Aggressive matchracing decide three Q-finalists
'Minoprio V Mirsky - St Moritz Match Race'
Loris von Siebenthal Click Here to view large photo
A south-westerly breeze of eight to twelve knots came through and provided for some very close match racing.
In the final flight of the round an aggressive pre-start between long time and trans-Tasman rivals Torvar Mirsky (AUS) and Adam Minoprio (NZL) saw both teams even off the start with Minoprio's ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing leading comfortably around the top mark. By the second top mark this lead had diminished to within a boat length and Minoprio was forced to gybe immediately after rounding the mark to stay clear of Ian Williams who at the time was racing Paolo Cian in a separate match. 'We had to do two more gybes to cover Torvar, which meant that by the time these were completed we were dead in the water,' explained Adam.
Further down the run to the finish Mirsky Racing Team got a overlap from astern but with no luffing rights received a penalty for sailing Minoprio above his proper course. With the finish line quickly approaching Mirsky double gybed to gain luffing rights and held Minoprio out past the pin. Both teams dropped their spinnakers and Mirsky gybed, pointed his boat head to wind, tacked onto starboard then back onto port and bore away across the finish line, effectively getting rid of his penalty in the process.
Unfortunately for Mirsky Racing Team, the umpires awarded them a second penalty for tacking too close to ETNZ/BlackMatch meaning Minoprio was the winner of the race, securing their quarterfinal spot comfortably with four wins from five races. Mirsky Racing Team will now sail in the repechage round robin to try and gain a quarterfinal berth.
The other two matches in the final flight were must wins for all four teams, with the two winners proceeding straight to the quarterfinal. Jes Gram Hansen won his match against Peter Wibroe and Ian Williams defeated Paolo Cian after a tight match that went down the final few metre's of the race giving Gram Hansen and Williams the three points they needed to head straight to the Quarterfinals. They, along with Minoprio (NZL), join Eric Monnin (SUI), Mathieu Richard (FRA) and Sebastien Col (FRA) who qualified in yesterdays Round Robin A.
With the repechage scheduled to start this afternoon, the wind decided it didn't want to play ball and slowly died away. The fleet race was completed and after waiting for an hour for breeze the teams were brought back to shore to wait in the shelter of the hospitality tents. After waiting another couple of hours it was apparent the breeze was not coming back today, so racing will commence in the morning with organizers hoping to complete the repechage series and begin the quarterfinals.
About Stage 6
St. Moritz is one of the most prestigious ski resorts in the world, so much so that it hosted the Winter Olympics in 1928 and '48. Now it hosts an event of the World Match Racing Tour. It features the battle for the title 'King of the Mountain.'
The event is raced on Lake St. Moritz, in the Engadin region of the southeastern Swiss Alps. The lake is at an elevation of 5,624 feet (1,856 meters) above sea level, making it possibly the highest-elevated match race regatta in the world. The lake is surrounded by peaks surpassing 10,000 feet.
The event is unique to the World Tour for more than just its location. Most of the boats used on the tour are 35- to 40-foot keelboats. St. Moritz features a newly designed four person keelboat called the Blu26. It's a highly manouvreable boat with a big rig, which makes it quite a handful for the crews when the Maloya wind blows.
ISAF Match Racing World Championship Leaderboard (Top 8)
(After Stage 5 of 9)
1. Ian Williams (GBR) Team Pindar, 72
2. Sebastien Col (FRA) French Match Racing Team/K-Challenge, 57
3. Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team/ French Team Spirit, 47
4. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team , 45
5. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Alandia Sailing Team, 40
6. Mattias Rahm (SWE) Stena Bulk Sailing Team, 34
7. Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Shosholoza, 33
8. Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge 31
Line 7 Competition
The World Match Racing Tour in conjunction with their official clothing supplier Line 7 is offering you the opportunity to win a Sqaudron Jacket from their marine range. The Line 7 marine range is designed and constructed to the highest performance level offering you confidence to keep warm and dry. The online competition is open now and runs until October 28, 2008.
For your opportunity to win simply go to www.worldmatchracingtour.com
For more information about Line 7 visit www.Line7.com
About the World Match Racing Tour:
. The World Match Racing Tour is the leading professional sailing series featuring 9 World Championship events across the globe
. The World Tour is sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) with 'Special Event' status
. The World Tour awards over US$1million in prize money
. Points are awarded at each event culminating in the crowning of the season ending 'ISAF Match Racing World Champion'
. Events utilize the same 'match race' format used in the America's Cup with racing taking place in identically supplied racing yachts which places a focuses on team work and skill. Racing takes place close to the shore for the general public to follow the races as virtual on-the-water stadiums.
. Media and television highlights coverage reaches over 500 million households in excess of 90 countries around the world.
. World Match Racing Tour sponsors include Line 7, Pindar, Custom House, Travel Places, Wedgwood and Sail.TV
2008 World Match Racing Championship Season
Stage 1 April 21-26 Brasil Sailing Cup Vitoria, Brazil
Stage 2 May 7-12 Match Race Germany Langenargen, Germany
Stage 3 June 10-15 Korea Match Cup Gyeonggi, Korea
Stage 4 June 30-July 6 Match Cup Sweden Marstrand, Sweden
Stage 5 August 27-31 Danish Open Frederikshavn, Denmark
Stage 6 September 2-7 St Moritz Match Race St Moritz, Switzerland
Stage 7 September 23-28 Portugal Match Cup Troia, Portugal
Stage 8 October 6-12 Bermuda Gold Cup Hamilton, Bermuda
Stage 9 December 3-7 Monsoon Cup K.Terengganu, Malaysia
by WMRT Media 
Balaclava, VIC
