World Match Racing - Burling wins and avoids missing plane home
by John Roberson on 25 Jan 2017
Peter Burling and an Emirates Team NZ crew have won the Swan River Match Cup John Roberson
Peter Burling needed to win the final of the Swan River Match Cup in two straight races, if he was going to catch his flight home, such is the life of a professional sailor. He caught the flight.
In a series curtailed due to light winds in the early part of the day, the Kiwi team were under pressure throughout the day, but rose to the occasion, defeating first Sweden’s Mans Holmberg 2-0 in the semi-finals, before doing the same to local skipper Matt Jerwood in the final.
This was the first regatta in the M32 for Burling and his crew of Blair Tuke, Josh Junior and Glenn Ashby, though it was not as easy for them as the scoreboard would suggest.
“This has been a great opportunity to do a bit of match racing and that’s what we’ve got to do, it’s not too far away now,” said Burling, referring to his America’s Cup campaign.
The boats also impressed him, “they are really cool boats, I think they’re really light, so that makes them pretty good in the lighter air, then you can just keep reefing them so that you can keep sailing them through a massive wind range.”
Second placed Matt Jerwood of South of Perth Yacht Club and his Redline Racing Team have performed really well throughout the regatta, and should be serious contenders for places at regattas throughout the year.
Compliments about the regatta, the hosts Royal Perth Yacht Club and the other competitors came from the Kiwi coach Ray Davies, who said, “they’ve been incredibly hospitable and very well organised. These guys are taking it very seriously and there are some very ambitious teams and ambitious guys out there.”
Results:
1 Peter Burling NZL
2 Matt Jerwood AUS
3 Steven Thomas AUS
4 Mans Homberg SWE
5 Torvar Mirsky AUS
6 Will Boulden AUS
7 Harry Price AUS
8 Matt Chew AUS
9 Logan Beck NZL
10 Jeremy Koo MAS
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