2015 World Match Racing Tour - Sehested back in form

by Brian Carlin on 1 Aug 2015 It’s been a year since the young Dane has been seen on the World Match Racing circuit. Sehested had taken the year out from match racing to sail with fellow crew Wibroe on the Volvo Ocean Race.

Australia's Luke Payne and fellow Denmark native Jonas Hviid-Nielsen makes the full compliment of crew for this year’s Energa Sopot Match Race in Poland. In fact the last time Sehested raced on the World Match Racing Tour it was at this event in 2014.

The first two days of racing saw the team have mixed results finding it tricky to change gear back to tactical short course racing. A little time to re-adjust saw them post six wins and five losses in the qualifying round robin. Just enough points to make the quarter finals where after the other skippers picked their opponents it was Tour Veteran, the Swedish match racer Johnnie Berntsson to do battle.

A quater final that did not disappoint. Match one Berntsson took first blood as Sehested couldn't clear his penalty on the finish line. Match two saw a luffing match on the downwind and Sehested got penalised but again we saw Sehested try what he failed to do in Match one and offset the penalty on the line. The fever was running hot.

Match three saw Sehested picked the left side splitting from Berntsson and it was game over at the first mark as he had an unassailable lead.

Match four saw a split tack off the start again, Berntsson clearing on the first cross and leading at the top mark. Sehested and his Trefor Match Racing crew applied the pressure and Berntsson failed at keep the Dane off.

Sehested and crew finished the day off in truth match racing style to advance to the Semi-Finals tomorrow with a three - one win over Berntsson.

The semi's and finals will be raced tomorrow but with a forecast of light winds this title could be anyone's.