Holmberg takes a dip as Presti shoots from the hip

by Sean McNeill on 6 Jul 2005 The Open Regatta at the Swedish Match Cup got underway as scheduled today with Group A completing four flights. Although there wasn’t a lot of racing, drama ruled the day.

For the second year in a row Peter Holmberg (ISV), of America’s Cup champion Alinghi, went swimming during one of his matches. Two skippers, Peter Gilmour (AUS) and Philippe Presti (FRA), lost points after they were penalized by the international jury for causing damage.

The extra curricular activities jumbled the standings at the end of the day. Two skippers, Jesper Radich (DEN) and Peter Holmberg each have 3 points on 3-1 records.

Magnus Holmberg (SWE), of Victory Challenge, won two of three races and has 2 points. His fourth match against Staffan Lindberg (FIN) was postponed until tomorrow because of a mainsail problem.

Bertrand Pacé (FRA), of BMW Oracle Racing, has 2 points on a 2-2 record. Presti went 3-1, but has 2 points after being docked one point for his collision with Peter Holmberg, the unofficial swimming champion of the Swedish Match Cup.

Gilmour finished the day 2-2, but has 1.5 points after being docked a half point for a pre-start collision with Lars Nordbjerg (DEN). Nordbjerg and Lindberg have 0 points after failing to win a race.

The winds for the day started from the southeast but quickly shifted to the south and then west/southwest after the crews took to the water around 12:30 p.m. The winds were light and streaky for the first few flights, but a nice 12-knot breeze kicked in for the final flight, and the fun started.

Peter Holmberg and Presti, of Italy’s Luna Rossa Challenge, were the second match in the flight. They had a spirited pre-start and with about 5 seconds to the start gun Holmberg was to leeward of Presti at the pin end.

Presti thought he could clear Holmberg’s transom and turned his steering wheel to leeward. The bow turned down, but right into the starboard quarter of Holmberg’s boat. Presti hit so hard that Holmberg did a cartwheel out of the boat and into the water.

‘I thought, ‘Not again’,’ said Rodney Ardern, Holmberg’s main trimmer.
Ardern wasn’t crewing for Holmberg last year when he went swimming after a collision with Russell Coutts. But he’d heard about the incident.

‘I was going to shut him out,’ said Peter Holmberg. ‘With about 5 to go I put the bow down. Then I heard the crew yelling, ‘No way’. He had pace on. It was a big impact. It was a high risk move and he came up short.’

The impact damaged the starboard quarter of Holmberg’s boat, opening the hull-to-deck joint. The jury penalized Presti one point because the damage was classified as C level damage, which is damage in excess of $1,000.

‘The bows are very straight on these boats,’ said Presti of the Swedish
Match 40. ‘It’s difficult to know where it is in relation to the stern.’

‘The boats spin well, they carry momentum,’ said Ardern. ‘Because they carry momentum it’s tough to judge the spin.’

Gilmour won his match against Nordbjerg, but was penalized for hitting the Dane in the pre-start. Gilmour, to leeward, seemed to luff Nordbjerg but hit his leeward quarter. The jury classified the damage as B level, meaning less than $1,000, but which requires the deduction of a half point.

Group A racing is scheduled to resume tomorrow morning at 11:30 a.m.

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