Phil Robertson wins Match Race Worlds

Marstrand, Sweden (July 7, 2019) – Phil Robertson (ChinaOne Ningbo) has become Match Racing World Champion, defeating USA’s Taylor Canfield (US One) 3-0 in the final event of the 2018 World Match Racing Tour season. It is Robertson’s second world title following his World Match Racing Tour win in 2016.

The competition was held at GKSS Match Cup Sweden on July 3-7, which was doubling as the winner-take-all Match Racing World Championship.

“Marstrand is a very special place to sail and we love coming here,” said Robertson. “The whole team [Stewart Dodson, Will Tiller, James Wierzbowski] sailed superbly today to make sure I could take the boat in the direction we needed.”

The two former world champions were evenly matched at the start of the day for the first-to-three point final match.

In the first race, Canfield was unfortunate to lose his port rudder blade in the tight pre-start manoeuvring allowing Robertson to put the first score on the board. Leading the second race start, Robertson was called over early and Canfield took the lead, but a slow gennaker deploy on board the US One boat allowed Robertson to gain the lead. Splitting gates at the leeward mark, Robertson found a right wind shift on the upwind leg, an advantage he was able to hold to the finish.

Canfield led the third race but a gybe set by Robertson at the first mark gave Robertson the overlap and lead change. Canfield pushed hard at the boundary but a green flag from the on-water umpires allowed Robertson to stay ahead and control the race to the finish.

“It wasn’t to be our day today but we are pleased with a second place and I’d like to thank my team [Hayden Goodrich, Chris Main, Mac Agnese] for such a great job,” commented Canfield. “It’s the third time we have lost to Phil here in the finals but we will be back for sure.”

In the Petit Final, local favourite Nicklas Dackhammar (SWE) was up against Torvar Mirksy (AUS) for the 3rd and 4th place deciders. Losing his first race to Mirsky, Dackhammar called a better layline to the finish in the second match to snatch victory from Mirsky and go to a decider. Dackhammar was then able to use the teams momentum to overpower Mirsky in the decider match and take the bronze.

In the Nordea Women’s Trophy which ran parallel to this week’s GKSS Match Cup Sweden, it was local Anna Östling and her Team WINGS [Marie Berg, Annika Carlunger, Annie Wennergren, Linnéa Wennegren] that clinched victory for the second year in a row.

The Marstrand event concludes the extended 2018-19 World Match Racing Tour season which included four championship events from 2018 in Sweden, Portugal, and Norway. Under new ownership since the start of the year, the World Match Racing Tour will announce its new season in the coming months, also celebrating its 20th year in 2020 as the longest running global professional sailing series.

As one of only five sanctioned Special Events by World Sailing, the World Match Racing Tour promotes match racing around the world providing a unique platform for sailors to compete at the highest level of the sport. Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have contributed over USD20 million in prize money to sailors.
——————-
The GKSS Match Cup Sweden event celebrates its 25th year in 2019, a long term flagship event of the World Match Racing Tour since its inception in 2000, then named the Swedish Match Grand Prix Sailing Tour.

Final Standings:
Final Standings
1. Phil Robertson (NZL) ChinaOne Ningbo
2. Taylor Canfield (USA) US One
3. Nicklas Dackhammar (SWE) ESSIQ Racing
4. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Cetilar Mirsky Racing
5. Yann Guichard (FRA) Spindrift Racing
6. Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar
7. Måns Holmberg (SWE) Stratsys Racing
8.Harry Price (AUS) Down Under Racing
9. Markus Edegran (USA) Team Torrent
10. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team
11. Daniel Bjornholt (DEN) Youth Vikings Team
12. Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) NL Sailing Team

Scoreboard:

For more information on WMRT, visit www.wmrt.com
For more information on GKSS Match Cup Sweden, visit www.gkssmatchcupsweden.se

Entered skippers with World Sailing Ranking*
• Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar – #1
• Harry Price (AUS) Down Under Racing – #2
• Nicklas Dackhammer (SWE) Essiq Racing Team – #6
• Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team – #9
• Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Cetilar Mirsky Racing Team – #13
• Yann Guichard (FRA) Spindrift Racing – #19
• Mans Holmberg (SWE) Stratsys Racing Team – #23
• Taylor Canfield (USA) US One – #27
• Phil Robertson (NZL) China One Ningbo – #33
• Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) Sailing Team NL – #134
• Markus Edegran (USA) Team Torrent – #194
• Daniel Björnholt (DEN) Youth Vikings Denmark – #342
* Ranking as of June 12, 2019

Background: Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) promotes the sport of match racing around the world and is the longest running global professional series in the sport of sailing. The World Tour represents a series of independently organized and officially sanctioned match racing events which are used to award prize money and the Match Racing World Championship title.

Source: World Match Racing Tour