Monsoon Cup- Ainslie wins the slugfest of Terengganu

by Richard Gladwell on 5 Dec 2010
Newly crowned World match racing champion, Ben Ainslie added the Monsoon Cup to his bulging trophy cabinet with a win in the 2010 Monsoon Cup off Terengganu River, Malaysia, today.

After what most consider to be a disappointing year for triple Olympic Gold medalist Ben Ainslie, he and his TeamOrigin crew had all to sail for after winning the World Match Championship a few hours before.

For the young Australian crew led by Torvay Mirsky, this was their time to step up the professional sailing ladder and win the biggest prize of their sailing careers.

The skies cleared over Terengganu, and the tremendous sailing stadium that hosts the highest value event on the nine event World Match Racing Circuit.

In contrast to the soft breezes that prevailed for the early rounds of the regatta, 8kts of wind gave the competitors a chance to push the rules and the course - setting the scene for a great afternoon's racing in a best of five, or first to win three races final for the Monsoon Cup.

Race 1: Ainslie and his TeamOriogin crew lost the first race against young Australian match racing star, Torvar Mirsky. After winning the start, the TeamOrigin machine looked set to grind relentlessly on. However he allowed Mirsky to split and pick up the lead in the two lap race.

Rounding the top mark for the first time, an uncharacteristic mistake from the triple Gold medalist, saw him glance the windward mark and pick up a penalty for his sin. After closing towards the bottom mark, a second misytake from the British boat occurred when Ainslie headed for one mark, while his crew was set for the other. Mirsky pounced from the ensuing shambles, and scored an easy win.

Race 2: At the second start Ainslie was all over Mirsky like a rash, but again they closed on the beat and a mis-judged tack resulted in a penalty being awarded against the Australian, which he managed to wipe off by plucking a penalty off Ainslie, as a windward boat not keeping clear, just before they rounded the top mark for the first time of the three lap course.

TeamOrigin moved through the Australians on the first downwind leg after Ainslie reminded his crew to 'stick to their jobs' and they established a lead which Mirsky was able to attack but never quite break through, and the British crew took their first win of the final, to level the score.

After the race, Mirsky said that he felt the first penalty was very marginal, and felt that it should not have gone Ainslie's way. For his part Ainslie's take was that while they won the start, they struggled for speed against the Australian in the 8kt breeze. The triple Gold medalist also emphasised the need for the crew to keep it simple during mark roundings, and clearly while they had improved on their first race snafu, all was not yet perfect aboard the world champion.

Race 3: Two incidents in the final minute of the prestart of the third race, caused a major blowup aboard TeamOrigin. The best spin that could be put on the decisions was that the umpires could not agree, and the decision probably hung on the fact that there was no contact, therefore Mirsky is deemed to have kept clear, and as he later admitted was very releived to see two green flags from the pre-start incidents. Although Ainslie started to windward, shouting at the umpires after the decision, Mirsky soon moved through to leeward. Mirsky picked up a big gain from the left hand side of the course on the two lap race, and led around the top mark with a 12 second or 50 metre lead. At the bottom, despite a split mark option by Ainslie, the young Austalian extended to a 5-6 boatlength margin, or 85 metres, which he retained to the finish to go 2-1 in the best of five series.

[Sorry, this content could not be displayed] Race 4:Unusually Ainslie did not dominate the start in Race 4, with the crack British helmsman being late for the start and allowing Mirsky to get the early advantage ahead and to leeward.

They tacked onto starboard and there was an incident on the first cross, with Mirsky (port) being very lucky not to pick up a penalty as Ainslie on starboard was forced to swing away. But on the next cross Mirsky extended and looked to put his stamp on the two lap race. Although astern at the first rounding Ainslie was well poised for an attack and started to roll over the top before the boats split gybes, but with a 20 metre margin to Mirsky as the wind lightened for both boats.

As the closed back with Ainslie on starboard, Mirsky had to do a big avoid as Ainslie hardened up with right of way. Protest flags flew, but again the incident was green flagged by the umpires. However the move was enough to propel Ainslie into the lead at the leeward mark. After crossing tacks on the final beat, the two split tacks with Mirsky taking the left bank and Aisnlie going up the middle of the course. When they closed Ainslie was just ahead, and held a 6 second lead around the mark.

A dummy gybe called by Ainslie, as he was looking astern, was not heard by the foredeck crew, and they copped an admonishment from the skipper. However the move was a brilliant one, when the two came back together and Ainslie led around the bottom by 8 seconds, or 20 metres on the three lap course, extending to 13 seconds around the top and heading into the final leg. Although Mirsky chopped the margin back to 6 seconds at the finish, the score went to 2-2, and the series went to the full five races.

Race 5:A brillant period of control for the final minute start saw Ainslie force Mirsky forced over the line at gunfire, but a last minute drop in speed by Ainslie resulted in the advantage being evened up. A slow start to the first beat, by Ainslie let Mirsky through to a 20 metre lead in the early stages of the beat. Ainslie climbed back into a 20 metre lead, before tacking on a header off the bank and he crossed Mirsky to hold a margin of 65 metres - on the two lap course.

The British crew kept a loose cover downwind to lead by 23 seconds around the bottom mark, or 53 metres on the water, and continued the same tactics upwind, as Mirsky and his crew began to run out of runway, if they were to win the vital race.

Double Gold Olympic medalist Tactician Iain Percy kept up a constant patter of tactical and wind options to stretch the British crew to almost double their lead at the final windward mark - or a 110 metre lead on the water, in the softening and patchy breeze.

There were massive celebrations aboard TeamOrigin as they won the final race by 32 seconds and took the Monsoon Cup with a 3-2 margin.

Clearly disappointed at losing such a close regatta, Mirsky was philosophical after the race, in the realisation that 2011 was another year - and another opportunity to take both the World Championship and Monsoon Cup.

In the Petit Final, Jesper Radich beat Bjorn Hansen 2-0 to take third place in the regatta.