Chicago Match Race Center Spring Invitational – Mossman leads

by Chicago Match Race Center on 17 May 2010 The Chicago Match Race Center’s (CMRC) Spring Invitational, in its first ISAF Grade three event of the season, has four skippers tied on six points each after a full day of Round Robin competition. After resolving all the various tie-breaks among this group, 2010 CMRC Key West Invitational winner Guy Mossman from Charleston, SC emerged to lead the pack and thereby gets to choose his opponent for the next stage of the competition tomorrow morning, the first-to-two point Quarter-Finals.

'We felt pretty good today by keeping it simple and not over-thinking,' said Mossman, 'and I assured us of that strategy by having a hefty bar tab last night! But seriously, we got better with every race, had some great matches against the Wilson’s, and intend to use the same approach for tomorrow.'

Also on six points and the current runner-up in the nine-team field, Jennifer Wilson of Chicago has surprised many here not just by winning six matches in a competitive group, but by also defeating her brother Don Wilson who is not only the founder of CMRC but the defending champion at this event and a much more active match race sailor: Don’s ranking on the ISAF World match race ranking list is 95th, whereas Jen’s is 451st. (Mossman, new to match racing, has no ranking at all!)

'I have an awesome team who did their jobs really well, which allowed me to focus on just driving,' said Jennifer. 'My main trimmer Sally Barkow just flew in last night from Newport, so I especially appreciate her efforts to be here.'

The current position the two Wilson’s have has invited speculation that the rivalry could continue if both were to remain the top two Lake Michigan-based teams in the final results, as they would then qualify for an invitation to the 2010 YRUGL Richardson Trophy Regatta, the Match Racing Championship for the Great Lakes to be held over October 8-10.

Rounding out the top gang of four is Chris Nesbitt of Salona Beach, CA, who also praised his team, saying 'They did a great job, and aside from a few of my driver errors, we felt pretty good today.'

Conditions were fairly light today, with the northeast seven-nine knot breeze shifty enough to keep race managers led by PRO Bill Canfield and his CMRC Race Committee team on their toes, but not enough to cause too many delays in completing the Round Robin. Don Wilson commented he thought the conditions were actually 'good for May in Chicago.'

Tomorrow’s forecast calls for a similar seven-10 knot northeast breeze, so match race action should once again be easy to see off the seawall at the North side of the entrance to Belmont Harbor. Live commentary will be provided by America’s Cup veteran match racer Geordie Shaver, bringing narrative action to the crowds from the CMRC’s 70-foot mobile regatta center positioned adjacent to the course area.

Racing is scheduled to resume at 0900 tomorrow, with the first-to-two point Quarter Final followed by a first-to-two point Semi-Final and a Consolation Round of fifth and sixth place Round Robin finishers competing in one match to determine fifth, and the seventh and eighth-placed teams from the Round Robin to play for seventh in one match. Winners of the Semi-Finals will go head-to-head in a first-to-two point Final.

Results, after Round Robin:

 

1. Guy Mossman	6-3
2. Jennifer Wilson	6-3
3. Don Wilson	6-3
4. Chris Nesbitt	6-3
5. Steven Lowery	5-3
6. Mark Johnson	3-5
7. Danielle Soriano	2-6
8. Chris Wurtz	1-7
9. Robert Sansome	1-7

For more information about the CMRC Spring Invitational, visit www.chicagomatchrace.com