TIME TO HURRY
UP AND WAIT AS LIGHT AIR HITS ACI HTmobile CUP
 |
Denmark's
Jesper Radich leads Italy's Paolo Cian during
the upwind leg of flight five on day three
the ACI HTmobile Cup in Split, Croatia.
29, May 2003. Photo© Sergio Dionisio/Swedish
Match Tour
|
SPLIT,
Croatia (May 29, 2003) – It was another
day, or afternoon at least, of frustration on
the waters off the ACI Marina in Split, Croatia,
for day three of the Swedish Match Tour’s
ACI HTmobile Cup.
With
a northeasterly breeze blowing off the land early
this morning, the racing got underway at 9:30am
local time with the final flights from round robin
one taking place in a solid breeze that fluctuated
from 15 to 25 knots. Progress was made through
to the final race in the second flight of round
robin two. This was abandoned when the wind died
completely. With no breeze on the race course
coinciding with lunchtime, the boats returned
to ACI Marina only to leave again mid-afternoon
to await a sea breeze that only partially materialized.
A
cheer went up from local spectators when in the
first flight of the second round robin local Split
sailor Frane Brate managed to dispatch Swedish
Match Tour leader Jes Gram-Hansen of Denmark.
This is Brate’s only win in the competition
to date.
“We
have small luck in this position, because he was
the first boat and towards the last mark the wind
came from behind and we go quickly this way and
slowly meter by meter we overtake him,”
explained Brate, 28. “We feel very happy
because this is my first time match racing and
my crew haven’t been training.” Ironically
Brate was en route to his second win in his match
against Jesper Radich when the wind died and the
race was abandoned before lunch.
Losing
to the novice Croatian was just one of a catalogue
of disasters for Jes Gram-Hansen, the present
Swedish Match Tour leader, who today dropped matches
to Paolo Cian – the Mascalzone Latino America’s
Cup team skipper also not on form – and
to fellow Swede Mattias Rahm. Gram-Hansen is now
lying eighth in the overall results after three
days of racing.
Meanwhile
Chris Law staged a come back with his band of
Outlaws, who aside from Law comprise tactician
Dobbs Davis and three local sailors, Ante Vanjaka,
Ivan Kljakovic-Gaspic and Darko Supuk. Law today
beat Magnus Holmberg, Allan Coutts and Paolo Cian,
only losing to James Spithill.
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New
Zealand's Allan Coutts left, keep in touch
with Great Britain's Chris Law during the
upwind leg of day three the Swedish Match
Cup in Split, Croatia. 29, May 2003. Photo©
Sergio Dionisio/Swedish
Match Tour
|
“We
had a miscommunication of time,” said Law
of his loss to the young Australian skipper. “The
watch stopped or went forward or something because
he called me over the line by 20 seconds. We also
had miscommunication today. In the heat of the
moment I go ‘hold the jib’ and the
Croatian for ‘release’ or ‘cut
the jib’, is very similar to the word ‘hold’.
So they thought I meant ‘release’.
But otherwise they are great.”
This
afternoon’s racing barely took place. The
last abandoned match of the second flight between
Jesper Radich and Frane Brate was held in good
breeze and was won by Radich.
Principle
Race Officer Alen Kustic then decided to get the
third flight underway. “We opened the third
flight between James Spithill and Paolo Cian and
as soon as I let the procedure go and when they
entered, the wind was dying,” recounted
Kustic. Cian failed to enter the start area correctly
and picked up a penalty but was able to recover
his ground during the race. Unfortunately during
the race the wind again died and shifted around
the clock. The race was completed but was painstakingly
long. Racing for the day was subsequently cancelled.
In
the post-race wrap-up there was discussion about
whether or not a time limit should be set for
the completion of individual races as there is
in the America’s Cup.
Split
Hospital received another customer from the ACI
HTmobile Cup today in the form of Swiss Alinghi
crewman Nils Frei sailing with skipper Allan Coutts.
Frei developed a bursitis on his elbow –
a pingpong ball-sized growth. As the boats returned
at lunchtime, Frei was rushed to hospital where
the bursitis was cut open and drained. “I
had it during the America’s Cup and then
it went off completely, but there was a risk that
it would come again and that risk was now,”
said Frei, his elbow now heavily bandaged. He
returned to the boat without missing a race.
At
present James Spithill with 10 wins in 13 races
holds a narrow lead over Poland’s Karol
Jablonski who has won 9 races of 11 sailed. Tomorrow
the race committee will have their work cut out
to complete the second round robin before launching
into the quarter-or semifinals on Saturday.
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Sweden's
Magnus Holmberg leads New Zealand's Allan
Coutts to the top mark during day three
the ACI HTmobile Cup in Split, Croatia.
29, May 2003. Photo© Sergio Dionisio/Swedish
Match Tour
|
ACI
HTmobile Cup Leaderboard
Skipper
Wins Losses
1.James Spithill (AUS/Team Spithill) 10 3
2.Karol
Jablonski, (POL/Jablonski Sailing Team) 9 2
3.Magnus
Holmberg, (SWE/Team Holmberg) 8 4
4.Jesper
Radich (DEN/Team Radich) 8 4
5.
Chris Law (GBR/”The Outlaws”) 7 5
6.
Mattias Rahm (SWE/Team Stena Bulk) 6 6
7.Jes
Gram Hanson (DEN/Team Victory Lane) 5 7
8.Paolo
Cian (ITA/Riviera di Rimini Sailing Team) 5 7
9.Johnie
Berntsson (SWE) 4 8
10.Allan
Coutts (NZ/Alinghi Team) 3 9
11.Frane
Brate (CRO) 1 11
ACI
HTmobile Cup Round Robin Results
Round
Robin One
Flight
10
Law
def Holmberg
Spithill
def Coutts
Gram
Hansen def Berntsson
Jablonski
def Rahm
Radich
def Cian
Flight
11
Law def Coutts
Spithill
def Brate
Berntsson
def Rahm
Cian
def Gram Hansen
Jablonski
def Radich
Round
Robin Two
Flight 1
Jablonski def Berntsson
Spithill
def Law
Radich
def Coutts
Rahm
def Holmberg
Brate
def Gram Hansen
Flight
2
Berntsson def Spithill
Law
def Cian
Holmberg
def Coutts
Rahm
def Gram Hansen
Radich
def Brate
Flight
3
Spithill def Cian
For
all the latest news and information about the
Swedish Match Tour, visit www.swedishmatchtour.com.
About
the Swedish Match Tour
·
The Swedish Match Tour is comprised of nine of
the world's leading professional sailing events
and is proving to be the ultimate battleground
of sailing.
·
In addition to more than US$800,000 in individual
event prize money, the Swedish Match Tour awards
US$200,000 to the top eight sailors on the Swedish
Match Tour, with the first-place skipper netting
US$60,000.
·
In addition to a US$60,000 first prize, the winner
of the Swedish Match Tour receives the official
Swedish Match Tour Championship Trophy, 15"
(30 cm) high with 22 carat gold gilding, produced
by Swedish Match Tour sponsor Wedgwood. Additionally,
Wedgwood supplies runner-up prizes for second
and third places as well as commemorative plaques
to each event organizer.
·
The Swedish Match Tour produces 155 hours of television
coverage reaching more than 427 million households
worldwide.
·
Swedish Match Tour partners include Swedish Match,
Octagon and the Match Race Association.
·
Swedish Match Tour sponsors include Colorcraft,
Champagne Mumm, Musto, Selden and Wedgwood.
