Swedish Match Tour - Weather Conditions Foil Opening Of Toscana Elba Cup: Driving rain and gusty, shifty winds thwart Day 1

PORTO AZZURRO, Italy — In rotten sailing conditions suited more for luck than match-racing, three flights were completed on the first day of the third annual Toscana Elba Cup – Trofeo Locman, an event of the Swedish Match Tour.

Karol Jablonski (POL) pinches up under Paolo Cian (ITA) in their Flight 1 match at the Toscana Elba Cup – Trofeo Locman. (Simon Palfrader/SEA&SEE)

Intermittent rain coupled with huge wind shifts and gusts made for a radical day of sailing. No lead was safe.

“It was puffy, it was shifty, it was crappy,” said John Cutler (NZL/Mascalzone Latino) who went 1-1 on the day. “But it was what it was.”

Karol Jablonski (POL/Toscana Challenge), the 2002 match-racing world champion, won both of his matches and heads the leaderboard. The only skipper at 2-0, his record is due more to the fact that his group of six crews completed two flights while the second group of six completed just one.

Gavin Brady (NZL/Oracle BMW Racing), Jesper Radich (DEN/Team Denmark) and Bertrand Pacé (FRA/Team France) won their Flight 3 matches and stand at 1-0.

Paolo Cian (ITA/Riviera di Rimini Sailing Team), Magnus Holmberg (SWE/SeaLife Rangers), Michael Dunstan (AUS/OzBoyz Challenge) and Cutler are all 1-1.

Peter Gilmour (AUS/Pizza-La Sailing Team), Ed Baird (USA/Team Musto) and Russell Coutts (NZL/Alinghi Team) are 0-1. Philippe Presti (FRA/le Défi) is 0-2.

The race committee postponed racing this morning at 9:00 a.m. due to strong winds blowing 25 knots and gusting to 28 knots. Weary of damaging the boats and hindering the racing schedule, the committee decided to postpone until 1:00 p.m.

The first flight finally got underway around 2:30 p.m., and it quickly became apparent that the skippers and crews were going to have a taxing day.

Cutler and Dunstan were first to start. Cutler, a veteran America’s Cup campaigner since 1992, got the better of the rookie Dunstan in the pre-start and, with the wind blowing around 18 knots and gusting to 21, quickly opened a comfortable 100-meter lead in the first minute of their match. But by the windward mark Dunstan had climbed back into contention.

“We were trailing by 100 meters in the first race but were able to close to 20 meters on a huge shift and him sailing into a hole,” said the 22-year-old Dunstan, who lost the match.

A similar scenario played out in Flight 3, when Brady staged a huge comeback over Gilmour. Trailing by about four boatlengths around the leeward mark, Brady used a shift and more pressure to take the lead and the victory, which he chalked up to luck.

“He (Gilmour) rounded the leeward mark and hesitated,” Brady explained. “That gave us the right side. We got a shift, but it wasn’t too big. It was more pressure, and he sailed into a hole.”

Holmberg may have been the luckiest person on the day, but it wasn’t due to a windshift. Leading Presti in his Flight 1 match, Holmberg broached on the first run in a 20-knot puff and 30-degree shift, and wound up well to the right side of the leeward mark.

Presti sailed through and took a 10-boatlength lead. He also had a penalty against Holmberg for a pre-start incident. With a comfortable advantage and a penalty against his opponent, Presti should’ve been home free.

But he inexplicably rounded the leeward mark to begin a third lap in the two-lap race. Holmberg sailed toward the finish, performed his penalty turn and won the match while Presti sailed upwind.

Toscana Elba Cup – Trofeo Locman Standings
(After 3 of 22 scheduled flights)
1. Karol Jablonski (POL/Toscana Challenge) 2-0
2. Gavin Brady (NZL/Oracle BMW Racing) 1-0
= Jesper Radich (DEN/Team Denmark) 1-0
= Bertrand Pacé (FRA/Team France) 1-0
5. Paolo Cian (ITA/Riviera di Rimini Sailing Team) 1-1
= Magnus Holmberg (SWE/SeaLife Rangers) 1-1
= Michael Dunstan (AUS/OzBoyz Challenge) 1-1
= John Cutler (NZL/Mascalzone Latino) 1-1
9. Peter Gilmour (AUS/Pizza-La Sailing Team) 0-1
= Ed Baird (USA/Team Musto) 0-1
= Russell Coutts (NZL/Alinghi Team) 0-1
12. Philippe Presti (FRA/le Défi) 0-2

Day 1 Results
Flight 1
Match 1: John Cutler d. Michael Dunstan
Match 2: Magnus Holmberg d. Philippe Presti
Match 3: Karol Jablonski d. Paolo Cian

Flight 2
Match 1: Dunstan d. Presti
Match 2: Jablonski d. Cutler
Match 3: Cian d. Holmberg

Flight 3
Match 1: Gavin Brady d. Peter Gilmour
Match 2: Jesper Radich d. Ed Baird
Match 3: Bertrand Pacé d. Russell Coutts

For more information on the Swedish Match Tour, its skippers and events please visit www.SwedishMatchTour.com.