Aside from the capsize, the bigger drama of the day came in the first match between Ian Williams and his GAC Pindar crew and Harry Price. Having come through the Qualifying Sail Offs yesterday unbeaten, the young Aussie continued his winning streak claiming the first race off the six-time World Match Racing Tour Champion.
In the second, Price was penalised in a pre-start collision but did a great job to catch up and was provided with a last chance to roll Williams coming into the finish line when the GAC Pindar gennaker failed to deploy properly. This was much the same story in the next two races with the regular lead changes and ultimately the British match racing veteran ultimately prevailing, 3-1.
“Those guys did a great job – they pushed us all the way,” said Williams. “The extra racing they had yesterday in similar conditions gave them an advantage. It was very tough out there, but we are pleased to get through – that’s all that matters at a match race regatta.”
In his series today defending GKSS Match Cup Sweden champion, Phil Robertson and his CHINAone NINGBO crew got pushed hard by San Diego’s Nevin Snow and his 13 Fifty Racing. While the Kiwi skipper tied his opponent up in knots in the first race’s pre-start, providing them with almost a complete leg’s lead, Snow returned the favour in the third race in which Robertson hooked not only the pin mark but then charged off downwind with the weather marks tucked up under one of his M32’s racks like a rugby ball. Eventually Robertson prevailed to win 3-1.
“It was nice to do some match racing again – it was quite challenging!” admitted Robertson. “We were both pushing the starts hard and getting aggressive in the pre-start. You had to lock out the leeward start because it was favoured. We got two right and he got two wrong. They may be a young US team, but they pushed us to our limits.”
Snow countered: “We did a lot of things right and we made a couple of continual errors. The race course was pretty tricky – we were over in the last race and then there was nothing we could do to get back into it.”
Tomorrow racing continues with the Quarter Finals round of GKSS Match Cup Sweden from 1000CET.
Super 16 knockout – full results
Yann Guichard (FRA) Spindrift racing 3-0 Sam Gilmour (AUS) Neptune Racing David Gilmour (AUS) Team Gilmour 3-0 Sally Barkow (USA) Magenta 32 Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) Sailing Team NL 3-1 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team Nicklas Dackhammar (SWE) ESSIQ Racing Team 3-2 Matt Jerwood (AUS) Redline Racing Chris Steele (NZL) 36 Below Racing 3-0 Johnie Berntsson (SWE) FLUX Team Taylor Canfield (ISV) US One Sailing Team 3-0 Måns Holmberg (SWE) Gothenburg Racing Phil Robertson (NZL) CHINAone NINGBO 3-1 Nevin Snow (USA) 13 Fifty Racing Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 3-1 Harry Price (AUS) Down Under Racing
Semi-finallists
Yann Guichard (FRA) Spindrift racing v Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar David Gilmour (AUS) Team Gilmour v Taylor Canfield (ISV) US One Sailing Team Chris Steele (NZL) 36 Below Racing v Phil Robertson (NZL) CHINAone NINGBO Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) Sailing Team NL v Nicklas Dackhammar (SWE) ESSIQ Racing Team
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