Phil Robertson’s China One Ningbo and Torvar Mirsky’s Mirsky Racing Team streaked out to 4-0 leads in their respective groups at the 70th Bermuda Gold Cup and 2020 Open Match Racing World Championship.
The 16 crews treated spectators to classic match racing action today with dial-downs, luffing matches, come-from-behind victories and plenty of penalty requests to keep the on-water umpires jumping.
Robertson’s China One Ningbo team leads Group A after going undefeated in four matches.
The reigning Open Match Racing World champion defeated Anna Östling’s Team WINGS, Nicklas Dackhammar’s Essiq Racing Team, Matthew Whitfield’s Dragon Racing Team and Eric Monnin’s Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team.
In Group B racing, the Mirsky Racing Team defeated Mati Sepp’s Gleam Energy Sailing Team, Lance Fraser’s Team RCYC, Taylor Canfield’s Team Stars+Stripes and Pauline Courtois’s Match in Pink by Normandy Elite.
In Group B Ian Williams’s Team GAC Pindar is second at 3-1 while Jeppe Borch’s Borch Racing Team is third, also at 3-1. Williams holds the tiebreaker after a come-from-behind victory in Flight 3.
Williams led around the first lap but Borch overtook up the second beat by being to the left. At the windward mark the second time, Williams tagged successive penalties on Borch for failing to keep clear as a windward yacht, and that was enough to give him the victory.
The conditions on Day 1 of the week-long regatta aided and abetted the sailors in their hyperactive tactics.
A south/south-southwesterly breeze blew across Hamilton Harbour between 8 and 16 knots. In that wind direction, 2 knots more pressure can mean 10 degrees of favorable heading and turn a close cross into a comfortable margin.
70th Bermuda Gold Cup – Round Robin Standings:
Group A
1. Phil Robertson (33, Auckland, New Zealand) – China One Ningbo, 4-0
2. Chris Poole (31, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA) – Riptide Racing, 3-1
3. Johnie Berntsson (48, Stenungsund, Sweden) – Berntsson Sailing Team, 3-1
T4. Nicklas Dackhammar (30, Gothenburg, Sweden) – Essiq Racing Team, 2-2
T4. Eric Monnin (45, Immensee, Switzerland) – Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team, 2-2
6. Anna Östling (36, Lerum, Sweden) – Team WINGS, 1-3
7. Matthew Whitfield (23, Plymouth, England) – Dragon Racing Team, 1-3
8. Kelsey Durham (26, Smiths, Bermuda) – Triangle Racing Team, 0-4
Group B
1. Torvar Mirsky (34, Sydney, Australia) – Mirsky Racing Team, 4-0
2. Ian Williams (43, Lymington, England) – Team GAC Pindar, 3-1
3. Jeppe Borch (23, Copenhagen, Denmark) – Borch Racing Team, 3-1
T4. Taylor Canfield (31, Miami, USA) – Team Stars+Stripes, 2-2
T4. Jelmer van Beek (25, The Hague, Netherlands) – Team Dutch Wave, 2-2
6. Mati Sepp (52, Tallinn, Estonia) – Gleam Energy Sailing Team, 1-3
T7. Pauline Courtois (31, Brest, France) – Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team, 0-4
T7. Lance Fraser (27, Toronto, Canada) – Team RCYC, 0-4
Sean McNeill
