World Match Racing Tour - Monsoon at the Monsoon Cup 2011

by Sail-World.com on 23 Nov 2011 The Monsoon Cup is underway in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.

Today presented crews with the toughest ever match racing conditions in the Monsoon Cup's history, with strong winds, almost no visibility and with driving rain in some matches and mill ponds in others.

In one of those heavy weather flights the 2011 World Match Racing Tour leader and twice Match Racing World Champion Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar, was beaten by Peter Gilmour, himself five times the ISAF Match Racing World Champion and the Monsoon Cup winner in 2005 and 2008. Gilmour and his Yanmar Racing crew currently sit in fourth place on the Tour leader board.

At the scheduled start time of 10:00 hours Principal Race Officer David Tallis was battling multiple problems. The Terengganu River was running hard and with winds at 20-22 knots, mark laying was becoming difficult.

The crews in the first flight were about to be released from the Pulau Duyong marina when a heavy line squall came through with driving rain from the north.

Up went the AP flag and the crews ran for shelter. The wind was blowing at 30 knots but it abated and down came the AP.

Racing started in the first match, Ian Williams versus Peter Gilmour, but as the two boats headed towards the course back came the rain and wind, with vengeance.

With the first match completed Gilmour was smiling dockside. ‘That was match racing on the edge’ he said. ‘The wind was not all that strong but the peak gusts were 28-30 and we had current. We have never match raced with so little visibility.

‘Historically we have been good heavy air sailors. Through the 80’s and early 90’s we match raced in heavy air venues but we have gradually moved to today's summer, lighter weather venues.

‘The team, all of us, worked hard on our crew work and on any crewing issues. In heavy weather you need all hands. Ian has one sailor as his tactician, so in heavy airs he’s a person down.

‘It’s the result of where you grow up; for me it was the Fremantle Doctor* in 12 metres, match racing on the Swan River (Perth, Western Australia.)

‘It will be interesting to see what happens if this weather continues through to the finals’ mused Gilmour.

For Yanmar Racing tactician Simon Shaw this match had special significance.

‘For five or six years I've been sailing with Ian against Gilly. It was very exciting, this was a really big match. I've normally been on the other side of the fence.

‘Ten minutes before the start we expected it to be light and we were still adjusting the backstay and sails going into the box, but in 20-30 knots, in driving rain and with little visibility.

‘We dialled up, got into a strong position on the right and Ian got a penalty. As we swung round towards the start line we were hit by a gust and our vang exploded.

‘We managed to get a slightly better start into the elevator (current) on their right but the problem was that we could only see 10 to 15 metres and neither team could see where the top mark actually was.

‘Ian came out of the mist from the left, we crossed him by a length out to the right. We had rig-shaking pressure but with our vang gone that extra pressure probably slowed us down.

‘Still looking for the mark we tacked underneath Ian’s bow and then suddenly saw it in the gloom on the left. We had unknowingly just tacked off the lay line and thrown away the lead.

‘Ian headed for the mark and we tacked on his stern. Suddenly he got an extra puff, broached and was heading the wrong way round the mark.

‘For us it was easier. Our vang was blown so we got below the mark and he came round it, crashed into us and was penalised and then still had to go round the mark the right way. We did a tidy hoist and we managed to hold onto the kite, it was pretty sketchy but we managed, and we sailed around another lap and held it all together.’

Yanmar Racing then convincingly defeated Jeremy Koo (Abdullah Chan/KRT). With Koo penalised on the start line, Gilmour sailed away with that match.

Jeremy Koo finished 0-3 today and said ‘We have a very light crew so today it was a struggle.'

Will Tiller (Full Metal Jacket Racing) finished the day 2-1 and commented 'Big splits, but we won our two races against Mathieu Richard and Phil Robertson.’

And Phil Robertson (Waka Racing) 1-2 replied simply 'It always sucks to lose to your countryman.’

At the Skippers press conference this evening, the weather was the main topic of conversation.

Jesper Radich 1-1 commented ‘We saw another side of Terengganu - just like home, lots of wind and rain.’

Johnie Berntsson (Berntsson Sailing Team) 2-0. ‘We are happy with our day but it was more like a Volvo Ocean Race today.'

Bjorn Hansen (Mekonomen Sailing Team) 3-0 laughed 'You should feel my shorts if you think it was a lovely day.’

Peter Gilmour 2-1 said 'Never seen Terengganu turn it on like today.’

Torvar Mirsky (The Wave Muscat) 1-0 was grateful. 'We had the best rain schedule with just one match today.’


Francesco Bruni (Bruni Racing) 1-0 smiled 'We had enough fun watching everyone else racing in that weather.'

Ian Williams sits on 0-2. 'We got everything thrown at us. Racing against Peter, we both headed to the wrong mark.
There is pressure on all of us at the Monsoon Cup with the big prize money and with the World Match Racing Tour Championship at stake.'

Mathieu Richard (French Match Racing Team) was hoping for a good start to the Round Robin series but only managed 0-2 today. He said ruefully ‘Not our year, not our day.'

Principal Race Officer David Tallis summed up by saying ‘Today the forecast was 4 to 6 knots, the top wind gust we saw was 40 knots. Tomorrow the forecast is 6 to 8 knots, so we might be out with our storm sails and trysails.’

2011 Monsoon Cup Results after Day 1:

Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team 3-0
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team 2-0
Will Tiller (NZL) Full Metal Jacket Racing 2-1
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 2-1
Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners 1-2
Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing 1-2
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing 1-0
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat 1-0
Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team 0-1
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 0-2
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 0-2
Jeremy Koo (MAS) Abdullah Chan/KRT 0-3

The seventh annual Monsoon Cup, the final event of the 2011 ISAF World Match Racing Tour is being sailed in Kuala Terengganu Malaysia from December 22-27 and will decide the 2011 ISAF Match Racing World Champion.

*Fremantle Doctor is the name given to the cooling afternoon sea breeze, occurring during the summer months in Western Australia’s south-west coastal areas.

Monsoon Cup website www.monsooncup.com.my
World Match Racing Tour www.wmrt.com

* All images remain copyright property of the photographer and must not be copied or used in any way without the photographer's permission.