Team U.S.A. Wins Canada’s Cup in Closest Ever Cup Finish
TORONTO,
October 15, 2007 – In the most dramatic finish ever seen in Canada’s Cup
competition, U.S. Challenger Robert Hughes and Heartbreaker came from
behind on the final leg of the final match race on Monday to cross the finish
line less than half a boatlength ahead of Defending team Honour. The win brought the final score of the
championship to 5-4 and finally gave Hughes the victory that has eluded him in
two prior Cup challenges in 2001 and 2003.
Team
Heartbreaker
could not contain their enthusiasm as they loaded the Cup into their
inflatable tender, racing from the Royal Canadian Yacht Club’s island
headquarters to the mainland, hoping to catch their flights back to
Michigan. “We can’t wait to bring the
Cup to her new home at Macatawa Bay Yacht Club,” said Team Manager Mary
DeVries. “This means so much to us –
we’ve all been brought along by Bob Hughes’ vision, and now we’ve succeeded at
what he started years ago.”
Extremely
light winds on Monday made both races long, mentally frustrating affairs. With America’s Cup tacticians Gavin Brady
and Dave Dellenbaugh battling it out every bit as much as the helmsman they
directed, the final margin of victory was less than 3 seconds. Honour held a 19-second lead at the
final upwind mark, and only 200 yards from the finish line, Heartbreaker
was still trailing. “It was one little puff,” said losing skipper Alec
Krstajic. “That was the match. One tiny little puff of wind that
Heartbreaker brought right to the finish – the whole thing came down to that.”
Hughes
hopes to work with other prominent Great Lakes clubs in both the U.S. and
Canada to build on the momentum of this exciting and suspenseful Canada’s Cup
match. With thousands of on-line
spectators for IonEarth’s superb GPS-based coverage, and massive interest in
the 21st running of the Cup, it’s clear that the interest in match
racing on the Great Lakes is at an all-time high. Macatawa Bay is targeting 2009 for the next defense of the Cup –
and according to Macatawa Bay, the event should remove any doubt that the
Canada’s Cup Championship stands for supremacy in match racing on the Great
Lakes.
The
entire series of races will be available to view at IonEarth later this
week. Races can be replayed free of
charge at www.ionearth.com. Photos and crew information from the 21st
Canada’s Cup will also be available later this week at www.cancuplive.com. For high-resolution photos of the event,
please contact alan@blocksail.com
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TEAM HEARTBREAKER
PRESS OFFICER
Alan Block
(248) 563-0657 – mobile