Detroit Cup – New Zealand’s Mathew Steven undefeated

by Luiz E. Kahl on 19 Aug 2011 ISAF Grade 2 Detroit Cup, presented by Bayview Yacht Club, is being held from 17th to 21st August 2011.

In a day that featured a wide variety of conditions and a mid-afternoon intermission due to a passing thunderstorm, one skipper and his team stands out after eight flights of racing. Mathew Steven, one of four young teams from New Zealand at this year's event, is the only skipper to be undefeated thus far in the competition, winning all five matches in his group of six teams among the twelve entered at the event.

Steven's 5-0 record is a full two points ahead of fellow Kiwi Reuben Corbett and three points ahead of Dave Perry, Brad Funk, and Nicolai Sehested, and five points ahead of Taylor Canfield, who won his match against Sehested but had a full point deduction from damage sustained in an earlier downwind collision incident with Corbett.

The remaining group of six teams completed only three flights in their round robin, having had to wait for a passing thunderstorm system to clear the area after finishing their first flight. In this group Laurie Jury and Will Tiller from New Zealand are on top with three wins each, followed by Aussie Jordan Reece on two wins, local Chris Van Tol on one win, and Shawn Ryan and Kent Colpaert still winless in the series.

'Despite our delay due to the storm, this was a great start to the event,' Said Regatta Chairman Kevin Schrage. 'The racing was very close, with lots of lead changes, and some high drama in nearly every match. We're looking forward to having more of the same tomorrow.'

Principal Race Officer Marcia Everingham will restart match racing tomorrow at 10:00 AM local time by continuing with the remaining two flights of round robin racing in Group B before advancing to the next stage of the event.

The Detroit Cup is the second stop on the four-stage US Grand Slam Series, a series of four consecutive ISAF Grade 2 match race events composed of last week's Chicago Grade 2 Invitational, this week's Detroit Cup, next week's Knickerbocker Cup, and the following week's concluding Oakcliff International. Winner of the series will get an invitation to next year's ISAF Grade 1 Congressional Cup in Long Beach.
Detroit Cup website