Detroit Cup victory taken by Aussies

by Luiz E. Kahl on 22 Aug 2011 The Detroit Cup 2011, which is an ISAF Grade 2 event, has witnessed an impressive display of determination, patience, and skill beyond his nineteen years by Australian Jordan Reese and his team of Henry Kernot and Harry Thurston who have won the title in an exciting five match final at the Bayview Yacht Club.

The team defeated Kiwi Laurie Jury in an exciting Final that went to all five matches in the first-to-three point series.

Reese started the day early, defeating Brad Funk to earn their place in the Semi-Finals, then came back from being one match down in the first-to-two point series to defeat Kiwi Reuben Corbett, and then went up by two in the first match of the first-to-three match Final.

But then Jury roared back, dominating the next two matches to bring the series even up, and forcing a conclusion to the fifth and final match. All matches featured contentious lead changes and fights at nearly every mark rounding in perfect 10-14 knot conditions on the Detroit River.

The final match started with Reese rounding the first top mark first by two lengths, but as was seen throughout this series sailed in Ultimate 20's the trailing boat is at an advantage in gybing into the passing lane on the downwind legs. So Jury took the lead going into the bottom mark, and got to the favored left side to double his lead at the final top mark.

The problem is that Jury went to the wrong mark, opting to go to the default mark rather than the mark signaled at the start of the match, so Reece, trailing by several lengths and rounding the proper mark, managed to sail downwind unmolested to the finish and into victory.

The Detroit Cup is the second stop on the four-stage US Grand Slam Series, a series of four consecutive ISAF Grade 2 match race events composed of last week's Chicago Grade 2 Invitational, this week's Detroit Cup, next week's Knickerbocker Cup, and the following week's concluding Oakcliff International. Winner of the series will get an invitation to next year's ISAF Grade 1 Congressional Cup in Long Beach.

Jury may have lost the battle, but is winning the war now, leading the Grade 2 US Grand Slam series with two runner-up finishes in Chicago and now Detroit, with 160 points.

Detroit Cup website