Mati Sepp clinches win in Porto Montenegro
by WMRT 10 May 21:33 PDT
6-8 May 2022
Estonian match racer Mati Sepp and his Clean Energy Sailing Team won the 2022 edition of the Porto Montenegro Match Race on Sunday, an official event of the World Match Racing Tour and stage four of the 2022 championship series.
The three-day event was hosted by the Porto Montenegro Yacht Club, part of the spectacular Porto Montenegro superyacht destination with racing on the waters of the UNESCO protected Bay of Kotor.
Light winds graced the opening day of the event which challenged the race committee to complete the first flight of racing in the round robin qualifying round. The Northerly breeze filled for the start of Day 2, swinging to the SW in the afternoon to completing six flights by the end of the day.
After a wait ashore for the late breeze on Sunday, the race committee was able to complete the final flight of the round robin but, with a final warning signal at 4pm, it was not possible to complete a semi-final and final.
The top 3 places for the event were therefore decided from the round robin. A three-way tie break for the top 3 teams was broken after an assessment of the win-losses of the teams and their results against each other. The calculation put Estonian Mati Sepp in the lead with 2 wins versus Italian Riccardo Sepe's 1 win, and fellow Italian Rocco Attili's with no wins.
A challenging event for the organizers in light airs, Principle Race Officer and Porto Montenegro Marina Director Tony Browne was pleased to secure a result for the event;
"We are extremely proud to have hosted this stage of the 2022 World Match Racing Tour at the Porto Montenegro Yacht Club. Even though wind conditions were not ideal, the on-water action was extremely tactical and exciting for sailors and spectators alike with all teams exhibiting high levels of skills onboard. We look forward to our continued involvement on the world match racing circuit, and to welcoming familiar faces again next year to Porto Montenegro."
The event was generously sponsored by Porto Montenegro portomontenegro.com with support from Portokali and superyacht refit yard Adriatic42 adriatic42.com.
Overall Results:
1. Mati Sepp (EST) - Clean Energy Sailing Team
2. Riccardo Sepe (ITA) - Blessed Galleria Sailing Team
3. Rocco Attili (ITA) - RBYS Racing
4. Dave Hood (USA) - DH3 Racing
5. Bojan Rajar (SLO) - Eureka Sailing Team
6. Jeffrey Petersen (USA) - Golden State Match Racing
7. Sophie Otter (GBR) - Team Otter
8. Ellie Cumpsty (GBR) - Team Phoenix
For more information on Porto Montenegro Yacht Club, visit pmyc.portomontenegro.com.