Ben Ainslie Rallies His Team to Victory in the Argo Group Gold Cup

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] Triple Olympic gold medalist Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN put in a sublime performance to add a second Argo Group Gold Cup to his team’s trophy cabinet after a scintillating final against Jesper Radich (DEN) Gaastra Racing Team in Stage 8 of the World Match Racing Tour.

The final had all the hallmarks of a classic with Radich showing consistently good form throughout the week with 12 wins out of 13, while Ainslie and his crew had been gaining momentum day by day. For added spice, Radich was seeking retribution for his final defeat at the hands of Ainslie in stage 5 of the Tour – Stena Match Cup Sweden.

In the first race, having eye-balled each other on the start line waiting for one another to flinch, both skippers breathed down each other’s necks on the first run. Having rounded the leeward mark, they soon came together once more with Ainslie dialing down to duck below Radich’s stern. The Dane then held a tiny advantage approaching the second windward mark on port tack to clear just inches ahead of Ainslie and re-take the lead, which he held to the finish.

The world's best match racer? Hamilton, 10 October 2010. Photo copyright Subzero Images/ World Match Racing Tour

Ainslie had a tantalizing wait to get his revenge, as dozens of Optimists flocked onto the race course for the RenRe Junior Gold Cup final, featuring young sailors from each of the competitor nations at the Argo Group Gold Cup. He used it to good effect though, as Ainslie rallied his team to take full advantage of the 10-12 knot breeze in his next race.

Having masterfully controlled Radich in the pre-start, Ainslie was a nose ahead at their first cross, which he held to round the windward mark in pole position. With his trusted tactician, Iain Percy at his side, the Briton switched to protect the right hand side of the course on the second beat. It paid off as their boat picked up a left-hand wind shift to take an unassailable lead to the finish.

The umpires worked at a frenetic rate in match 3, as Ainslie and Radich repeatedly crossed tacks, resulting in contact and a penalty for Radich. After a thrilling rounding of the windward mark, Radich threw in a dummy gybe, then followed it with a full gybe, hoping to cross ahead of Ainslie. Unfortuantely for the Danes, it forced Ainslie to change course handing Radich a red flag immediate penalty and effectively a second victory to Ainslie.

The excitement builds

It was do-or-die now for Radich if he wanted to take the Gold Cup and a US$50,000 winner’s cheque home. Ainslie himself knew that for his ISAF Match Racing World Championship ambitions, a win in Bermuda would leave him only two points behind second-placed Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/Black Match Racing and 17 adrift of current Tour leader, Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team going into the Monsoon Cup finale in Malaysia.

Radich had the nose on Ainslie as they approached the first mark, a lead which the Brit tried to take by sticking his bow inside Radich’s boat in an attempt to round first. It was an overzealous move that collected him a penalty. The spectators, who by now had formed an armada of vessels within Hamilton Harbour, could sense the tension as the two teams, watched closely by the umpires, went toe-to-toe: a dramatic luff saw both spinnakers flogging and a penalty against Radich that leveled the score. A double gybe and another huge luff from Radich raised blue and yellow flags, indicating both boats had infringed the rules. The next penalty was against Radich for sailing Ainslie past the layline to the leeward mark. Then, with Ainslie luffing hard, Radich took a final blow, picking up a further penalty that gave Ainslie a big enough cushion to effectively enjoy a victory lap of the course.

Reflecting on his triumph, Ainslie said: “We made it hard for ourselves and had a battle all the way through but maybe what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. We had fantastic racing against Jesper – it was classic stuff, as good as match racing ever gets.”

Radich was modest in defeat: “It was fantastic to be in the final with ideal conditions today. I’m really happy to have been able to put up a strong fight against Ben’s team – at the moment, they are the best match racing team in the world.”

The focus on the sailing world now turns to the final event of the World Match Racing Tour, the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia. The outlook has become bleaker for Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team and Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar sponsored by Argo Group. They are now 29 and 33 points behind overall leader Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team respectively, with their fate lying in the hands of Richard, Ainslie and Minoprio. Richard will no doubt be pleased that his overall lead remains intact, with Minoprio only closing the gap by two points. After a challenging week Ainslie’s team will have been buoyed by their emphatic victory in Bermuda and the opportunity to take the overall Match Racing World Champion title in Malaysia.

Overall Results at the Argo Group Gold Cup
1. Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN 25 Points
2. Jesper Radich (DEN) Gaastra Racing Team 20 Points
3. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team 15 Points
4. Eric Monnin (SUI) Swiss Match Racing Team 12 Points
5. Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 10 Points
6. Taylor Canfield (USA) 8 Points
7. Reuben Corbett (NZL) Black Sheep Racing 6 Points
8. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 4 Points

2010 ISAF World Match Racing Tour Standings
(After Stage 8 of 9)
1. Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 105 Points
2. Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 90 Points
3. Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN 88 Points
5. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 76 Points
5. Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar sponsored by Argo Group 72 Points
6. Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team 60 Points
7. Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra 53 Points
8. Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 51 Points
9. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team 33 Points
10. Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Sigma Racing Team 29 Points

Video: Winning the America's Cup

CEO Grant Simmer, skipper Ben Ainslie and tactician Iain Percy tak about what winning the America's Cup for TEAMORIGIN means to them

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

Video: Highlights from Day 6 of the Stena Match Cup Sweden

Highlights from Day 6 of the Stena Match Cup Sweden. Marstrand, 11 July 2010. Video copyright World Match Racing Tour

Ainslie Maestro of Marstrand and Richard Remains Top of World Match Racing Tour Standings

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] During a penalty flag festooned semi final today on the last day of Stena Match Cup Sweden Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team smoked Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Sigma Racing Team 3-0. Living legend Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN dominated Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team going through to the final on 3-1. The ultimate show down came between Ainslie and Radich with Ainslie storming through with 2 comprehensive wins over Radich in light, twitchy conditions. The Brit got what he wanted today becoming 2010’s ‘Maestro of Marstrand’. Holmberg kept in the picture wining 2-1 over Mirsky appearing on the podium in 3rd place.

Ainslie kept his foot on Radich’s throat at all match moments today giving Radich Racing Team no room to breath. There was a constant dialogue onboard TEAMORIGIN, this tight team sailed smart and fast without any inkling of these professionals freezing up under pressure. Boat on boat contact was registered between Ainslie and Radich during the final stages of the pre-start to match 2. The umpires were quick to act and gave Radich a red flag penalty requiring him to take it immediately. The ball was then very firmly in Ainslie’s court as he took clear advantage and led right round the course.

A forward thinking Ainslie is looking into building a solid World Match Racing Tour campaign for the final half of this 2010 Tour season. “It looks like we can do a couple more events now, we can do the Argo Group Match Cup in Bermuda and there’s the new Qingdao Match Cup event so it gives us the opportunity to hopefully get enough scores in. I think it’s going to be hard because we’re not doing as many events as the others, so the strike ratio for us has to be a lot higher”.

Ben Ainslie proves he's one of the world's best match racers. Marstrand, 11 July 2010. Photo copyright Loris von Siebenthal - myimage

The Tour will be rewarding Marstrand’s organisers for their branding efforts during last year’s event at the Closing Ceremony dinner this evening. Stena Match Cup Sweden was awarded the ‘ISAF World Match Racing Tour Best Branding Award’ to highlight their commitment to on site event branding during the 2009 Tour event. With such a successful event 2010 could also be an award winning year for this highly organised venue.

At the beginning of Sweden Ainslie and Radich were equal in the WMRT standings at 7th with 20 points. After Ainslie’s win today he now overtakes Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing and moves up into 5th place. Radich now actually drops down into 8th position overall even though he was 2nd this week. The rise and falls in the standings demonstrates how every point counts. Richard still remains out on top 17 points clear of Mirsky.

The first half of this year’s 10 event World Series has provided World Match Racing Tour teams with ample racing travelling round Europe and to Asia. The teams will now be analysing the first half of their 2010 Tour and strategising for the final half which kicks off at St Moritz Match Race towards the end of August with the Tour culminating in Malaysia at the Monsoon Cup during December.

Ben Ainslie proves he's one of the world's best match racers. Marstrand, 11 July 2010. Photo copyright Loris von Siebenthal - myimage

Stena Match Cup Sweden 2010 Overall Standings

1 Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN 25 Points
2 Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team 20 Points
3 Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Sigma Racing Team 15 Points
4 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 12 Points
5 Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 10 Points
6 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra 8 Points
7 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 6 Points
8 Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team 4 Points
9 Staffan Lindberg (FIN) Alandia Sailing Team
10 Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing
11 Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing
12 Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team
13 Reuben Corbett (NZL) Black Sheep Racing
14 Björn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team
15 Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing
= Mattias Rahm (SWE) Stena Bulk Sailing Team

2010 ISAF World Match Racing Tour Standings
(After Stage 5 of 10)

1. Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 77 Points
2. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 60 Points
3. Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 54 Points
4. Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 52 Points
5. Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN 45 Points
6. Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 43 Points
7. Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra 41 Points
8. Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team 40 Points
9. Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Sigma Racing Team 29 Points
10. Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Italia 16 Points

Faulty crew work costs Team Origin race against Aleph

[Source: Team Origin] After a short postponement on Saturday morning, racing for the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena regatta in Sardinia, got underway with TEAMORIGIN taking centre stage in the first race against the French Aleph Sailing Team, skippered by Bertrand Pacé. Wind strength at the start was 7-8 knots from the North East.

TEAMORIGIN, with starboard entry, controlled the first part of the pre-start fairly conventionally with a dial-up. Towards the end of the five-minute countdown skipper Ben Ainslie committed to the right hand side of the pair and tacked in the last 30 seconds to start on port tack.

Aleph started at the pin end at speed and headed out to the left of the course in good pressure. When the pair came back together the French boat was marginally bow-forwards but not far enough to cross ahead. Tacking in the lee bow position forced TEAMORIGIN back to the right. The pair tacked back towards each other three more times and on all three approaches the British boat closed down the French advantage and took over the lead to round the top mark with a two length advantage.

Faulty crew work costs Team Origin race against Aleph. La Maddalena, 22 May 2010. Photo copyright Paul Todd / Louis Vuitton Trophy

The race was still close, the wind was dropping and the teams had to concentrate on keeping the boats moving fast. TEAMORIGIN was in control and gybed. The spinnaker sheets were rigged for an outside gybe instead of an inside resulting in a twist in the spinnaker requiring it to be dropped to untangle it. Aleph needed no more excuse to seize the opportunity and take the lead. By the time TEAMORIGIN had got back up to speed the French boat had built up a lead of 100 metres which was sufficient to keep them ahead for the rest of the run.

The pair both rounded the left hand gate mark TEAMORIGIN having to tack away to the right to clear their air and try and find a way around the French team. But the left was the paying side and no matter what the British team tried the French team extended their lead up to nearly 300 metres at one stage.

The last run was always going to be difficult as the wind at the bottom of the course was dying fast. As the pair sailed downwind into lighter and lighter winds the gap between them dropped, TEAMORIGIN sailing up from behind to reduce the lead to just 90 metres. But the finish line passed under Aleph’s keel before the gap between the two reduced enough for TEAMORIGIN to pass resulting in an unfortunate loss made entirely by crew error.

Faulty crew work costs Team Origin race against Aleph. La Maddalena, 22 May 2010. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

Quotes
Iain Percy, Tactician, commented after the race, “We are naturally disappointed to lose the first race, especially given it was due to an unforced error. The format of racing here means its all about performance at the end of the regatta so we need to take some positives out of the fact that we did the hard stuff well, had a good start and led at the top mark – that said, we do need to convert some of these races into race wins sooner rather than later.”

Andrew Simpson, Strategist, added, “It was pretty light winds, we preferred the right and they took the left, it was not a hard fought start. Our side did seem to pay off and we lead around the first mark so all was going according to plan. We matched the first gybe but were set up for outside and not inside gybes and a lack of slack led to a twist that was the killer blow for the race. We pushed hard to get back into the race and made some inroads but the French had a healthy lead and took the win.”

In the other match of flight 1, Mascalzone Latino were up against Azzurra and Azzura managed to take an early penalty by entering the start box too soon so were disadvantaged from the start. Mascalzone Latino went on to take the race win by 2 minutes and 27 seconds – the first of many inter-Italian battles for sure!

Team Origin win their class at RORC Easter regatta

[Source: Team Origin] Today was the third and final day of racing at the RORC Easter regatta and finally the wind and sun both played ball and delivered some great racing conditions. The two scheduled races were done and dusted by 1400 and TEAMORIGIN managed a further two race wins taking victory in the Super Zero class.

Mike Sanderson, Team Director, summed up TEAMORIGIN’s involvement in the event, “It’s been huge value for TEAMORIGIN to be here, we’ve had everything from 10 to 30 knots! When we showed up a few days ago our manoeuvres were pretty rough around the edges and by the last race today we were starting to make it happen as a team, for sure a very important team building exercise for us all. The Solent, as ever, has proven itself to be a great training ground with its variety of tides, conditions and wind strengths. Many thanks to RORC and all the other competitors for making this such a great event and a special thanks to Charles Dunstone for the loan of his boat ‘Rio’.”

So what’s next for TEAMORIGIN? The match racing team of Ben Ainslie, Iain Percy, Christian Kamp and Matt Cornwell head off to the first event in the World Match Race Tour which takes place in Marseilles, France, and starts on 6th April 2010.

For the rest of the team, they have a short break and time to re-group before heading to Portimao in Portugal for a week’s training in their own new TP52, between 1st and 6th of May and then on to compete in the Audi Med Cup first event taking place in Cascais, Portugal starting on 11th May 2010.

Team Origin to face Azzurra in opening race of the LV Trophy Auckland

[Source: Team Origin] Today, Monday 8th March 2010, was the last of the two practise days here in Auckland and tomorrow sees the start of action with day one of racing planned. As ever the event set-up is slick and professional with Emirates Team New Zealand boat preparation and technical set up for the event second to none. Two ETNZ race boats are being used : NZL 84 and NZL 92, with a BMW Oracle Racing boat as a back up.

TEAMORIGIN have been here for around two weeks now, they did some boat preparation and shake-down sailing with ETNZ towards the end of February and then the match race team competed in the Omega Match Race event, taking 2nd place after achieving more race wins than any other team but sadly losing out in the finals to ETNZ.

Ben Ainslie & Co ready to fight for the LV Trophy. Auckland, 8 March 2010. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

This evening the opening press conference took place at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. The draw for racing tomorrow saw the following race schedule planned for day one: first warning signal due at 1000 local time so we should see TEAMORIGIN racing around 1200.

Race 1 : All4One in NZL 84 (starboard end start) vs Mascalzone Latino in NZL92
Race 2 : TEAMORIGIN in NZL 84 (stanboard end start) vs Azzurra in NZL 92
Race 3 : Artemis in NZL 84 (starboard end start) vs ETNZ in NZL 92
Race 4 : Aleph in NZL 92 vs Synergy (starboard end start) in NZL 84

Ben Ainslie & Co ready to fight for the LV Trophy. Auckland, 8 March 2010. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

Ben Ainslie & Co ready to fight for the LV Trophy. Auckland, 8 March 2010. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

Ben Ainslie & Co ready to fight for the LV Trophy. Auckland, 8 March 2010. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

Percy and Simpson clinch Star World Championship

[Source: Star World Championship] British sailors Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson, reigning Olympic champions, secured the Star World Championship this Thursday. The event is being hosted at the Yacht Club of Rio de Janeiro (ICRJ). The duo finished the Banco do Brasil Regatta, the final race of the competition, in 18th place, which was discarded from their overall ranking. Swiss team Flavio Marazzi and Enrico De Maria, leaders in the ISAF world ranking, completed the race in 12th place, totaling 29 points, enough to win the silver medal. Brazilians Torben Grael and Marcelo Ferreira came in third and with 39 points were rewarded with bronze.

With his victory, Iain Percy joins a very select group of two-time Star world champions. He won his first title in 2002, in Marina Del Rey, USA, competing with Steven Mitchell. Born on March 21, 1976, in Southampton, Percy is one of the top sailors in the British Olympic team. He won gold in the Star Class in China, in 2008, and in the Finn class in Sydney, in 2000. He also conquered bronze in the 2005 Star World Championship and gold in the 2005 Star European Championship.

Percy and Simpson made a triumphant return to the yacht club. They sailed once around the pier and moored under the applause of their competitors, staff, journalists and Yacht Club members. They lowered the sails and opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate. “It was a very tough day. The conditions weren’t great and nothing was going right. I just want to thank Andrew, who was amazing. In races with light winds, the bowman is responsible for more than 90% of the speed,” he stated.

The final race of the competition brought together 73 teams from 19 countries. USA team Mark Mendelblatt and John Von Schwarz won today’s race, followed by German sailors Alexander Schlonski and Frithjof Kleen.

Today was also Brazil’s best performance in the Star World Championship as four teams finished in the top ten. Torben and Marcelo finished the race in third place, followed by Lars Grael and Ronald Seifert, then Alan Adler and Guilherme de Almeida. Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada took 9th place.

Torben and Marcelo were very pleased with their bronze medal win. “We are very happy because our goal was to be in the top ten and third place is an excellent result,” said Torben, winning his ninth World Championship medal today. “We had very little time to train before the tournament and we grew throughout the competition. We will continue our Star sailing until the Pre-Olympic event in Brasilia, in February, and perhaps participate in the Bacardi Cup in Miami.”

Today’s race was 10.5 nautical miles (approx. 19,4 km), with three legs of head wind and two legs of tail wind. The winds ranged between 6 and 8 knots, in southeasterly to southwesterly direction. Thursday was a very hot and sunny day in Rio de Janeiro, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius. The race course was set up in open sea between Pai e Mãe Island and Rasa Island. The Star World Championship’s closing event and awards ceremony will take place this Friday, at 8 p.m., in the Pool Salon at the Yacht Club of Rio de Janeiro.

Percy and Simpson are within striking distance of winning the Star World Championship

[Source: Star World Championship] British sailors Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson are within striking distance of winning the Star World Championship, currently taking place outside Guanabara Bay. The reigning Olympic champions finished in fourth place in the Rio de Janeiro Regatta and only didn’t win the title today because Swiss sailors Flavio Marazzi and Enrico De Maria managed to finish in 6th place, after rounding the second last mark in ninth position. As a result, the decision has been postponed to the final regatta this Thursday.

Iain Percy reluctantly admitted his advantage. “We are in a very comfortable position, with only 9 points lost. Our tactic in the final race will depend on the wind and some other factors. We will study the conditions before deciding,” he commented. “If we decide on a match race against the Swiss, we will be very confident. I have experience in the America’s Cup and other boat to boat regattas.”

Marazzi and De Maria guarantee that they will be sailing for gold on Thursday. “We are going to sail the best regatta we can. It’s not entirely up to us, but we have to believe in it,” said Marazzi, who with his fellow team member De Maria currently leads the Star World Championship ranking, with 17 lost points.

Today’s race was once again 10.5 nautical miles long (approx. 19.4 km), with three legs of head wind and two legs of tail wind. Winds ranged between 8 to 10 knots, in an easterly and southeasterly direction. The Brazilians sailors also had a great race, with five teams finishing in the top ten.

Lars Grael and Ronald Seifert finished the race in second place, behind winners Rick Merriman and Phil Trinter, from the USA. “For a team that started in 35th place, a second place finish in the second last race is a great result. We have been improving every day,” noted the sailor, who is seventh in the overall ranking. “It’s very satisfying to be among the first ten teams. The Brazilians have proven that the level of Star sailing in Brazil is very high.”

Wednesday was another sunny and hot day in Rio de Janeiro, with temperatures of 36 degrees Celsius. Just as in the previous races, the race course was set up between Pai e Mãe Island, near Niteroi, and Leme Point, in Rio de Janeiro.

LV Trophy Nice - Day 1: Team Origin wins first race against Synergy

[Source: Team Origin] First blood to Britain’s TEAMORIGIN in the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice regatta today. Skipper Ben Ainslie forced a penalty on the Russian team in the pre-start which proved to be the key moment of the race giving them an advantage that converted to a 59 second lead at the finish.

The British crew managed to position their assigned boat FRA-93 well in the final part of the pre-start phase, hussling the opposition team towards the line early and managing to catch the Russian boat, led by Karol Jablonski, in a compromised position to which they failed to respond correctly. Tactician Iain Percy explains: "With a minute to go to the start gun Ben caught the Russian boat a little downspeed in the final approach to the line and he managed to hook them to leeward. They were then lazy about keeping clear and the umpires flagged them correctly with a Red Flag penalty."

Tactician Iain Percy raises the flag and asks for a penalty. Nice, 7 November 2009. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

Knowing that the Synergy team had to complete a penalty turn straight away after crossing the start line was hugely beneficial to the British team. The importance of the move and the early advantage allowed TEAMORIGIN to dictate the path it took around the track to get the best winds and extend to a lead of more than three minutes at one point.

With wind conditions light and blowing from the city out to the race course and Nice’s Baie des Anges being a stretch of water that few people have raced extensively on before, local knowledge is thin on the ground. Iain Percy explained that “...on a day like today it is important to be in front with the shifty breeze so that you can pick where you want to go on the race course and not be dictated to by the other boat.”

To make sure that no patches of wind went un-noticed strategist Rob Greenhalgh spent most of the race up the mast watching the puffs come down the course.

First blood goes to Ben Ainslie & Co. Nice, 7 November 2009. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

“A light and shifty morning, we knew the wind was going to go left generally so we kept that in mind all the time. The wind went very light and fickle towards the end of the second run allowing the Russians to close the gap marginally but we were always in a strong leading position.”

Skipper Ben Ainslie was satisfied with his team’s ability to spot the right way to go today but warns that there are many potential traps to fall into over the next two weeks of the Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta. “With the conditions being really hard it is always going to be about keeping the boat moving fast and staying the right side of the breeze. Our team did a really good job of keeping it moving as fast as possible and the afterguard kept us in phase today. It is a nice way to start, but it is obvious this is going to be a really difficult event to be consistent in.”

Team Director Mike Sanderson summarised TEAMORIGIN’s opening day as: “Great fun. Great fun to get racing today and be the first match of the regatta. We had an exciting start. The boat we used, FRA-93, felt great and we did not feel vulnerable at any stage in the race. The shore team have done an awesome job in equalising these boats speed-wise and mechanically. This is a good start for TEAMORIGIN.”