Phil Robertson wins Asian Match Racing Championship title

[Source: Monsoon Cup] 23-year old New Zealand skipper Phil Robertson (Waka Racing) today showed why he has the scalps of some of the top guns on the ISAF World Match Racing circuit hanging on his belt.

The Asian Match Racing Championship sailed on the Pulau Duyong Basin in Terengganu, Malaysia, is one of three qualifying events ahead of the 2010 Monsoon Cup, the final event on the World Match Racing Tour.

Robertson defeated up and coming Australian match racer David Gilmour, the 19-year old son of four times World Match Racing Champion Peter Gilmour, in the final.

David Gilmour swept through the first of the round robins undefeated and finished the two round robins in second place, having twice beaten Phil Robertson and his Waka Racing Team.

In the semi finals, Team Gilmour steadied after a first match loss and went on to beat Wataru Sakomoto's Team Siesta (JPN) 2-1. Robertson was impressive against Reuben Corbett (Black Sheep Racing) and his Malaysian crew winning two races (2-0) to go straight through to the final.

Phil Robertson wins his second consecutive Asian Match Racing Champion title. Kuala Terengganu, 28 October 2010. Photo copyright SubZero Images / Monsoon Cup

In the first race of the final between Gilmour and Robertson it was tight in the prestart, with Robertson pushing his younger rival and in the fast moving tide Gilmour was OCS by half a metre, he had to go around and it was game over.

In the second race, the two crews were about even in the prestart with Robertson on the pin, when they came together as they approached the top mark; the two boats were bow to bow.

Roberson had to duck but he initiated a luffing match just before the top mark and managed to round ahead.

His crew had a slightly better set and down the run there was a tight gybing duel, with Gilmour losing a little ground.

But up the second beat the West Australian threw everything he could at the Waka Racing Team. Gilmour was determined not to die wondering. A dozen tacks later, Roberson had edged ahead to a two boat length lead and with a better set at the top mark, he edged away from Gilmour to take the win.

Dockside Robertson paid compliments to Gilmour, Sakamoto and Corbett and to his crew.

‘We have a big edge on David and his crew in experience. David is only 19, so he is sailing scarily well. We are really pushing for a World Match Racing Tour card for 2011. So we won't be leaving any stone unturned in our efforts between now and the Monsoon Cup. We have a grade one event in Berlin next week, then the New Zealand Nationals and then the Australia Cup, so our plan is to arrive back here in Terengganu right on the pace for the Monsoon Cup.'

David Gilmour was gracious in defeat. ‘We were beaten by a better crew this afternoon. Naturally we are disappointed to lose twice against Phil when we'd beaten him in both round robin matches.

‘But when it came down to the end, it was Phil's experience that made the difference. This is a game of seconds; we mistimed our first start and then in the second match we were just a little late in a few manoeuvres and he got away from us. This has been a good learning regatta. We are on the plane back to Perth tonight. I have Uni exams next week but we will be back again next year and we will be ready to take another step up.'

Wataru Sakamoto Team Siesta (JPN) was certainly not asleep, taking third place against Reuben Corbett.

‘We had a good series, we were very happy with our third place. We had our chances against Gilmour but every mistake is just one too many. The Monsoon Cup and the qualifying events have been great for Asian Match Racing. This was great training for us for the Asian Games; they are on in Guangzhou from November 12 - 27, 2010. We plan to be back next year. The only problem for us is that young Gilmour will be tougher and still only 19.'

New Zealander Reuben Corbett finished an impressive fourth in this event with his ever improving Malaysian crew and Corbett was full of praise for them. ‘They have just kept getting stronger every single race.

‘Overall the right guys won. Robertson was on fire, just not making mistakes. Gilmour obviously has a great future and Sakamoto was very strong.

‘Now I have a busy schedule ahead. With my Black Sheep Racing crew we will be sailing the New Zealand Nationals and the Australia Cup, trying hard to pick up the third Monsoon Cup slot from there.

‘We will be racing against Ian Ainslie from South Africa, the two Aussies Peter Nicholas and Keith Swinton, and another New Zealander William Tiller, so we are looking forward to another great series.'

After losing time on a windless afternoon yesterday, Principal Race Office David Tallis was relieved to have had the wind back for the finals day.

He summed up the event. ‘It was exciting racing; the standard has lifted significantly again this year, at both last week's Malaysian titles and here at the Asian Championship. The difference between first and fourth today was just a matter of a few metres. I was very impressed with Phil Robertson, I can see him in the semi finals at the Monsoon Cup the way he is progressing and David Gilmour definitely has a big future in this sport.'

Sakamoto flies the flag for Japan as Robertson takes the lead in the Asian Match Racing Championship

[Source: Monsoon cup] Wataku Sakamoto (JPN) Team Siesta is guaranteed a top four finish in the Asian Match Racing Championship (AMRC) as Mother Nature wrecked havoc on the third day of the event at the five-star Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort and Spa.

After two-days of strong winds which saw a total of 16 of the scheduled 18 flights in the qualifying sessions completed, Sakamoto is fourth with a 9-5 record.

Defending AMRC Champion Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing (12-2) shrugged off his two defeats to David Gilmour (AUS) Team Gilmour (11-3) to top the standings ahead of his rival at end of racing, while Reuben Corbett (NZL) Black Sheep Racing is third (10-4).

Phil Robertson, currently leading the Asian Match Racing Championship, reports on day 3 of racing. Kuala Terengganu, 27 October 2010. Video copyright Waka Racing

The AMRC is the second qualifying event for the season-ending Monsoon Cup and the Champion will join Jeremy Koo (Mas) Koo Racing Team-Evernew, winner of the Malaysian Match Racing Championship (MMRC), the top eight skippers in the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) standing, the winner of the Sunseeker Australia Cup and one wildcard entry for the season-ending race of the 2010 season.

The plan was for the top four to face off in the semi-finals with the winners than going on to the final to decide who gets the invitation to race in the Monsoon Cup. However, Principal Race Officer, David Tallis said if there is no wind tomorrow, there could be just a final.

“This is a sport which is dependent on the weather and there really isn’t anything we can do. I remember the 2003 America’s Cup was also delayed by two weeks as there was no wind,” he said.

“We have several options available to us and we are still determined to finish Qualifying Session 2 as that will be fair to all teams.

“If that is not possible, we would have to rescore the teams and make the semi-finals and final a ‘first to two’ instead of first to three as this will shorten the time. If, in the event, we can’t start the semi-finals by 3pm, we might go straight into the final. I would like to stress, that nothing is set in stone and we will evaluate our options in the morning.”

Phil Robertson leads the Asian Match Racing Championship. Kuala Terengganu, 27 October 2010. Photo copyright Subzero Images / Monsoon Cup

Meanwhile, Sakamoto said placing in the top four has made him even more determined to win the title before he competes in the Asian Games next month.

“Before coming to Malaysia, I wasn’t sure how the team would do. Obviously, we were not the favourites as there are many good teams,” said Sakamoto. “However, after two and a half days here, I feel we stand a good chance of winning. I'm here to prepare for the Asian Games and winning the AMRC will be a big boost for me and also help promote the sport back in Japan. It will also help me get more sponsors!”

ASIAN MATCH RACING CHAMPIONSHIP - STANDINGS (After 16 of 18 flights)
Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing 12-2
David Gilmour (AUS) Team Gilmour 11-3
Reuben Corbett (NZL) Black Sheep Racing 10-4
Wataru Sakamoto (JPN) Team Siesta 9-5
Graeme Sutherland (HKG) Team Hermes 7-8
Peter Nicholas (AUS) Freshie Racing Team 6-8
Mark Lees (GBR) 5-9
Tan Wearn Haw (SIN) SINYIDAI 3-12
Neil Semple (THA) Capital TV 1-13

Tough fight between Gilmour and Robertson at the Asian Match Racing Championship

[Source: Monsoon Cup] The Monsoon Cup, the final event in the ISAF World Match Racing Tour, is just a month away and nine crews racing in the Asian Match Racing Championship, being raced at Terengganu Malaysia are fighting for a single 2010 Monsoon Cup berth.

After day two, David Gilmour, the 19 year West Australian university student is leading the round robin series with ten wins and two losses, but his lead is desperately thin and its clear that the semi-finals will provide some scorching action.

Young Gilly was mopping his brow as he came up to the Ri-Yaz Resort and Spa from the Pulau Duyong Basin this afternoon. 'This is our first regatta outside Australia, it was really really hot today and that was not just the air temperature.

‘There was a noticeable lift in everyone's game today. With a solid number of matches under their belts, the teams have ironed out most of their crew-work issues and the winning margins are decreasing.

‘We had a clean sheet until today. We lost against Reuben Corbett – he is a very good sailor - he controlled us in the pre-start. then he won on the right and with the strong current this morning, the right was paying and that was the end of it.'

Glimour continued. 'Then later in the day, against Peter Nicholas from Royal Freshwater (in Perth West Australia) we had a bit of a brain fade. We got our start line approach time wrong and as a result he got to the right and extended away from us.

'For us, the highlight of the day was the last match battle we had with Phil Robertson - that was very intense and we were lucky to escape. We are looking forward to tomorrow big time!'

Phil Robertson (NZL) and his WAKA Racing team, the defending Champions, were beaten by Gilmour in one of the matches of the day. Robertson attracted a penalty in the pre-start; they had a massive lead at the top of the first beat and should have wiped their penalty off then.

As Robertson said shaking his head 'a big mistake, but we decided to do it later and Gilly came back at us. He halved our lead on the run, and then we ran out of time. We threw that one away.

'This is definitely a tougher competition than last year. David and Reuben are both young and pretty keen. I think it is fantastic that there are so many young guys aiming for the Tour. This regatta is starting to become one of the main events for anyone from down under.'

Rueben Corbett, who is 23 years old, said ‘Really enjoying this event. Having had the same New Zealand crew for more than 400 matches, to suddenly have a totally new all Malaysian crew, who have trouble with my Kiwi accent, has been interesting. We met for the first time yesterday morning and since then we've been having some very intensive on the job training.

‘Now we have sailed a dozen matches and we are meshing together well. The guys were very nervous initially but they are getting more and more confident.

‘They are working hard and they are rising to a new level but no quarter is given at this level and David Gilmour, Phil Robertson and now Wataru Sakamoto have all managed to take races from us.

‘Today we were beaten by Phil Robertson. We had a good tussle in the prestart, he got a lift on the line, we managed to stay close at the top mark we were on his stern, but he got away.

‘But then we beat David Gilmour. Yesterday I was going quietly to give the crew time to find their feet but today I was much more aggressive. I had had him (David) on the ropes in the prestart, kept the pressure up and got a penalty on him.

‘Right now the goal is the semi-finals. As you can see on the World Match Tour and at every level down, under pressure funny things can happen, so right now we are focussing hard to win every single match of this second round robin.'

While David Gilmour (AUS) and Phil Robertson (NZL) look relatively safe, as does Rueben Corbett (NZL) on form, Wataru Sakamoto (JPN) 6-4, is fighting to hold out Mark Lees (GBR) 5-6 and Graeme Sutherland (HKG) 4-6.

As Britisher Mark Lees commented dockside 'Yesterday we were beaten by Graeme Sutherland from Hong Kong in flight 2, but we turned the tables today. The RYA used to be very active organising Match Racing events, now we have to go to Europe to get experience and the Asia Pacific opportunities are rapidly outstripping those of any other region.'

Current standings: Asian Match Racing Championship

David Gilmour – Team Gilmour (AUS) 10-2
Phil Robertson – WAKA Racing (NZL) 9-2
Reuben Corbett – Black Sheep Racing (NZL) 8-3
Wataru Sakamoto – Team Siesta (JPN) 7-4
Graeme Sutherland – Team Hermes (HKG) 6-5
Mark Lees – Team Echo (GBR) 4-7
Peter Nicholas – Freshie Racing Team (AUS) 4-7
Tan Wearn Haw – Sinyidai (SIN) 2-9
Neil Semple – Capital TV (THA) 1-10

David Gilmour leads Asian Match Racing Championship undefeated

[Source: Monsoon Cup] David Gilmour (AUS) Team Gilmour crushed the opposition in the Asian Match Racing Championship (AMRC) Qualifying Session 1, winning his first five matches at the five-star Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort and Spa today.

The son of four-time World Champion Peter Gilmour, David’s stellar performance on the opening day of the four-day Championship saw him register wins over defending Champion Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing and the highly rated Reuben Corbett (NZL) Black Sheep Racing.

Reflecting on his team’s achievement today, David said: “I haven’t had much sleep and didn’t really expect to be leading as we had some tough matches early on. Beating Reuben and Phil has given my team a confidence boost and hopefully, we can build on it as the Championship continues. I was here last year for a month so am quite familiar with the course, which was a big help today.

“I have two new crew members (Ted Hackney and Will McKenzie), who are both from Sydney. They gelled well with the rest and our teamwork has been fantastic. It is still early and I’m not taking anything for granted. It’s a double round robin before the k nock-out stage so those who lost today can still comeback.

David Gilmour (AUS) Team Gilmour leads after winning all five of his matches. Kuala Terengganu, 25 October 2010. Photo copyright Subzero Images / Monsoon Cup

“The heat will be a factor and fitness will be very important. To win the title, a team would need to sail in over 20 flights so, we got to keep hydrated, sleep well and make sure we eat the right food.”

Besides Gilmour, Corbett and Robertson, there are six other teams – Wataru Sakamoto (JPN) Team Siesta, Neil Semple (THAI) Capital TV, Graeme Sutherland (HKG) Team Hermes, Tan Wearn Haw (SIN) SINYIDAI, Mark Lees (GBR) Team ECHO and Peter Nicholas (AUS) Freshie Racing Team – who are all vying for the title.

Corbett, who arrived here from New York, has a Malaysian crew – Mohammad Razali Mansor, Azhar Saadon Zubir, Rafiz Ibrahim and Hairolnizam Hat – and was pleasantly surprised with their performance so far.

“We have had a few communication problems but nothing serious. We are second with three wins from four flights, so I’m reasonably pleased with them,” said Corbett.

Two other skippers – Robertson and Sakamoto – also have three wins and they are followed by Nicholas and Lees with two wins each. Semple, who has one Malaysian crew – Mohd Saifullah – and Sutherland have won one match while Wearn Haw is winless after five matches.

Reigning Asian champion, Phil Robertson (NZL), didn't have a great start in the first day. Kuala Terengganu, 25 October 2010. Photo copyright Subzero Images / Monsoon Cup

The AMRC is the second qualifying event for the season-ending Monsoon Cup, which takes place from 30th November to 5th December. The winner here at the AMRC will join Jeremy Koo (MAS) Koo Racing Team-Evernew (winner of the Malaysian Match Racing Championship), the top eight skippers in the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) standings, the winner of the Sunseeker Australia Cup and one wildcard entry for the Monsoon Cup.

Asian Match Racing Championship: Qualifying Session 1

David Gilmour (AUS) Team Gilmour) 5-0
Reuben Corbett (NZL) Black Sheep Racing 3-1
Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing 3-1
Wataru Sakamoto (JPN) Team Siesta 3-1
Peter Nicholas (AUS) Freshie Racing Team 2-2
Mark Lees (GBR) Team ECHO 2-2
Neil Semple (THA) Capital TV 1-3
Graeme Sutherland (HKG) Team Hermes 1-4
Tan Wearn Haw (SIN) SINYIDAI 0-5

Phil Robertson ready to defend his Asian Match Racing Champion title

Current ISAF World Match Racing Tour Champion (WMRT), Adam Minoprio (NZL ) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing has shown just what the Asian Match Racing Championships (AMRC) can do for a sailor’s career having first made a name for himself by winning the AMRC in 2006 and 2007. This year the AMRC starts today, October 25th and runs until the 28th at the Ri- Yaz Heritage Marina Resort & Spa in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, the home venue of the Monsoon Cup.

Phil Robertson is the defending Asian champion and here's what he had to say right before the start of racing: "The venue is still very hot but the current is not as strong as in previous years. As the defending champions, the pressure is going to be on us but we are used to that. We have been training hard for the last three weeks to get ready to defend our title. The crew is almost the same, with the exception of our bowman as he could not make it this year. We have sailed here twice before and this will be an added advantage for us as this can be a tricky course. I think our inside knowledge will help us tremendously.

Winning this event last year has been good to us and raised our exposure massively. It has also helped us get into many other events and our skill level is now much higher as a result. We have taken part in two WMRT events this year - Korea and Bermuda but it's getting tougher as the skill level in the qualifiers is quite high."

Asian defending champion, Phil Robertson, trains on the eve of the Asian Match Racing Championship. Kuala Terengganu, 24 October 2010. Photo copyright SubZero Images / MonsoonCup