World champ gone at World Match Racing Tour

Perth, Australia (March 22, 2017) – The upsets continue on the third day of the Match Cup Australia, proving that the start remains golden at the opening event of the 2017 World Match Racing Tour season.

Ian Williams (GBR), who has won the world championship a record six times, was reminded of this as he was eliminated by local skipper Matt Jerwood (AUS). Williams and his GAC Pindar Team were never really in the game, with Matt Jerwood’s Redline Racing leading all three races from start to finish.

Ian Williams debating a situation.

Jerwood was full of praise for his team. “My team is fantastic, Patrick, Niall and Alex, they are so up to speed with what needs to be done on the boat, we just got in front on the starts, then just sailed away,” was his run down of the races. Then he added “I don’t do a lot on the boat, I just sit there and don’t fall off, but it is quite mentally tiring.”

In the knockout Round of 16, others to go through to the quarterfinals in three straight races were Frenchman Yann Guichard and his Spindrift Racing and Taylor Canfield from the US Virgin Islands, defeating Sam Gilmour (AUS) and Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) respectively.

The tightest match of the day was between Denmark’s Jonas Warrer and Kiwi Chris Steele which went to a fifth and deciding race. Warrer had gone 2 – 0 up, but Steele clawed his way back to level the score. In the decider it was all over on the starting line, with Steele sailing away unopposed.

Home town skipper David Gilmour beat east coast rival Evan Walker from Sydney’s Cruising Yacht Club of Australia 3 – 1 in a series of tight races.

Three matches will sail tomorrow to complete the round, which includes reigning world champion Phil Robertson against Mans Holmberg. Other matches are Nicklas Dackhammar vs. Torvar Mirsky and Nicolai Sehested vs. Steve Thomas. The final is scheduled for Saturday, March 25.

Broadcast: To watch the racing live, or catch up on earlier races, click here.

Tour details – Event details – Scoreboard – Facebook

2017 World Championship Level Events:
WMRT Match Cup Australia, March 20-25
WMRT Congressional Cup, March 29-April 2
WMRT Northern Europe, June 6-11 (Venue TBA)
WMRT Match Cup Sweden, July 3-8 (Venue TBA)
WMRT Match Cup USA, August 1-6 (Venue TBA)
WMRT Match Cup America, October 3-8 (Venue TBA)

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
WMRT Match Cup China, November 3-10 (Venue TBA)

Background: In 2013, Swedish company Aston Harald AB acquired the design and production rights to the one-design M32 catamarans. In July 2015, Aston Harald AB acquired the World Match Racing Tour, which then began the use of the M32 during the 2016 Tour. Launched in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour is the leading professional match racing series sanctioned by World Sailing.

Source: WMRT