| STILL BREEZY IN VITORIA |
| Thursday, 15 November 2007 |
The conditions of high winds and big seas which kept the SM 40’s at their moorings and the sailors ashore yesterday afternoon at the Vitoria Brasil Sailing Cup did the same today, but not before allowing the six teams from Group B to complete three flights of morning Round Robin action. In this group, Paolo Cian (ITA) from Team Shosholosa remains undefeated on three wins, while Mathieu Richard (FRA), the second-ranked skipper on the World Match Racing Tour, has led his Saba Racing Team to two wins, as has fellow Frenchman Philippe Presti of Luna Rossa.
To earn his undefeated score, Cian defeated Presti, Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA), and Torvar Mirsky (AUS), who at 21 years old is the youngest player on the Tour. Displaying an aggressive style of sailing reminiscent of his mentor Peter Gilmour, Mirsky ran into trouble early in the round, earning a black flag disqualification in his first match against Eric Monnin (SUI). Morvan also ran into trouble in his match against Monnin, where a collision between the two resulted in a half-point deduction notation which will be levied against Morvan if there is a tie-break needed to qualify to the next stage in the event.
Principal Race Officer Joao Pedro Cascais kept Group A ashore in the afternoon in the hope that the 30-knot winds and big waves would abate, but as late as 1600 there was no let up, so racing was postponed for the remainder of the day. Cascais feels confident the weather will be more cooperative tomorrow, and has called for the teams in Group A to meet tomorrow at 0700 local time.
“We would love to be out sailing now, it would be perfect sailing conditions,” said Bjorn Hansen (SWE) of Team Apport.net, eyeing the puffs rolling through the narrow harbor between Frade and Boi Islands. Hansen and fellow Swede Magnus Holmberg of Victory Challenge are both on three wins each, and were keen to entertain the thousands of beachgoers out on the Praia Curva da Jurema adjacent to the course area.
The Vitoria Brasil Sailing Cup is Stage 14 on the ’06-’07 World Match Racing Tour, with competition among 12 teams continuing through this Sunday, 18 November.
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