Crew.org.nz pennants - when you are out on the briney

 

let others know you are a crew ogre


$30 + shipping. Just flick an email to editor@crew.org.nz

 

Breaking News

 

Stratosphere Found

8 September 2010

Here's a piece of NZ's sailing history found on a beach at Christmas Island. There are even plans to bring her home for restoration. Follow the story here.

 



Little America's Cup

8 September 2010

Here's the wrap up (IMHO it's better with the sound off).

 

 



Here's Des

8 September 2010



MRX News

7 September 2010



Match Racing

6 September 2010

St Moritz Match Race

Mathieu Richard Wins the 'King of the Mountain' Title in Spectacular Style

St. Moritz, Switzerland - 5 September 2010 - Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team won the 'King of the Mountain' title today in spectacular style, taking a huge stride towards his quest to become the 2010 ISAF Match Racing World Champion.

Having toyed with the teams all week at the St. Moritz Match Race, it was on the final day that the Maloja wind truly kicked in, bringing with it a supreme display of match racing for which the ISAF World Match Racing Tour is renowned. Richard, despite not always being on top of his game throughout the week, knuckled down when it mattered most, grinding out a series of hard-fought victories against his nearest rivals today.

When the two British skippers, triple Olympic gold medalist Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN and double ISAF Match Racing World Champion Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar won their first semi-final matches, the prospects looked good for an all-British final. However, Richard had no intention of playing second fiddle and led Ainslie all the way round the course in their next race to level the score.

 

It was standing room only in the packed grandstands and with everything hanging on the final race of both semi-final matches, the crowds of spectators were in for a treat. A dogfight before each of the starts characterized the races. With a penalty to his name in his deciding semi-final battle against Ainslie, it appeared Richard's only option as they approached the final mark was a brutal one - to pin a penalty on Ainslie. Fortunately for Richard, his Blu26 found a gust, giving him enough time to complete his penalty turn and dispense with the Brit.

 

Meanwhile, in the Williams vs Minoprio bout Williams took the first match, but Minoprio responded in the second with a move at the windward mark, where Williams collected two penalties in rapid succession, allowing Minoprio to take a decisive victory. Williams though regained his composure for the final race of his dual with the New Zealander, with just enough control over Minoprio to maintain a slim lead to the finish and a place in the final.

 

The scene was set for a fitting British-French finale, with the title going to the first team to win two races. This was sailing's version of 'Le Crunch'. At times, both played underdog, exchanging glances and penalties. It was one all after two races and in the deciding race, it seemed only right that the wind, so unpredictable and challenging all week, should have the final say. Richard, playing a string of gusts and shifts to perfection, pulling five lengths clear, a lead he maintained to take the 'King of the Mountain' crown and CHF36,000 in prize money.

 

Richard, reflected: "I wasn't happy after losing the first race against Ian in the finals. I was too excited, made mistakes and didn't have a positive feeling. So, we picked ourselves up, changed our mood and took the match to them. We go to Denmark with a healthy lead however we know there is still all to play for. For now though, we're overjoyed."

 

As the Tour heads to the island of Bornholm, Denmark, next week, it is possible that the next few weeks will determine not just the outcome of this year's World Match Racing Tour but also shape the future of match racing with the America's Cup announcements that have been a hot topic all week in St. Moritz. Whatever the outcome, Richard and his rivals will remain focused on their endeavours to take the World Match Racing Tour title.    

 

To view the 'Play of the Day' - Williams collecting two penalties against Minoprio, click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQEuRU4HumU

 

Overall Standings the 2010 St. Moritz Match Race:

 

            Skipper/Teams                                                                       Points

1          Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team        25

2          Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar                           20

3          Adam Minoprio (NZL) BlackMatch Racing                     15

4          Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN                                   12

5          Bertrand Pace (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team                      10

6          Björn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team                    8

7          Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team              6

8          Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra                                       4

9          Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team         

10        Eric Monnin (SUI) Swiss Match Race Team       

11        Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team         

12        Jerome Clerc (SUI) Team CER Geneve 

 

For fans around the world, the St. Moritz Match Race will be featured in a TV highlights programme called The St Moritz Match Race. Featuring all the action from Lake St. Moritz, it will premiere on Eurosport at 21.35 on 6 October and also show on Eurosport Asia Pacific at 13.45 on 13 October. The programme will be screened on Sky Sports 3 at 18.00 on 22 October.

 

The St. Moritz Match Race highlights show will be broadcast on channels across the globe including CNBC, Setanta, Showtime, Sky NZ, Sevenload, Yacht and Sail International, America One, ESPN Star Sports, PCTV Mexico, Melita Cable, Bands Sports Brazil as well as local Swiss broadcaster Teleclub. The latest TV schedule for all the races can be viewed at: http://www.wmrt.com/multimedia/tv-schedules.html

*Note: times are subject to change without notification

- Ends -

 

2010 ISAF World Match Racing Tour Standings

(After Stage 6 of 9)

 

1. Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team                   96 Points
2. Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar                                      72 Points

3. Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing                       69 Points

4. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team                                60 Points

5. Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN                                              57 Points
6. Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra                                                  45 Points

7. Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing                                     43 Points

8. Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team                              40 Points
9. Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Sigma Racing Team                         29 Points
10. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team                             23 Points

 

 

Volvo

Badrutt's Palace

AFG

www.stmoritz-matchrace.ch

 

 

 

And this from BlackMatch:

 

Hi all from BlackMatch,

 

The wind failed to come to the party early this morning and with a tight programme to get through on the final day, the quarterfinals were called at 1 nil and we qualified for the semi final. Top qualifying Ian Williams chose to race us, which left Ben Ainslie to take on Mathieu Richard in the other semi final match up.

 

By midday a great thermal breeze had built and the afternoon saw some amazing action with the tightest racing seen all week. Unfortunately we lost our semi final to Ian Williams 2-1 after three very exciting matches while Mathieu Richard dispatched Ben Ainslie also 2-1.

 

This left us to take on Ben Ainslie and his Team Origin in the petit final which was a one race winner takes all affair, in blustery conditions. Following a busy prestart which saw us handed a somewhat cheap penalty in the dial up, we managed to get the start we wanted and head towards the left side of the course which was what we thought would be favoured. Ben opted for the right side of the course and by the top mark we had gained a healthy lead, although we still had an outstanding penalty. Winds up to 20 knots and short courses combined to test the crews and the British team were always in contention, but as we built on our lead nearing the final top mark, we decided to do our penalty turn at the finish line, which provided a nail biting finish for spectators. We came surfing toward the finish line and executed a nice penalty turn while Ben came storming in, however we just managed to complete our turn and cross the line mere boat lengths in front, to secure 3rd position.

 

Despite feeling disappointed with not being able to defend our King of the Mountain title here in St Moritz, we are still happy with the result, especially after a decisive win against the formidable Ben Ainslie. Mathieu and his team took out the final 2-1 over Ian Williams and have extended their lead on the overall World Tour standings, while Ian Williams has leap frogged into 2nd position leaving us in 3rd. For now Mathieu Richard looks to be the favourite to take out the overall championship, however we are still very much in contention and will be looking to chase him down over the next couple of events, starting in Denmark next week.

 

For any media or results please visit www.worldmatchracingtour.com.

 

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 and also warm up here in the cold mountains. The ongoing support of our sponsors is helping make this opportunity possible for the BlackMatch boys. We would also like to thank Emirates Team New Zealand and Steinlager Pure.

 

BlackMatch Racing this week is Adam Minoprio, Tom Powrie, David Swete and Nick Blackman

 



Murdoch steps up to take Bronze at Laser Worlds

6 September 2010

Date: 6 September 2010
From: Jodie Bakewell-White


Andrew Murdoch steps onto the podium for the bronze medal at the 2010 Laser World Championship which has just finished at Hayling Island, Great Britain.
 

Image by Event Media

This is the third Olympic class Laser World Championship medal for the 27 year old from Kerikeri Cruising Club, after a bronze in 2005 in Brazil, and silver in 2007 in Portugal.


It's been a gruelling week for Murdoch and his team mates who have sailed a total of 14 races over six days after the Hayling Bay venue produced conditions which allowed organisers to complete the full schedule. 


Australia's Tom Slingsby has won the 2010 World title after romping away to open up an enormous lead on his rivals through the course of the regatta. Come the dawn of the final day of racing the Australian still had to stay out of trouble, but managed it with ease to win by 36 points over Nick Thompson of Great Britain.

 

"It's good to have it over with - it's been a pretty long regatta! I've had a bronze and silver before - I took last year off from racing so it's kind of good to come back to racing and come away with a bronze medal," says Murdoch. "My feel is still coming back to me a little bit [after the break]. I was giving Tommy a hard time on the way in and said he won't have it as easy next time!"

"The next major event I guess is the Worlds down in Perth in over a year's time and the main goal is Weymouth 2012 in two year so it's a great start to this campaign."

" We've got a mix of old and new guys in the squad and certainly the younger guys are stepping up and turning out some results, so it's good having a good team behind me pushing me."


After plenty of ups and downs it was Murdoch, (who represented New Zealand and finished fifth at the 2008 Olympic Games) that came through as the best of the kiwi team, though all had moments of brilliance. Murdoch held his nerve on the final day placing 8th in the opening race then winning the final race of the series to march up the board from fifth and claim the bronze.


20 year old Josh Junior from the NZL Sailing Team has produced his best ever Laser Worlds finish. The young up and comer who represents Wellington's Worser Bay Boating Club, has placed sixth overall improving on his 11th place in 2009 in Nova Scotia, Canada.


On the final day Mike Bullot and Andy Maloney slipped out of the top ten to finish in 14th and 16th respectively, a career best for the young Maloney.


Four top fifteen finishers indicates New Zealand has terrific strength and depth in the Laser camp right now which bodes well for the 2012 Olympic Games. All seven sailors from New Zealand finished inside the top third of the 159-strong fleet providing valuable world class gold fleet experience.


The 2010 Finn Gold Cup has also reached its conclusion, being staged in San Francisco over the past week. Dan Slater from the NZL Sailing Team was the best finisher of the six kiwi entries coming home in 15th place.


The NZL Sailing Team Laser sailors are supported by coaches Mark Howard and Jez Fanstone, while Dave Robertson and Grant Beck are coaching support to the RS:X sailors in Denmark. John Clinton is coach at the Finn Gold Cup in San Francisco.


You can now follow the NZL Sailing Team via their Facebook page.


2010 Laser World Championships, 30th August - 5th September
New Zealand's final results (Total feet: 159)

3rd Andrew Murdoch
6th Josh Junior
14th Mike Bullot
16th Andy Maloney
26th Sam Meech
41st Max Andrews
50th James Sandall


2010 Finn Gold Cup, San Francisco, USA, 30th August - 4th September.
New Zealand's final results (Total fleet: 87)

15th Dan Slater
32nd Nik Burfoot
35th Matt Coutts
69th Bradley Douglas
74th Rob Coutts
75th Ray Hall


Links:
2010 Finn Gold Cup
2010 Laser World Championship
NZL Sailing Team on Facebook



World Champs Update - Ashley finishes 6th, Tobin 8th

5 September 2010

Date: 5 September 2010
From: Jodie Bakewell-White


2010 RS:X World Championship


A World Championship medal in 2010 has eluded both Tom Ashley and Jon-Paul Tobin finishing sixth and eighth respectively at the RS:X Men's World Championships just concluded in Kerteminde, Denmark.


Image by: Kasper Bejerholm - kasper@123-webdesign.dk


While both of the kiwis sailed brilliantly at times over the course of the six day regatta, in the end it was Poland that came to the fore with a gold - silver finish for team mates Poitr Myzska and Przemslaw Miarczynski. Israel's Nimrod Mashiah took out the bronze medal.


Tom Ashley, who has returned to competition this year after a year-long break, was disappointed when things simply didn't go his way in last night's quick fire medal race.


"Actually had a pretty disastrous race," he reflects. "It was very shifty and gusty, and I spent most of the race between 1st and 4th although the lead changed many times."


"Unfortunately the water was full of seaweed, and I hooked a huge piece of weed on my fin near the beginning of the last downwind which I couldn't remove. I ended up falling from 4th to 9th by the time the race finished. I finished 6th overall."

Despite missing out on the podium, it is encouraging that the medal race featured two kiwi sailors and from here they and the coaching team, will take the lessons and apply them to the ultimate goal of Olympic medals in Weymouth.


"Pretty disappointing after being in with a shot at a medal during the final race," continues Ashley. "However, I learned a lot during the competition and I still feel that this result is ok after taking a year off. Overall it seems like I'm on track for 2012, which is the real target."


Jon-Paul Tobin was eighth overall after placing 8th in last night's medal race. The 33 year old Takapuna Boating Club sailor appears to be in career topping form this year, and he adds this result to a list of top ten placings this year.


2010 Laser World Championship


The snakes and ladders on the leader-board has continued at the 2010 Laser World Championship as it draws to a conclusion on Hayling Bay, Great Britain.




Four members of the NZL Sailing Team are still among the top eleven of the 159-strong fleet as they go into the final day of racing.


Last night, seasoned campaigner Andrew Murdoch improved his position in the fleet coming through into fifth overall after a 14th and an 8th on the water. The 2008 Olympian is eleven points off third place as the regatta hits the final day where two races are possible.


Josh Junior is in seventh, Andy Maloney slips from second equal back to eighth after his poorest day yet, and Mike Bullot is in 11th place.


Australia's Tom Slingsby continues to demonstrate to his rivals how to win races, coming away from last night with another two bullets and even further extending his leading margin. A whopping 32 points clear he appears to have this title in the bag.


At the Finn Gold Cup in San Francisco, where a remaining two days of racing will determine the World Champion for 2010, kiwi Dan Slater is in 15th place.


The NZL Sailing Team Laser sailors are supported by coaches Mark Howard and Jez Fanstone, while Dave Robertson and Grant Beck are coaching support to the RS:X sailors in Denmark. John Clinton is coach at the Finn Gold Cup in San Francisco.


You can now follow the NZL Sailing Team via their Facebook page.


2010 RS:X World Championships, 29th August - 4th September
New Zealand's final results


Men's Championship (111 sailors)

6th Tom Ashley
8th Jon-Paul Tobin
78th (22nd in silver fleet) Antonio Cozzolino


Women's Championship (66 sailors)

34th (1st in silver fleet) Kate Ellingham
36th (3rd in silver fleet) Stefanie Williams
41st (8th in silver fleet) Natalia Kosinska
49th (16th in silver fleet) Alice Monk


2010 Laser World Championships, 30th August - 5th September
New Zealand's provisional standings (Total feet: 159)
5th Andrew Murdoch (6, 4, 11, 2, 8, 22, 9, 1, 24, 24, 14, 8)
7th Josh Junior (3, 22, 1, 2, 7, 5, 8, 29, 12, 21, 25, 7)
8th Andy Maloney (2, 22, 4, 10, 2, 11, 3, 4, 20, 5, 37, 36)
11th Mike Bullot (1, 2, 5, 13, 9, 3, 3, 23, BFD54, 30, 26, 16)
28th Sam Meech (10, 46, 5, 14, 7, 13, 24, 2, BFD54, 33, 19, 24)
35th Max Andrews (12, 41, 19, 7, 26, 8, 4, 34, 13, 10, 49, 44)
51st James Sandall (42, 7, 6, 14, 14, RAF55, 12, 5, 43, 49, 50, 47)

2010 Finn Gold Cup, San Francisco, USA
Dates: 30th August - 4th September
New Zealand's provisional standings after ten races (Total fleet: 87)
15th Dan Slater (32, 17, 28, 11, 26, 4, 9, 11, 13, 12)
32nd Nik Burfoot (24, 33, 42, 30, 34, 31, 36, 31, 39, 22)
37th Matt Coutts (37, 48, 26, 20, 32, 52, 35, 28, 18, 52)
65th Bradley Douglas (62, 88/DNF, 52, 61, 51, 60, 64, 59, 88DNS, 88DNS)
71st Rob Coutts (63, 57, 72, 62, 82, 65, 78, 69, 88DNS, 88DNS)
77th Ray Hall (61, 68, 65, 88DNF, 68, 58, 88DNF, 88ZFP, 88DNS, 88DNS)

Links:
2010 RS:X World Championships
2010 Finn Gold Cup
2010 Laser World Championship



BlackMatch

5 September 2010

 

Hi all from BlackMatch,

 

During an early morning briefing the quarterfinal pairings were decided, with the top ranked Ben Ainslie choosing to race Bjorn Hansen, followed by Mathieu Richard who chose to race fellow countryman Bertrand Pace, which left us to take on Damien Iehl.

 

With the south thermal breeze fighting to dominate the north gradient breeze it was an extremely tough day for both competitors and race organisers. Conditions really never settled and it was amazing that the race committee were able to get even one of our matches away. Despite the lack of breeze the only match of our quarterfinal was surrounded with huge drama, as we managed to take the victory in extraordinary circumstances.

 

After Damien and his team did a nice job in the start they managed to extend throughout a pretty 'one sided' race course, to go into the final run with what appeared to be an insurmountable lead. We rounded a long way behind and the French team looked to be cruising to victory, when they got caught in a massive light patch, only boat lengths from the finish line. We on the other hand had heated up to a great line of pressure and were making massive inroads in on the French team who appeared to be in extreme panic mode, while all we could do was hold our breath and sail as fast as we could to the finish. We came smoking into the hapless Iehl and charged past to take a much needed, but somewhat hollow victory.

 

No other racing was able to be completed due to the weather gods not coming to the party, so we ended the day 1 nil up in our first to 2 points quarterfinal. We are starting an hour earlier tomorrow with the intention of completing the quarterfinals, but if this is not possible the current results will stand. In the other matches Mathieu Richard is 1 up over Betrand Pace, while in the only quarterfinal to be completed Ben Ainslie secured his semi final berth with a 2 nil victory over Bjorn Hansen.

 

 

 

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 and also warm up here in the cold mountains. The ongoing support of our sponsors is helping make this opportunity possible for the BlackMatch boys. We would also like to thank Emirates Team New Zealand and Steinlager Pure.

 

 

 

And the official story:

St Moritz Match Race

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

St. Moritz, Switzerland - 4 September 2010 - 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."

 

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.

 

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 

 

Photos Copyright Loris Von Siebenthal:


1) Ben Ainslie made it to the semi-finals by beating Björn Hansen twice

2) Adam Minoprio can be happy: luck is on his side!

 

 

Volvo

Badrutt's Palace

AFG

Contact St. Moritz Match Race

www.stmoritz-matchrace.ch



Dan Slater

4 September 2010

Well this hasn't been the World Championships I would have liked but I have managed to turn it round a bit.
In the last 4 races I have had a 9th , 11th, 13th and 12th. All those races I have had good starts but not quite as quick as some of the big boys. I have been mixing in the top 10 when the the current has had not such an effect on the course and we have been able to play either side of the upwind legs. But the one way track racing has been a long slog.
Ed Wright GBR and Rafa ESP along with Giles Scott  GBR really have had a click of pace on everyone this week and the limited options with what side of the course you can go has really made it hard to beat them. Our beats have been up to 1.8 miles long and in days like today were the breeze was in the 18-25knot range the races are really tough. Most of the fleet I think feel they have done enough hiking for the year and most are starting to hobble round the boat park.
We have just 1 race tomorrow and then its time to pack a container and come home.
I have been really disappointed with my performance here especially at the start of the regatta. Its been a long regatta  and im now looking forward to getting home.

Thanks

Dan Slater



BlackMatch in St Moritz

4 September 2010

 

Hi all from BlackMatch,

 

It would be fair to say that we are developing some what of a reputation for just scraping through into the final stages of World Tour Events and today was by no means an exception, as we grabbed the last remaining quarterfinal position in our final race of the day.

 

At the start of the day we new we would need at least one win to cement our spot in the quarterfinals and after losing out to Mathieu Richard and Ben Ainslie in our opening matches, it all came down to a nail biting race against the top qualifying Ian Williams.

 

Ian and his Pindar Racing Team had a great start to the race and we had to work extremely hard in the shifty conditions to close the gap by the top of the course. There was a very close incident at the top mark rounding when we were windward boat and the Brit was luffing to get around the mark. They protested us for not keeping clear while we countered believing they had gone past 'head to wind' to get to us. The decision was in the umpire's hands and although we rounded the mark first there was nerve racking wait for their decision which was ultimately a green flag for no incident. We had stretched out to a healthy lead by the bottom mark but the race was far from over and by the final top mark, they were hot on our heals. The British Team rounded in better breeze and went to roll over the top of us, so we had to luff hard to defend. We sailed them out to the side of the course and executed a nice gybe back to the finish line while we felt them breathing down our necks right until the finale.

 

It was a huge relief to make the final cut and the way the other results panned out there were 3 other teams that finished on 6 wins, with a tiebreak needed to decide the last qualifier. Unfortunately for Italy's Francesco Bruni he was the one to miss out due to us beating him earlier in the week, while we managed to scrape through by the narrowest of margins. 

 

Tomorrow we look forward to finding out who our quarterfinal opponent will be, as the teams that qualified higher get the choice of who to race. We will also be looking to continue another trait of ours, qualifying last and then somehow going on to win the event, something that we did 3 times last year on the World Tour.

 

For any media or results please visit www.worldmatchracingtour.com.

 

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 and also warm up here in the cold mountains. The ongoing support of our sponsors is helping make this opportunity possible for the BlackMatch boys. We would also like to thank Emirates Team New Zealand and Steinlager Pure.

 

BlackMatch Racing this week is Adam Minoprio, Tom Powrie, David Swete and Nick Blackman

 

 



1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9