SWEDISH MATCH CUP UPDATE ARCHIVE
SWEDISH MATCH CUP
Marstrand, Sweden
July 5-10, 2005

UPDATE ARCHIVE

JULY 9, 2005
UPDATE 11 // 4:00 p.m.
Peter Gilmour (AUS) and the Pizza-La Sailing Team – Mike Mottle, Rod Dawson, Kazuhiko Sofuku and Yasuhiro Yaji – became the first repeat champions of the Swedish Match Tour when they defeated Ed Baird (USA) and Alinghi – Nils Frei, Yann Gouniot, Dean Phipps and Piet van Nieuwenhuyzen – 3-2 in the Quarterfinal Round of the Open Regatta at the Swedish Match Cup.

Gilmour and Baird were tied with 102 points coming into the event. Baird had to finish in the top four with Gilmour behind him, while Gilmour just had to beat Baird. Gilmour not only beat Baird for the championship but he also advanced to the Semifinal Round of the regatta.

In winning the sixth season of the Swedish Match Tour Gilmour won a $60,000 bonus from the Tour and a BMW 545i Touring, valued at $85,000, from Tour partner BMW.

All quarterfinal matches needed three flights to determine the winners. In other matches Dean Barker (NZL), Emirates Team New Zealand, defeated Bertrand Pace (FRA), BMW Oracle Racing, Peter Holmberg (ISV), Alinghi, defeated Kelvin Harrap (NZL), Emirates Team New Zealand, and Magnus Holmberg (SWE), Victory Challenge, defeated Russell Coutts (NZL), Coutts Racing.

The semifinal matches pit Magnus Holmberg against Peter Holmberg and Barker against Gilmour.

UPDATE 10 // 9:30 a.m.
In a cruel twist of fate the winds on the Western Approach to Marstrand Harbor are the lightest of the week. It’s forced the race committee to issue a postponement to the scheduled 9:00 a.m. starting time.

“We think it’ll last about two hours,” said event director Peter Klok. “We expect the seabreeze to come in.”

The seabreeze blows from the west and it appears the flow may have started. There are light ripples on the water from the west. But it isn’t strong enough to start the quarterfinal round of the Swedish Match Cup.

The matches include Peter Holmberg (ISV), of Alinghi, against Kelvin Harrap (NZL), of Emirates Team New Zealand; Magnus Holmberg (SWE), of Victory Challenge, versus Russell Coutts (NZL), Coutts Racing; and Dean Barker (NZL), Emirates Team New Zealand, against Bertrand Pacé (FRA), of BMW Oracle Racing.

But the feature match pits Ed Baird (USA), Alinghi, versus Peter Gilmour (AUS), Pizza-La Sailing Team, in a battle for the championship of the Swedish Match Tour. Baird and Gilmour are tied with 102 points, and whoever wins today’s best-of-three match wins the $60,000 cash bonus and a BMW 545i Touring, valued at $85,000, from Tour partner BMW.

JULY 8, 2005
UPDATE 9 // 4:25 p.m.
The quarterfinalists are set at the Open Regatta of the Swedish Match Cup, and they include Ed Baird (USA), of Alinghi, and Peter Gilmour (AUS), of Pizza-La Sailing Team.

The veteran skippers are the only contenders left for the Swedish Match Tour championship, tied with 102 points. Baird needs to finish in the top four with Gilmour behind him to win the championship, while Gilmour just needs to beat Baird, no matter where they place.

Other crews advancing from today’s knockout round include skippers Magnus Holmberg (SWE), of Victory Challenge, Russell Coutts (NZL), of Coutts Racing, Kelvin Harrap (NZL), of Emirates Team New Zealand, and Bertrand Pace (FRA), of BMW Oracle Racing.

They join Peter Holmberg (ISV), of Alinghi, and Dean Barker (NZL), of Emirates Team New Zealand, in the quarterfinals. Holmberg and Barker advanced to the quarters by winning their groups in the round robin stages.

UPDATE 8 // 10:00 a.m.
Dean Barker (NZL), of Emirates Team New Zealand, won his final match of the Group B round robin and finished with a perfect 7-0 record. Barker defeated Ed Baird (USA), of Alinghi, in a come-from-behind victory to win the group and advance to the quarterfinal round of the Open Regatta at the Swedish Match Cup.

Sailing in light east/northeasterly winds around 5 knots, Barker trailed Baird by about 35 seconds at the first windward mark. But in a key move he jibed to starboard on the run before Baird and found more pressure in the middle of the racecourse. Baird didn’t jibe to starboard until he reached the southern edge of the racecourse, against the rocky shoreline.

Baird held starboard approaching Barker in the middle of the racecourse and tried to hunt him into a foul. But Barker sailed over the top. When they converged again moments later, Barker easily crossed on starboard.

Baird rounded the leeward mark hot on Barker’s transom and the two split sides of the next windward leg, Barker taking the right side and Baird the left. The right worked for Barker the second time around and he survived the dying winds to capture the victory.

Baird finished the round second with a 6-1 record. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) was third at 5-2, Bjorn Hansen (SWE) fourth at 4-3, Kelvin Harrap (NZL), of Emirates Team New Zealand, fifth at 3-4, Russell Coutts (NZL), of Coutts Racing, sixth at 2-5, and Ian Williams (GBR) seventh at 1-6.

Iain Percy (GBR), of +39 Challenge, lost his final match to Coutts and finished 0-7 in eighth. He was eliminated from further competition.

While Barker advances to tomorrow’s quarterfinal round with Peter Holmberg (ISV), of Alinghi, the winner of Group A, the knockout round is next up today. Each match is a first to 2 points series, and the match-ups feature:

JULY 7
UPDATE 7 // 4:05 p.m.
Two more flights in Group B were completed before a summer squall blew across Marstrand and sent the competitors to the harbor by order of the race committee. Ed Baird (USA) and Dean Barker (NZL) continued their winning ways, with each skipper moving to 5-0. After Flight 6 they’re scheduled to sail each other in the last match of Flight 7.
UPDATE 6 // 11:50 a.m.
The first three flights of Group B’s round robin are complete and Ed Baird (USA) and Dean Barker (NZL) have blazed 3-0 records. Baird defeated Bjorn Hansen (SWE), Johnie Berntsson (SWE) and Russell Coutts (NZL), the last a come-from-behind win. Barker defeated Ian Williams (GBR), Kelvin Harrap (NZL) and Iain Percy (GBR). The eight crews are in the midst of their lunch break and are expected to return to the water around 1:00 p.m.

UPDATE 5 // 8:55 a.m.
Group B is on the water and ready to commence its round robin. All seven flights, 28 matches, are scheduled for today. After the first three flights the crews will break for lunch and then return to the water for the remaining four flights.

The team to watch is Ed Baird (USA), a helmsman for Alinghi. Baird, the co-leader of the Swedish Match Tour, needs to advance from the round to keep alive his hopes of winning the Tour championship. He’s tied with Peter Gilmour (AUS) with 102 points. Gilmour advanced to the knock-out round after placing sixth in the Group A round robin. He’ll meet the third-place finisher from Group B in the next round.


JULY 6, 2005
UPDATE 4 // 4:50 p.m.
Group A has completed its round robin and Peter Holmberg (ISV) came out on top. Holmberg, a helmsman for Alinghi, won the group with a 6-1 record in seven matches. He advances straight to the quarterfinal round, which is scheduled for Saturday morning. Full report to follow.

UPDATE 3 // 11:00 a.m.
Group A is scheduled at 11:30 a.m. to head back to the Western Approach to Marstrand Harbor and resume its round robin. Four of the seven scheduled flights were completed yesterday, with Peter Holmberg (ISV) and Jesper Radich (DEN) heading the group at 3-1. They’re scheduled to race in Flight 6.


JULY 5, 2005
UPDATE 2 // 4:10 p.m.
Two flights of the Open Regatta at the Swedish Match Cup have been completed. The winds have been shifting all over the Western Approach to Marstrand Harbor. The first flight was started in a southeasterly wind that shifted to the south and then west/southwest. The breeze has also died away to around 5 knots from a max of 12 knots. Two more flights are scheduled for the day.


UPDATE 1 // 10:50 a.m.
A southeasterly breeze is blowing between 12 and 15 knots on the Western Approach to Marstrand Harbor and is giving the women racing in the Swedish Match Cup an exciting ride. The Open Regatta is scheduled to begin this afternoon at 1:00 p.m., with Group A hitting the water. Group A is scheduled to sail the first four flights before the end of the day.

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