Perfect conditions for Toscana practice session

by Sean McNeill on 4 May 2005 Practice day at the Toscana Elba Cup – Trofeo Locman, Stage 5 of the 2004-’05 Swedish Match Tour, blessed competitors with a 12-knot east/southeasterly wind.

The lineup of 14 teams for the event was completed recently with the addition of Karol Jablonski (POL) of the Desafio Español America’s Cup challenge.

Another late entry included Hamish Pepper (NZL) of Italy’s Mascalzone Latino – Captitalia. Jablonski and Pepper have been hired as helmsmen for their respective teams.

The two are part of what is the best-ever lineup for a Swedish Match Tour event. Other Cup teams are lead by Ed Baird (USA) and Peter Holmberg (ISV), both of Cup champion, Team Alinghi, Gavin Brady (NZL), of BMW Oracle Racing from the U.S., Magnus Holmberg (SWE), of Sweden’s Victory Challenge, and James Spithill (AUS), of Italy’s Luna Rossa Challenge.

‘There are no easy outs,’ said Baird, who leads the Tour standings with the high score of 65 points.

A $60,000 cash bonus and BMW 545i Touring, from Tour partner BMW, will be awarded to the Tour champion at the season-concluding Swedish Match Cup in early July.

‘I think this shows that the Swedish Match Tour has come of age,’ said Peter Gilmour, the reigning Tour champ. ‘This is what the Tour is all about. You’ve got Cup teams out here scrambling to get into the event to practice their crew work. Then you’ve got hackers like Russell (Coutts) and me. It’s a neat thing.’

Despite Gilmour’s self-deprecation, he and Coutts are hardly hackers. Gilmour, the skipper of the Pizza-La Sailing Team, is the reigning Tour champion. Coutts, skipper of Coutts Racing, is the reigning event champ. They squared off in the Elba Cup final last year, and Coutts scored a 2-1 victory.

The field also includes a trio of skippers making their Swedish Match Tour debut; Ian Ainslie (RSA), of Team Shosholoza, Iain Percy (GBR), of +39 Challenge, and Thierry Peponnet (FRA), of K-Challenge. And skippers such as Ben Ainslie (GBR), of Emirates Team New Zealand and Francesco de Angelis (ITA), of Luna Rossa Challenge, are returning to the Tour for the first time in a few years.

‘The big difference is the rules, the pre-start and the maneuvering,’ said Ainslie, who won Olympic gold medals in the Laser (2000) and Finn (2004) classes. ‘It’s so much more like chess. There are set moves and I have to learn them. The more used to it I get the more enjoyable it’ll be.’

Crews will be racing the Swedish Match 40, the Tour’s specially designed match-racer from Swedish designer Pelle Petterson. The boats debuted in Portugal last year, and six are on hand for the racing in Porto Azzurro.

With 14 crews and six boats the format for the event differs from the normal double round-robin followed by semifinals and final.

The field will be split into two groups and each will sail a round robin of six races. The three highest scoring skippers from Group A and B each shall advance to the quarterfinal round. The eight remaining skippers will sail a one race knockout paired in their group based on the results of the round robin, with the two winners advancing to the quarterfinal round.

Quarterfinals and semifinals are knock-out rounds. In the quarters, semis and final the first skipper to win 3 points advances to the next round or wins the championship. A Petit Final is also scheduled, and the first two win 2 points will place third with the other skipper placing fourth.

Swedish Match Tour partners include Swedish Match, BMW and the Match Race Association. Swedish Match Tour Official Sponsors include Musto, Sebago, Travel Places, Trident Studio and Wedgwood.

For more information on the Swedish Match Tour, its competitors, events and a link to the Tour’s broadband TV channel, please visit the official Tour Web site, www.SwedishMatchTour.com.