Sailors Turn Umpires at the Asian Match Racing Championships

Keith Swinton of Black Swan Racing umpiring at the Asian Match racing Championships. Image copyright Gareth Cooke/Subzero Images.

by Rob Kothe

Ordinarily, these men would be the elite sailors racing with the wind across Pulau Duyong's match racing circuit, trimming and strategizing or tacking and gybing to get an edge over their competitors.

But this week, several of the world's top match racing sailors are turning into umpires at the Asian Match Racing Championships (AMRC) that will decide one of the final entries into the Monsoon Cup 2009.

One of them is Keith Swinton, who skippered the BlackSwan Racing team that won last year's AMRC in Pulau Duyong. 'It is sometimes good to step away from sailing and the race for a while to take a different role to see for yourself what it takes to run a regatta,' said Swinton, who has done some umpiring during training and practice back home in Perth, Australia.

The soft-spoken Australian called umpiring at the regatta as a 'life experience' especially after winning it last year.

Asked why he wasn't defending his AMRC title, the smiling Swinton said it had been a hectic year of racing in 2009.

'We just finished the regatta in the Trapani International Match Race.

'Our last regatta was last week in the Seychelles in which the team won, and we are hoping we could come back next year,' he said, saying he takes his future one day at a time.

Swinton will be backing to sailing when the BlackSwan Racing team races at the Australia Cup in Perth next week, just weeks after it won the Bentley Geneva Match Race last month.

He was all praise for the AMRC this year, saying the standards of the participating teams has shown big improvement including what he called very competitive Malaysian teams.

'There are some good competitions out there and it brings the level of the regatta to higher lever and Robertson is tough to beat,' the Australian said, speaking of Phil Robertson of WAKA Racing (NZL) which has sailed a lot in Europe and America this year

Asked who he thought could take the AMRC and a wildcard slot in the Monsoon Cup 2009, he said it would be between Hazwan Hazim Dermawan from Taring Pelangi, Terengganu’s home team and Phil Robertson of WAKA Racing.

'The Malaysian team are doing well and they can win, but we will see,' Swinton added, the current weather had an ideal sea breeze that was good for match racing.


Torvar Mirsky, of Mirsky Racing Team (AUS), umpiring at the Asian Match Racing Championships, from which the winner will enter the Monsoon Cup where Mirsky will be a competitor. Image copyright Gareth Cooke/Subzero Images.

Another umpire at the AMRC is Torvar Mirsky, skipper for Mirsky Racing team, and also contender for the World Championship at Monsoon Cup next month.

Like Swinton, Mirsky is also taking some time off sailing although he is now ranking second in the World Tour will be heading to the Australia Cup in Perth next week.

'I need some time off after the match race in Bermuda and before Monsoon Cup, it has come as a good opportunity for me,' he said, adding it was also a good way to get acquainted with the venue and conditions here.

But this is his first shot at umpiring and he called it a tough job although it offered another view of match racing.

'I can see other sailors sailing and it was good opportunity for me to view races from the umpire’s eyes as it is a tough job. I would prefer sailing than umpiring!' said Mirsky.

Mirsky and his Mirsky Racing Team are relative newcomers to the World Match Racing Tour, debuting last year and rising to the top quickly and coming out 3rd in Monsoon Cup 2008 and 5th in Monsoon Cup 2007.

It is also his first time watching the AMRC live after watching some footages of it, adding that the standard seem to improve each year.

'We can see some talented sailors out there at the AMRC and it is a very good regatta, well organised!' Mirsky added.

Asked to predict the winner, the top sailor said it would boil down between Robertson of Team New Zealand WAKA Racing and Dunstan of Australia's SLAM Match Race team.

'One of them will win and may go to the Monsoon Cup,' he said.

As for the Malaysian teams, he said he umpired skipper Hazwan of Taring Pelangi (TESA) against Martin Kaye's Team Hong Kong and found that Hazwan has improved since first starting.

'I think he will win the Malaysian Match Racing Championships,' said Mirsky.

Asian Match Racing Championships