WMRT: Slow Motion Ballet Duets Form Day One Round Robin at Match Race Germany

Dual Leadership for Mathieu Richard and Torvar Mirsky at Stage 2


Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Team in an on-the-water duet with Mads Ebler (DEN) Ebler Matchracing. Image copyright Gareth Cooke/Subzero Images.

by Cailah Leask

Competitors at Match Race Germany, Stage 2 of the 2010 ISAF World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), have provided a series of slow motion ballet duets for the start of the Round Robin. The 4 to 5 knots of wind on Lake Constance from the South West has brought out the best in lake sailing ability, with some skippers like Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team preferring these conditions having been taught on ‘Lac de Maine’. Richard has noticed that there are a number of match racing regattas run on lakes and now simulates these lake conditions on the Atlantic Coast of France. “To create the experience just like racing on a lake I train with my team really close to the shore, this mirrors the light and shifty conditions when the breeze is off the land”.

Those who have mastered Bondensee’s light wind condition are overall leaders Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team and the current 2010 ISAF World Match Racing Tour leader, Richard, both winning all 3 of their matches from today.

There is then a block of four skippers who are all at 2-1, namely Adam Minoprio, (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing, Ian Williams (GBR) under his new team name Team GAC Pindar, Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing and Ian Ainslie (RSA) Team Proximo. This is a very tight set group and the balance could shift instantly with the likes of Gilmour involved. Gilmour has the best record of any skipper at Match Race Germany, having previously won this Stage three times in a row from 2004 through to 2006.


Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team overcomes the light winds and jointly leads the current round robin table with Mathieu Richard. Image copyright Gareth Cooke/Subzero Images.

Mirsky highlighted that Gilmour is ‘the man to beat at Langenargen’ saying, “I think Peter is going to be tough to beat on Lake Constance - he has a great record here. He likes tricky conditions and big boats”. Mirsky has been working on his skills in the light wind since his disappointment at Match Race France. Taking part in ‘Open de Espana Match Race’ with light wind has definitely worked in the 23 year old’s favour and Gilmour has related that after growing up in the Australian wind conditions, understanding light weather sailing is down to ‘hard work’.

Mirsky said “we actually feel pretty lucky today, we created some luck but we also received some in the process. We had some good starts and managed to make the best of them. The race committee had done the best they could do in these conditions, the wind comes in they get the races off quickly which leads to a good half of the race. It then gets shifty and it can be hard to stay on top of these shifts. We anticipated the conditions here and are really pleased to have clinched some wins”.


Ian Ainslie (RSA) Team Proximo and his crew tackling the light winds. Image copyright Gareth Cooke/Subzero Images.

The depth of talent on this year’s Tour has not disappointed the growing fan base The latest ISAF World Match Race Rankings released included 8 of the WMRT tour card holders in the top 10 standings. Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing the current ISAF World Match Racing World Champion, leads the ranking ladder in front of the youngest contender on the Tour, Mirsky, and Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN.

Twenty six-year-old Kathrin Kadelbach (GER) EWE Sailing Team, Match Race Germany’s first ever female skipper, will have to set herself a new goal tomorrow as she has already won a match against Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Gill Global Team. The 2012 Olympic hopeful who is campaigning in the 470 class to race at Weymouth and Portland, is definitely a player in this male dominated event.

Tomorrow’s weather is set to produce further artistic water-based ballet performances akin to Germany’s cultural history which features one of the most popular ballets in the world. Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker is in fact based on a tale by the German author, Hoffman, written in 1816. The story tells of a great duel where the Rat King is defeated by the Nutcracker Prince, who then disappears off on an enchanted journey. The skippers on the Tour are having their own personal journey around the globe with 10 events to complete in only 9 months and as with the historic tale, only one person will win the final leg at the Monsoon Cup during December 2010.


(L - R) Peter Gilmour and Cristian Pontin (AUS) YANMAR Racing in action at Match Race Germany. Image copyright Gareth Cooke/Subzero Images.

Day 1: Part-Round Robin Results

Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team3-0
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team3-0
Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing2-1
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar2-1
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing2-1
Ian Ainslie (RSA) Team Proximo2-1
Paolo Cian (ITA) Team Italia1-2
Kathrin Kadelbach (GER) EWE Sailing Team1-2
Mads Ebler (DEN) Ebler Matchracing1-2
Jesper Radich (DEN) Radich Racing Team1-2
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Gill Global Team0-3
Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge0-3

Match Race Germany
World Match Racing Tour