Sébastien Col (FRA) French Match Racing Team/K-Challenge. Image copyright Gilles Martin-Raget/World Match Racing Tour.
by Stephanie Nadin
After the first event of the season which took place in Marseille in March, the 2009 World Match Racing Tour is ready to gather again the world's best match racers who will carry on the fight leading to the World Match Racing Champion's crown. But from now on, the competitions will follow one another with an intensive rhythm, and the key to success will be to manage the effort over the duration.
Indeed, not less than four events will be run the ones behind the others in one month: Match Race Germany, taking place this week from May 27 till June 1st, then Korea Match Cup straight after, from June 2 to 7. The Troia Portugal Match Cup will follow from June 16 to 21, and last but not least, Match Cup Sweden from June 29 till July 5.
The summer break will then be very welcome until early September, where the last part of the season will start from St Moritz Match Race.
Since Marseille International Match Race and the Congressional Cup that followed right after in the US, Seb Col and his team kept on working hard: they took part to two intensive training sessions with the French match racing team. The first session took place in Valencia from the K-Challenge base in the America's Cup village beginning of May, then the second one took place in St Quay Portrieux last week.
On the other hand, Seb Col took part to other competitions: Farr30, RC44 (3rd place at Cagliari RC44 Cup), before winning the Melges 24 Volvo Cup event in Lerici, Italy, with Flavio Favini, on May 17.
So Seb is now starting the following events of the World Match Racing Tour peacefully, having more sailing and training hours to back him up.
« GETTING GOOD REFERENCE RACES TO START AGAIN »
Sebastien Col: “we've trained last week in Saint Quay Portrieux in light conditions, which is good as it is the same in Germany.
"It is a new start for us in a way, as we felt the need for sailing a lot after Marseille, and that is what we did by sailing for two trainings with the French match racing team since that.
"Personally, I feel better on the starts and the close game, but of course we have to transfer that to the competition situations. It will come with a few wins. Our level came back because we sailed a lot, now we need some good reference races with wins to start again ourselves over this season.
"Looking at the calendar, it will be quite tough, mainly between Germany and Korea, as they couldn't change their schedules. 50% of the teams taking part to the Match Race Germany will also sail the Korea Match Cup. The main issue that we will have to manage will be the jet lag, along with the event's format in Korea, as you need to play hard early in the competition, and the wind conditions are a bit tricky.
"The course is very short, we have to be up to speed. We will do our best to sleep well during the flights.
"Our crew will be the same for Germany and Korea: Gilles Favennec, Christophe André, Erwan Israël and Christian Scherrer, which is the same crew with whom we won the Korea Match Cup last year.
"The last trainings confirmed that this crew goes well along together, the goal will then to do the same with the regatta´s tension.”
Also, Sebastien will take part in a Melges 24 competition in Cagliari from June 11 to 14, between the Korea Match Cup and the Troia Portugal Match Cup. The targets on this circuit are the Europeans and Worlds Championships.
The 2009 season's heart beat will be thrilling and full of Adrenalin!
Sebastien Col
World Match Racing Tour
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