Estate Master Sailing Team rocks the boat at Chicago Match Cup

by Estate Master Media Team on 17 Jul 2012 Estate Master Sailing Team powered by True Blue Racing have finished second in their first World Match Racing Tour event for 2012, beating some of the biggest names in the sport as well as becoming the only qualifying team ever to advance to a final of a World Tour event.

The young Australian team led by 20 year old Jordan Reece with crew Henry Kernot, Harry Thurston and Brad Farrand battled the whole way through this week’s Chicago Match Cup, the fourth stage of the 2012 Alpari World Match Racing Tour ultimately finishing second to reigning World Champion & current World Number 1 Ian Williams and his GAC Pindar team from Great Britain.

Estate Master’s journey to the Chicago Match Cup began in June when helmsman Jordan Reece competed in the Chicago Match Cup Grade 2 Qualifier presented by Eurex which saw the winner qualify for the main event last week. Reece and his American team of Will Holz, Jack Jennings and Olin Davis did enough to win the qualifying spot for the Chicago Match Cup. Since then Reece brought in his regular crew members Henry Kernot, Harry Thurston and Brad Farrand for the World Championship event.

The Chicago Match Cup became the first ever US stop on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour and Chicago Match Race Center - the host of the event put on an exceptional show for the crowd off the end of Navy Pier, in the heart of downtown Chicago with the racing taking place meters from the shore. A tough line up of Tour card holders, Olympians, World Champions, qualifiers and wildcard entries saw Estate Master Sailing Team come into the event as the youngest team as well as one of the lowest ranked teams, being 21st in the world. Eight of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour Card holders travelled to Chicago for the event which included, World Number 1 Ian Williams, World Match Racing Tour leader Bjorn Hansen, 2011 Chicago Match Cup winner Keith Swinton and runner up Pierre Antoine Morvan from France.

A forgiving format saw a qualifying round robin over the first two days of competition with the top four teams automatically qualifying for the quarter finals whilst the bottom eight teams battled it out in a repechage round to fight for the remaining four spots. A slow opening day for Estate Master saw the team end the opening day with two wins from eight races with wins over Phil Robertson (ISAF Ranking 5) and Sally Barkow (2008 Olympian). Finishing off the round robin stage on day two Estate Master came storming back winning four out of their five remaining races to finish the round robin in equal fourth place with five other teams. Unfortunately the tie break didnt go Reece’s way with the team dropping to eighth and into the repechage round.

The third day saw a mixed range of conditions with light shifty winds making way for a huge Chicago summer storm and strong afternoon sea breeze. Reece continued to mix it up with the remaining tour card holders and in a great performance won six out of their seven races in the repechage round, to eventually win the repechage round and ultimately knock out defending champion Keith Swinton in their final race. Having now qualified for the quarter finals Reece was then selected by 2011 Chicago Match Cup runner up Pierre Antoine Morvan (FRA). Sailing clean, smart and fast Estate Master took an early lead in the first to three point quarter finals, winning both opening races. Morvan and his team then came back to win the next race but in the fourth race Estate Master Sailing Team started in front and stayed their, winning the match their quarter finals to advance to the semi finals along with Ian Williams, Bjorn Hansen and Taylor Canfield.

Having won the last two events on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour and having won the qualifying round in Chicago Bjorn Hansen chose to race Reece in their semi finals. Hansen continued his form through to race one of the semi-final but Reece and the team turned the tables in race two and three to grab the lead 2-1. Hansen showed just why he is leading the Alpari World Match Racing Tour by taking race four and leveling the semi-finals to 2-2 and take it to a winner takes all final race. The light and shifty conditions saw race Reece win the start and from their Reece extended all the way round, taking race five by more than a leg for the current World Tour leader and advancing to the final of the Chicago Match Cup.

Having taken down last year’s winner Keith Swinton in the repechage round, 2011 runner up Pierre Morvan in the quarter finals and current World Match Racing Tour leader and winner of the last two events Bjorn Hansen, Reece now faced the task of overcoming reigning World Match Racing Tour Champion and current World Number 1 Ian Williams and his GAC Pindar team. Having become the first qualifier ever to advance this far in a World Tour event and having raced every stage at Chicago Match Cup Reece took the challenge on and gave the World Number 1 a run for his money only just losing the opening race after copping a penalty in the pre-start.

Race 2 again saw a very close battle with Williams leading up leg one before Reece took the lead downwind and up the second beat. A close tacking duel up the final upwind leg saw Williams again take the lead which he held to the finish. Up 2-0 Williams showed just why he has won 3 World Match Racing Championships by closing out Chicago Match Cup 3-0.

For Estate Master it was a tough final lose but the overall result was an emphatic victory for the team. The result has seen Estate Master Sailing Team jump up to ninth on the overall World Match Racing Tour leader board, currently beating Tour Card holder Simone Ferrarese from Italy who has competed in all four events.

'We are extremely happy with the end result. To make the finals on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour as a qualifier is something no one has ever done before and we showed that we can definitely mix it with these guys. Brad, Harry and Henry did an unbelievable job this week and I can’t thank them enough for their work. We hope that we have proven ourselves to be capable of competing on the World Tour and hopefully we will be on it more frequently by the end of the year' commented Reece after racing.

Reece’s results have definitely captured the media headlines as well as recognition from fellow sailors with both Williams and Hansen extremely impressed with the teams talent and skills at such a young age. 'For Jordan to be competing in the final of an Alpari World Match Racing Tour event so early on is a fantastic achievement. I can't remember how long I was plugging away before I made my first Final but I think it was more like a year. It's a great start for him' commented Ian Williams after the win whilst Bjorn Hansen was one of the first to congratulate Reece on advancing to the Finals in his first Alpari World Match Racing Tour event, 'I'm really impressed with how they sailed the boat, they stay very cool when they're in front and all credit to them. They have a lot of experience in these boats so they had an advantage there but once they get some more experience in the others we use on the Tour, I think they have the talent to make the step up.'

Estate Master Sailing Team powered by True Blue Racing would like to thank Martin and Lisa Hill, Estate Master Property Software, Etihad Airways - The National Airline of the UAE, Gill Australia and the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron for their continued support and contributions to the team.