race.

Todays victories came against Jesper Radich, Ian Williams and Torvar Mirsky, while we suffered a disappointing loss to our ‘bogie man’ Paolo Cian. Both our victories over Williams and Mirsky were convincing, while against Radich we had to come from behind. The Danish team held a slender lead at the first top mark however we made a nice move down the first run to roll over the top of them and gain a lead that we were able to defend well to the finish.

Given the choice of who we would race in the quarterfinal we chose Swede Magnus Holmberg and his Kiwi Team, made up of the Waka Racing boys. This was a tough decision especially as they won all 4 of their matches today in a great display of sailing, nevertheless we are confident we can break our curse of never winning a quarterfinal having chosen our opponent.

The other quarterfinal match ups are Torvar Mirsky verses Peter Gilmour and Ian Williams taking on Jesper Radich.

Black Match crew members during a spinnaker hoist on day 3 of Match Race Germany. Langenargen, 22 May 2010. Photo copyright Gareth Cooke/Subzero Images/WMRT

Adam Minoprio holds on to #1 match race spot; Mathieu Richard climbs to 4th

[Source: ISAF] The top two remain unchanged in the latest release of the Open ISAF World Match Race Rankings. Adam Minoprio (NZL) completes his seventh consecutive release in the world #1 spot, followed by fellow young gun Torvar Mirsky (AUS).

Triple Olympic gold medallist and TeamOrigin skipper Ben Ainslie (GBR) remains in third position having been runner-up at Match Race France in Marseilles.

Three French sailors hold top ten positions in the rankings, Mathieu Richard, Damien Iehl and Sebastien Col. Mathieu Richard (FRA) has moved up the leaderboard from seventh to fourth after his impressive victory on home waters in Marseilles and Damien Iehl won the Vll Open de Espana in Calpe in May.

Adam Minoprio, the world's top match racer, trains on the eve of Match Race Germany. Langenargen, 19 May 2010. Photo copyright Gareth Cooke/Subzero Images/WMRT

For the second time Francesco Bruni (ITA) has made big gains to move up to ninth with a third place finish at Match Race France. Peter Gilmour (AUS) has also moved into the top ten by campaigning on the ISAF World Match Race Tour.

Former ISAF Match Racing World Champion, Ian Williams (GBR) starts his 2010 campaign at stage two of the ISAF World Match Racing Tour in Germany. Beaten by the new match racing rock star, Adam Minoprio at last years Monsoon Cup, Williams also faces stiff opposition including Mathieu Richard, Torvar Mirsky, Bjorn Hansen (SWE), sailing legend Magnus Holmberg (SWE) and Ian Ainslie (RSA).

Also competing at Lake Constance in the Open category will be Kathrin Kadelb of Germany, who will be the first female skipper to ever compete in Match Race Germany. Another female skipper who has risen steadily up the Open rankings is Sally Barkow (USA), she has gone from #93 to #66 helped by a win at the Match Race Clinic & Regatta in Newport.

Mickel Hestbaek of Denmark has made a huge leap from #120 to #67 aided by a second position at the ISAF Grade 3 Spring Cup in Skovshoved, Denmark.

One to watch for the future will be twenty three year old young gun Phil Robertson (NZL) who recently won the Korea Match Cup Qualifier securing his entry to the ISAF World Match Race Tour event in Korea.

Adam Minoprio talks to Valencia Sailing about the Volvo Ocean Race

Adam Minoprio, the reigning ISAF World Match Racing Champion and winner of the 2009 World Match Racing Tour, was in Calpe for the Open de España, calling tactics on Michelle Perris' yacht. Valencia Sailing caught up with Minoprio and talked about Team New Zealand and their Volvo Ocean Race project.

Valencia Sailing: Let's start with the obvious question. Why do you want to do the Volvo Ocean Race?
Adam Minoprio: Growing up in New Zealand, as a boy I watched the Whitbread coming into Auckland and most of New Zealand's greatest sailors have gone through the Volvo Ocean Race. It's also a natural step of progression for me and since the opportunity came along, I certainly jumped into it. I really look forward to it.

Valencia Sailing: It's certainly a change for you, going from short upwind/downwind legs in small boats to sailing 40,000 miles around the globe.
Adam Minoprio: It's going to be a huge difference and that's part of the challenge but at the end of the day it is just boat sailing and I'm sure it's going to be a lot of fun. I have done a few offshore races, not as many as I probably would like, and I enjoyed all of them.

Valencia Sailing: What's the longest offshore race you have done?
Adam Minoprio: It's the Sydney Hobart and we did it in a pretty quick time, two days and two hours on a TP52.

Valencia Sailing: What will the biggest challenge as far as you are concerned?
Adam Minoprio: I think the whole thing is going to be a challenge. Every aspect of the project will be a challenge on itself although I can't single out any in particular. Nevertheless, it's challenge I look forward to taking on. I will be one of the drivers and trimmers of the boat and the basic principles of what a boat go fast or slow are the same. I have helmed Maximus when she was on the water and it's not that different. The main difference I see from the smaller boats is that on big boats things happen slower.

Adam Minoprio calls tactics for Michelle Perris. Calpe, 30 April 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Valencia Sailing: What is the schedule for you personally and the Volvo Ocean Race project for 2010?
Adam Minoprio: This year my focus will entirely be on the World Match Racing Tour. The Volvo Ocean Race boat is still being designed and we will not do any sailing in that aspect. The America's Cup is still unannounced, so it will be all about the WMRT and the world title we have to defend.

Valencia Sailing: Don't you think this will put Team New Zealand in a disadvantage against its main competitors in the Volvo Ocean Race? Groupama, Telefonica and Puma are already training with boats from the previous edition. They will almost be a year ahead of you.
Adam Minoprio: Not necessarily, because you are only allowed to build one boat this time, so we will all have the new boats out roughly at the same time. In that aspect they are not training on a new boat in order to improve the design of the second new boat, they are just doing crew training. They will only get a little advantage. The Team New Zealand design team is one of the best in the world and are certainly doing a fantastic job while, in addition, they are currently recruiting the best VOR sailors in the world. We will be an awesome team with a very well-designed boat, so we will be extremely competitive. We will have enough time to do the required training before the race.

Valencia Sailing: Will any other member of BlackMatch Racing Team be part of Team New Zealand?
Adam Minoprio: I hope so but it's not up to me. I don't take those decisions, I'm just a sailor and most probably I'll be the youngest one onboard, doing the work the youngest guy onboard is supposed to do. Still, the Under-30 rule is definitely a very good idea that gives young sailors a great opportunity to advance in the sport and it will be good for the America's Cup to also implement it.

Volvo Ocean Race & America's Cup: Ask your questions

Starting Thursday, and for three days, Valencia sailing will be in Calpe in order to cover yet another edition of Open Match Race España, the ISAF Grade 1 match racing event organized by the Royal Calpe Yacht Club. The Open España is also a World Match Racing Tour Qualifier event and its winner gets a slot at St Moritz Match Race.

This year's lineup includes Torvar Mirsky, the world's #2 match racer, while Adam Minoprio, the world's top match racer, is calling tactics on Michlle Perris' yacht. Another young kiwi match racer will be keeping a close eye upon is William Tiller, recent winner of the Warren Jones International Youth Regatta in Perth.

Given the proximity of Calpe and Alicante, I will take the opportunity to first visit the start port of the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race and interview the CEO of the race, Knut Frostad. So, if there is anything in particular you would like to ask, feel free to comment or send an email.

As for the America's Cup, I was referring to the press conference BMW Oracle and Mascalzone Latino will hold next week in Rome, where they will outline the key dates for the 34th America's Cup. We will do our best to be there, so if you want Russell Coutts to, potentially, answer your question just write it.

Torvar Mirsky and his Mirsky Racing Team during the practice session of the Open Match Race España. Calpe, 27 April 2010. Photo copyright Jesús Renedo