The best seat in the house in Match Race Germany

Having guests, VIPs or sponsors onboard a competition sailing boat with one of the teams during an official race is nothing of a novelty in the top professional circuits and depending on the size of the crew, the privileged guest is called the 18th man, the 12th man or 11th man, etc. Due to the form of the racing yachts, the guests always sit at the stern, at the very back of the yacht.

Well, there is an exception and the following photo from Match Race Germany clearly shows it. During the semifinals, the lucky guests had the privilege of experiencing real racing with the world's top match racers, sitting in the middle of the boat, right in the middle of the action.

I don't know how much the gentleman in the photo knew about sailing but I doubt it's an experience he will soon forget. He sure had the best seat in the house, right in front of the world's number 2 match racer, Torvar Mirsky, and his crew.

During the Match Race Germany semifinals, guests were sitting INSIDE the racing yachts. Langenargen, 23 May 2010. Photo copyright Richard Walch / Match Race Germany

This photo onboard Peter Gilmour's yacht isn't from a training session. It was taken by the guest during the semifinals where the Australian match racing legend was beaten by young gun Torvar Mirsky. Langenargen, 23 May 2010. Photo copyright Audrey Lakai / Match Race Germany

2009 ISAF Match Racing World Champion Minoprio Wins Match Race Germany

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] Mighty Mother Nature was Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing’s best friend today as he took the Match Race Germany Trophy. The finals today at Stage 2 have been tortuous for the remaining racers. The wisps of wind that did strike the glassy lake today taunted the Tour’s competitors.

A jubilant Minoprio and his team shared their joy, “It’s unfortunate when no wind comes in. We felt we started sailing better as the regatta went on finishing the round robin on 8 wins with Richard and Williams. We have been fortunate enough today to take out the regatta”.

Semi final stage was cut short at midday after no morning racing; Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team went through to the finals over a disappointed Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team at 2-1. Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing cemented his finals spot after yesterday’s score of 2-1 over ‘birthday boy’ Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team.

Highlights from the final day of Match Race Germany. Langenargen, 24 May 2010. Video copyright World Match Racing Tour

As the air temperature soared to 26 degrees so too did the tension on board the race boats. The yellow and black ‘standby flag’ hung limply on the race committee’s boat which further infuriated the skippers who desperately needed action to be in with a champion chance. The anxiety of waiting for wind is tough on a crew’s mental focus and motivation. “It plays with your head”, said Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing.

Current ISAF Match Racing World Champion, Minoprio, kept his fingers crossed and joked with his bathing beauty team mates throughout the waiting room ordeal. For the Kiwi no racing meant a guaranteed number 1 finish. Activity today was mostly online with the WMRT live blog and interactive social media feeds, Mark Chisnell, WMRT’s dedicated commentator, kept everyone positive and said, “It’s a lake and therefore things do change very quickly”.

But sadly nothing changed and by 16:00 hours the race committee stopped the dormant drifting and decided on a boat parade for the fans announced through a blaze of horns akin to that of the Volvo Ocean Race starts.

2009 ISAF Match Racing World Champion Minoprio Wins Match Race Germany. Langenargen, 24 May 2010. Photo copyright Richard Walch / Match Race Germany

Radich, a newly rejuvenated match racer, was slightly down hearted on not being able to race the final. “It would have been great to race the current World Champion as my team and I were really on form to take on the final after winning the semi matches yesterday. I know tomorrow I will look back and be pleased with our performance and I am now having a serious think about getting back into match racing if I can keep this team together. It’s such a great sport to be in”.

In the overall 2010 Tour standings, France’s Richard stays in the lead and Minoprio takes an outstanding leap from 6th to 2nd place, with Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN in joint 3rd with Radich.

The ever diplomatic Richard, who was victor of Stage 1, was happy to share his thoughts. “It was a frustrating day. We felt we could have won the first 2 matches yesterday but we lost, so today we really wanted to race the semi-finals. Unfortunately the wind decided the results for us and being in third place is not a bad result, I can’t complain about it”. Richard is now looking forward to a debriefing with his team on this event and heading home for some relaxation time before Korea Match Cup in June, where they will be back stronger.

From the overwhelming excitement of the public enjoying their national holiday and WMRT World Series viewing, no one could guess that football instead of sailing is in fact Germany’s leading sport. Miss Tuning 2010 shone for the gentlemen today in a tight fitting sequined number as she presented the prizes to the top three winners. ‘Mino’ as Minoprio is more popularly known to the Tour fraternity, was awarded with the gorgeous Match Race Germany Trophy at a glitzy champagne-fuelled open air ceremony.

Great performance by Jesper Radich that clinches second position. Langenargen, 24 May 2010. Photo copyright SubZero Images / World Match Racing Tour

The awesome Match Race Germany Event Director duo, Eberhard Magg and Harald Thierer, are happy to have put smiles on the faces of the spectators and the sailors this week. “Despite the superstition of it being the 13th edition this year, the event has gone smoothly. We had some close matches which highlighted the calibre of the talent competing here. The live streaming gave Stage 2 of the Tour a fantastic dimension and the web pages to access the footage have had 23,000 click throughs”.

Travel plans will now shift to Korea Match Cup, Stage 3 of the ISAF World Match Racing Tour happening at the beginning of June. This will be the first 2010 event outside of Europe and could see the likes of new hot shot Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing Team taking advantage of his previous regatta training at this unique venue that is also to host the Korean International Boat Show while the Tour event plays out.

Match Race Germany - Final Results
1. Adam Minoprio (NZL) BlackMatch Racing 25 Points
2. Jesper Radich (SWE) Radich Racing Team 20 Points
3. Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 15 Points
4. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 12 Points
5. Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 10 Points
6. Peter Gilmour (AUS) Yanmar Racing 8 Points
7. Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge 6 Points
8. Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Italia 4 Points
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

2010 ISAF World Match Racing Tour Standings
(After Event 2 of 10)
1 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 40 Points
2 Adam Minoprio (NZL) BlackMatch Racing 33 Points
3 Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team 20 Points
- Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN 20 Points
5 Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Italia 16 Points
- Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 16 Points
7 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra 15 Points
8 Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 10 Points
- Sebastian Col (FRA) ALL 4 ONE 10 Points

Video: Highlights from Day 3 of Match Race Germany

Highlights from Day 3 of Match Race Germany. Langenargen, 22 May 2010. Video copyright World Match Racing Tour

Mathieu Richard rules round robin at Match Race Germany

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] Day 3 of Match Race Germany saw Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team securing a safe spot in the Semi Finals, after a dramatic final luffing battle with Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar. Five skippers were however, pushed out of the event, namely Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Italia, Ian Ainslie (RSA) Team Proximo, Mads Ebler (DEN) Ebler Matchracing and Kathrin Kadelbach (GER) EWE Sailing Team have been pushed out of the event. Richard can now take a well earned rest during the Quarter Finals, which will feature Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar, Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing, Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team, Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing, Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge and Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team.

“It was down to our last match against Ian Williams on whether we would go straight to the semi-finals or have to sail the quarter finals. We are lucky to have our coach here with us analysing our performance and the other teams, so we are constantly learning”, said a cool and calm Richard at the Quarter Finals boat draw.

Mathieu Richard crosses ahead of Ian Williams during their match on day 3 of Match Race Germany. Langenargen, 22 May 2010. Photo copyright Gareth Cooke/Subzero Images/WMRT

Crystal clear skies and unbroken sun brought a glorious shine to the enchanted Alpine lake today. Fans of the ISAF World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) have been able to share these stunning visuals beamed to them across the world using cutting edge technology. The Tour has joined forces with global telecommunications giant, Alcatel-Lucent, to stream the Match Race Germany event live over the Internet using the latest LTE (Long Term Evolution) 4G Technology. This is the first time in the world that a German sports event has used the end-to-end LTE network solution. The next generation technology replaces the traditional complex, slower solution for streaming video at sports events. Originally, streaming relied on 3G technology at 380kbps but with 4G, the speed has increased to a remarkable 100Mbps.

Dr. Erich Zielinski who works in the End-to-End 4G/LTE Solutions division at Alcatel-Lucent is thrilled to be able to put the company’s expertise in LTE 4G technology in use during the Tour. “The quality of the video streams captured by onboard cameras and transmitted via LTE to the on-shore production studio has been excellent. The WMRT is a great opportunity to showcase the amazing value that LTE can provide for major sports events”.

Pierre Orphanidis, Editor of Valencia Sailing, related the impact of 4G streaming. "Once again, the WMRT is taking the lead and showing the sailing world the way to go with TV production and web streaming. I think Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison should take note of what is going on at Match Race Germany and apply it to the next America's Cup. What I like the most is the superb quality of the images and sound from on-board the racing yachts”.

Ian Williams looks back as he tries to force a penalty on Mathieu Richard in their match on day 3 of Match Race Germany. Langenargen, 22 May 2010. Photo copyright Gareth Cooke/Subzero Images/WMRT

Members of the public at the Match Race Germany event village watched the live streaming on big screens and were keen to share their views. “It is a great visual display of what is happening on the water, the on-board filming is a great advancement”. A Mirsky Racing crew’s family here with him said, “The different views on the live streaming provided an all-round experience, showing course overviews and on-deck filming”.

Meanwhile, Richard will be using his free time tomorrow to try and view the live streaming, “The live streaming is terrific for the Tour. It allows our family and friends at home to see the action and follow what we are doing. The pictures transmitted are really good quality, with user friendly commentary by Mark Chisnell that the non-sailors can also understand”.

Scheduled tomorrow the Quarter Finals put Gilmour up against Mirsky where sparks will fly as the fellow Australians fight it out. Gilmour foresaw a semi final slot for his YANMAR Racing Team earlier in the event and it may be the youngster who gets to prove this prediction wrong. Minoprio will have his work cut out against the legendary Holmberg with Williams taking on Radich.

According to Richard the key to winning the 2010 Tour is to have the right balance between remaining relaxed, while at the same time being totally concentrated, “This is a very fragile balance”.

Day 3: Results

Semi Finalist
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team

Quarterfinalists
Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing v Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar v Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing v Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team

Overall Round Robin Standings
1 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 8-3
2 Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 8-3
3 Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 8-3
4 Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 7-4
5 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 7-4
6 Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team 7-4
7 Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge 6-5
8 Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Italia 5-6
9 Ian Ainslie (RSA) Team Proximo 4-7
10 Mads Ebler (DEN) Ebler Matchracing 3-8
11 Kathrin Kadelbach (GER) EWE Sailing Team 2-9
12 Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Gill Global Team 1-10

Video: Highlights from Day 2 of Match Race Germany

Highlights from Day 2 of Match Race Germany. Langenargen, 21 May 2010. Video copyright World Match Racing Tour

Williams and Mirsky Dominate Day Two of Match Race Germany

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] Lake Constance transformed itself today into a match racing idle on the second day of Match Race Germany, Stage 2 of the ISAF World Match Racing Tour (WMRT). As the clouds lifted, the sun shone down on the racing and the teams completed an impressive 9 flights. Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar, who started his 2010 Tour campaign here and Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team, dominated day 2 of the match race.

Meanwhile, Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team has kept up his consistent performance and is on level with Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing and Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team. On these short courses the trend is for victors to take a slight lead from the start and then work to be in an established position in front by the top mark, maintaining this to the finish.

Ian Williams couldn't have started the 2010 season in a better way. Langenargen, 21 May 2010. Photo copyright World Match Racing Tour

Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar, enjoyed day 2 of racing, “The breeze and the sun were back today and we had 5 straight wins so we are very pleased. The team kept relaxed today and we picked up the good shifts. I was leading into the top marks which made our position easier to defend than yesterday”.

Williams is definitely taking a different approach to this year’s campaign, “Match Race Germany is our first event on the ISAF World Match Racing Tour for 2010 and we are a little behind as we didn’t compete in Marseille. This year I am approaching the Tour in a more laid back fashion and keeping positive, we are planning on taking one event at a time which is something we haven’t done previously”.

Mirsky related day 2 through his eyes, “The day was better than we expected. We had 5-10 knots of breeze when we were only expecting 2-3 knots, so in that respect it was a good day. We are really emphasizing on preparing for our starts here because if you aren’t the team out in front following the start it can be hard to get ahead. They are fairly short courses here and in these light winds it is simpler to keep the lead if you have a strong start. We lost two starts today and lost two matches”.

Mirsky still had to contend with the ‘Master of the World Match Racing Tour’ Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing and today the Apprentice, Mirsky, was beaten “I said before the regatta that the tough competitor at this event would be Gilmour. He loves it here, the tricky wind conditions and the German built Bavaria 35 Match.

Gilmour was in fighting spirit as he hit the shore this afternoon saying, “From our point of view, we are in the early days of the regatta and are delighted to have beaten Mirsky today as he has been sailing very well with a good team. We often say that we start off slow and then we get a rumble on as things get going and we have done that today”.

Mathieu Richard, current circuit leader, sits 3rd after day 2. Langenargen, 21 May 2010. Photo copyright World Match Racing Tour

“There are several teams sailing very well here in Langenargen. It comes down to strategy and handling close matches. You have to be cool under fire and, of course, the extra decade of added experience helps!” he added.

Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team, currently top on the Tour leader board after Match Race France, had a day of mixed fortunes. “We had a good morning winning both our matches. This afternoon we lost to Magnus Holmberg in our third match and our fourth match resulted in a protest against Jesper Radich which we lost”.

For many of the Tour Card Holders the sport of sailing is now their main occupation, having made the decision to pursue their passion and develop it into a career. The sailors rely on the water and the power of the racing world as their main source of income. With prize money for the 2010 Tour now valued at over US$1.5 million, the rewards of being a winning skipper on this year’s circuit are significant.

Day 2: Round Robin Result

Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 7-1
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 6-2
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 5-2
Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 5-2
Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team 5-2
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 5-3
Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Italia 3-5
Ian Ainslie (RSA) Team Proximo 2-5
Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge 2-5
Kathrin Kadelbach (GER) EWE Sailing Team 2-6
Mads Ebler (DEN) Ebler Matchracing 2-6
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Gill Global Team 1-6

Match Race Germany - What's in store

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] Stage 2 of the ISAF World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), the exquisite field of skippers for the 13th Match Race Germany, one of the longest running events on the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) has been confirmed. Headed by reigning ISAF Match Racing World Champion 2009 Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing and Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team, 2nd in the 2009 WMRT standings, a total of 12 teams representing 8 different countries set their course heading to Langenargen on beautiful Lake Constance.

The German Grand Prix, traditionally takes place during Pentecoat. The international line-up is fighting for not only valuable World Match Racing Tour ranking points but also for prizes in excess of US$60.000, and of course, not to forget a lot of prestige. All this will be live on the Internet for the first time for sailing fans around the world to follow.

The sailing festival, held directly in front of Langenargen´s coast line has attracted the best Match Racers in the world for 13 years, bringing them to the state of Baden Württemberg in Southern Germany. “We are very happy and proud to once again be able to present a high calibre world class fleet to our approximately 40,000 fans and visitors again”, says organiser Eberhard Magg. “Match Race Germany is, and will stay a magnet for sailing heroes and upcoming stars on an international level. This wouldn´t be possible without the great support and encouragement by our sponsors, who help make this truly different sporting event such a success.”

With a record of 15 wins at World Match Racing Tour Events, Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing, is one of the favourites. The grey eminence of all match racers, who celebrated his 50th birthday in January, has won 3 World Champion titles and is still the king of this discipline of sailing. Gilmour won Match Race Germany 3 times in a row from 2004-2006, and following an early exit in Marseille, will be looking forward to competing on German waters again.

There are several favourites this year including, helmsman Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team who won Stage 1 of the ISAF World Match Racing Tour on home waters recently. The Frenchman travels to Langenargen as World Match Racing Tour leader, and comments, “I love the racing on Lake Constance, especially when it is sunny. The conditions in Langenargen are often very hard and difficult to sail, but I love it!”

With a special task, and a World Ranking position of 334 to his credit, Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team makes his appearance again on Lake Constance after a long break. The furious Dane has been away from the Match Racing circuit but is starting his comeback. In 2003 he was triumphant and won Match Race Germany, just a year later he was the youngest helmsman to win the World Match Racing Tour. With 5 Grand Prix wins he is ranked on the all time leader board behind Gilmour (with 15 wins), Russell Coutts (NZL) with 6 wins, and Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge (with 6 wins). Holmberg will also make a comeback at the German Match Race Classic on the Tour, and could leave sailing superstar Coutts behind him provided he leaves Langenargen with a win!

Match Race regulars, Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Italia, and Björn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team, both 43 years old will have to weather the storm of the up and coming generation of versatile sailors. In addition to Minoprio and Mirsky, Mads Ebler (DEN) Ebler Matchracing, who finished on the podium at the 2009 Match Race Europeans could also prove to be a favourite.

With America´s Cup experience Ian Ainslie (RSA) Team Proximo, who recently climbed successfully in the world rankings up to 11, will come to Langenargen again. Last but not least double World Match Racing Champion from 2007 and 2008 Ian Williams, who still has an outstanding score to settle, will also compete. The smart lawyer and World Number 4 has attended every single edition of Match Race Germany since he started competing on the World Match Racing Tour. Ian says that, “this is one of the few regattas we never managed to win. This is what makes us extremely motivated to change that situation in 2010.”

In contrast to the above vast match racing experience of international professional sailors, the only German and partly female crew with skipper Kathrin Kadelbach (GER) EWE Sailing Team, only expects to have an outsider chance in Langenargen. But helmswoman Kadelbach and her tactician Ulrike Schümann (GER), both from Berlin, have been on an extensive one year match racing programme on their road to the Olympic Games in Weymouth, England.

Kadelbach and her team will try to achieve as much as possible, racing the challenging Bavaria 35 Match yachts. Schümann, who just announced the end of her Olympic career after finishing fourth in Beijing, will move into the tactician seat. Shuchmann and Kadelbach have previously raced Yngling and Eliott yachts together. Schümann is realistic about their chances and will have 3 male crew members at Match Race Germany. “With light winds, women have no disadvantages, and for the strong winds we will have 3 strong men in our crew who will have to work a little harder”. The 36 year-old sailor from the famous Club VSaW Berlin states, “for us, each single win, in such a high calibre fleet would be a giant success and triumph.”

The official training day starts on the 19 May. At the same time, the purpose-built event village will open its doors to become the heart of the Match Racing festival on Lake Constance. Yet again, there will be a family-friendly programme including children-themed action, sponsors presentations and interactive opportunities around the sailing and daily live music. On top of this, there will be test sailing offered by the Yacht Club Langenargen for kids and teenagers sailing directly from the promenade. A vast variety of regional and international food and drinks will also be available and there will be no entry charge to the event village.

Live broadcast content with Alcatel Lucent

On the technology side of things Match Race Germany is once again a trendsetter. With the help and support of fourth generation state-of-the-art mobile broadcasting technology, Long Term Evolution technology (LTE), the extreme effort of communication partner Alcatel-Lucent, and the TV production of the World Match Racing Tour, all races will be streamed live on the Internet, as well as shown on screens at the event area.

This streamed coverage will be professionally commentated by Nils Kaben, a sailing expert from one of Germany´s biggest television stations.

Erich Zielinski, Head of the Department of End-to-End 4G/LTE Solutions at Alcatel Lucent Germany AG says, “This premiere underlines the technical ability and capability of the next mobile generation. By now we already know live content from sporting events like the Formula 1 or the Tour de France, but only through very expensive and complicated means of communication technique. Through LTE for the first time, a publicly-accessible and soon, vastly spread infrastructure, will be applied in order to make TV coverage and access easier.” The material generated will also be readily available to TV stations.