MRT Brings Home Bronze - Marseilles International

MRT in Semi Finals

Adam Minoprio of Blackmatch Racing took out the Marseilles International title over France’s Mathiu Richard. Although going down in the semi finals, MRT managed to win the petit finals convincingly to secure 3rd place in the first event on the 2009 World Match Racing Tour.

“We are slightly disappointed, but the field was really strong so we are happy to have come such a long way. Adam and his team performed really well throughout the series, and they rightly deserved to win… It’s a great start to our season, and hopefully we will only get better as the year goes on”.

The next event of the World Match Racing Tour is in Germany this May. MRT will be returning to Australia to continue their training program, and continue preparations for the rest of the 2009 season.

A special thanks to Line7, Harken and the Royal Perth Yacht Club for their support.

Kinley Fowler
MIRSKY RACING TEAM

MRT Scrapes Through - Marseilles International Day 3

MRT Upwind in Marseilles

After a long day out on the water, the round robin has been completed and the Quarterfinals pairing have been decided. MRT managed to just scrape through, winning the final race of the round robin to put them on 6 wins, finishing in 7th position.

The higher qualifying teams were given the power to choose who to race in tomorrow’s do or die quarterfinals, and reigning two time world champion Ian Williams of Bahrain Team Pindar chose to race the Mirsky Racing Team. The choice doesn’t come as much of a surprise as Williams managed to beat MRT in the round robin stage, however with the scores so close after the first stage, anything could happen.“We’re looking forward to building up the momentum that we had today in tomorrow’s quarterfinals. We always aim to peak on the final day, and our performance has picked throughout the regatta, so we hope to continue it on right through to the end.”

STANDINGS FROM THE ROUND ROBIN
Ed Baird – 8 wins
Paolo Cian – 7 wins
Damien Iehl – 7 wins
Ian Williams – 6 wins
Sebastien Col – 6 wins
Adam Minoprio – 6 wins
Torvar Mirsky – 6 wins
Mathiu Richard – 6 wins
Pierre Morvan – 3 wins
Bjorn Hansen – 3 wins
Ian Ainslie – 3 wins

Follow the action on http://www.mirskyracingteam.net/ or http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/


Kinley Fowler
MIRSKY RACING TEAM

Cian Leads the Way in Marseilles

Paolo Cian of Team Shosholoza is leading the pack after day one with 7 wins under his belt. The rest of the field however remains tight as yesterday’s Mistral faded into next to nothing.

MRT performed well throughout the day despite only managing to get 2 wins from 5 races. The team was able to find speed throughout the day; however some minor tactical errors caused them to be on the back foot, and in some incidents races were put in the umpire’s hands. “We felt comfortable in all 5 races today, but with some small shifts not going our way we unfortunately didn’t come away with as many wins as we would have liked, but tomorrow is a new day and the field is extremely tight so we will just keep focused on improving as a team”.

STANDINGS AFTER DAY ONE
Paolo Cian – 7 wins 0 losses
Matthiu Richard – 4 wins 2 losses
Ed Baird – 3 wins 0 losses
Phillipe Presti – 3 wins 2 losses
Sebastien Col – 2 wins 2 losses
Pierre Morvan – 2 wins 2 losses
Torvar Mirsky – 2 wins 3 losses
Adam Minoprio – 2 wins 3 losses
Ian Williams – 2 wins 3 losses
Damien Iehl – 1 win 4 losses
Ian Ainslie – 1 win 4 losses
Bjorn Hansen – 1 win 5 losses

Follow the action on http://www.mirskyracingteam.net/ or http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/


Kinley Fowler
MIRSKY RACING TEAM

Day One Blown Away

Strong winds have delayed the start of the Marseilles International as racing was postponed, scheduled to start tomorrow when the winds are forecast to die down.

The line up to this year’s first World Tour is outstanding, with 9 of the top 10 ranked skippers competing, along with the two qualifying skippers - Ainslie and Morvan who are ranked 12th and 13th respectively. Then of course, who could forget the America’s Cup champion Ed Baird who has committed to the 2009 World Match Racing Tour.

Follow the action on www.mirskyracingteam.com or www.worldmatchracingtour.com

Kinley Fowler
MIRSKY RACING TEAM

Training in Marseilles

In true Marseilles fashion, gale force winds plagued the team’s first scheduled training session, and the team was forced to move down the coast to Antibes where shelter from the Bora wind allowed for a solid day’s sailing. With the winds easing off in Marseilles, the team was able to return to the original training schedule in the J80s.

The event has an all star line up with Ian Williams trying to defend his World Championship, a number of America’s Cup teams, including the current holder of the world’s oldest trophy – Ed Baird from Alinghi, and some newcomers who are set to cause some upsets.

The first day of racing commences on the 11th. Follow the action either on www.mirskyracingteam.com or www.worldmatchracingtour.com

Kinley Fowler
MIRSKY RACING TEAM

The World Match Racing Tour Begins

The Stage Is Set For the 2009 WMRT

The stage is set for a vicious battle on this year’s World MatchRacing Tour as a number of heavyweights in the sailing world have beengiven the chance to compete for the championship- including Alinghiskipper and America’s Cup champion Ed Baird, 3 time gold medallist BenAinslie, and 2 times defending World Champion Ian Williams, along witha number of America’s Cup teams and young up and comers.

It all kicks off next week in Marseilles as the Tour’s newest eventgives 12 teams a chance to get some early points in the fight for theworld title. With 5 months intense physical preparation in the lead upto the 2009 season and a good record in the event’s J80 boats, MRTlooks to be in good shape to perform. The team will be travelling toFrance for some final training with defending champion Ian Williamsand Alinghi’s Ed Baird in the J80’s. “It is exciting for us to becompeting together again” said Torvar as the dates for the MarseillesInternational Match Race close in. “We feel like we have had a goodlead up to the event with two physios working closely with our teamand getting us in good shape for this year’s Tour. We have never felt better!”

Follow the action at www.mirskyracingteam.com or www.worldmatchracingtour.com

Bermuda Gold Cup Day Two

A dramatic day on the water today saw us finish the day with just 1 win from 3 matches, leaving us on 3 wins and 3 losses. We had three very close races, and were displaying some spectacular boat handling, but with some umpire calls not going our way it just wasn’t enough to ensure a spot in the top 4.

Once again small mistakes mean that we are facing a must win match tomorrow against Areva skipper Sebastian Col who has already qualified into the quarters with 4 wins under his belt. Although Col is sailing well, today’s matches proved that we are moving in the right direction to make it through to the next round, so we will be able to approach tomorrow’s race with confidence.

Our 3rd match of the day against Johnnie Berntesson from Sweden was an exciting match which saw three penalties given. We lead around the track, but had to clear a penalty after Berntesson had luffed us at the starting line, so slowed down at the final top mark to try and suck him into a trap. We managed to pull the manoeuvre off, wiping our penalty and still maintaining a marginal lead. We then gybed onto starboard and attacked Berntesson again, however during the manoeuvre Torvar slipped and dislocated his knee cap. With nobody steering we rounded up into his stern and were given another penalty. We still had control of Berntesson, but were then given a second penalty after the umpires deemed us to be sailing above our proper course, which allowed him to sail freely to the finish line.

A special thanks to Line7, Harken and the Royal Perth Yacht Club for their support.


Kinley Fowler
MirskyRacingTeam

http://www.mirskyracingteam.com

Bermuda Gold Cup Day One

After a training day of lapping up the sunshine in next to no wind, today we were treated with the polar opposite as a cold front moved through the area, bringing with it gusts above 20 knots. As we were in the third group, we had the morning off to get our heads around the new conditions, but started well in the afternoon finishing the day on 2 wins and 1 loss.

The IOD boats are very different to any others on the match racing circuit, so we knew that we were going to have some difficulties with the manoeuvring when we first stepped on. It didn’t help that we were up against the local wildcard, Blythe Walker who has been in the Gold Cup semi finals a number of times. However we had good pace and despite losing the start managed to fight back to overtake him at the first top mark which was a good confidence boost which we managed to carry on into the next race to defeat American Donald Wilson.

This momentum didn’t carry on into our next match against Eric Monnin from Switzerland, as we gave away the start and had to follow his transom around the track. The course was very shifty with big gains to be made when on the correct side; however Monnin sailed smart and didn’t give us any opportunities to pass.

Tomorrow we are facing some tough opponents, so we will have to step up our performance in order to qualify. Our group is very tight, so every race will mean vital points to make it through.

A special thanks to Line7, Harken and the Royal Perth Yacht Club for their support.

Kinley Fowler
MirskyRacingTeam
http://www.mirskyracingteam.com

MRT One Win Away From Semi Finals at the Portugal Match Cup

Unfortunately for most involved, today’s wind was not cooperating. Only four matches were completed in very fickle winds and strong tide. Despite not racing today, our situation still remains the same, with tomorrow morning’s race, and the last race of the round robin against Paolo Cian, being a must win to qualify for the semi finals.

A special thanks to Line7, Harken and the Royal Perth Yacht Club for their support.

Kinley Fowler

http://www.mirskyracingteam.com

Troia Portugal Match Cup Day Three

The laziest day so far saw the wind fill in late in the afternoon, and the race committee pushed hard to get through as many flights as possible in order to keep the full format. However only 4 flights were completed, and with 5 races left, the chance of holding the quarterfinals is slimming rapidly. We are sitting in 4th now after losing both matches today, and with one race left, things are getting tight to hold on to the top 4 spot.

We had two tough matches against Sebastian Col and Magnus Holmburg, and in the tricky tidal conditions, it wasn’t easy to jump into it after the whole day off. However, we were sailing well and if it weren’t for two unforced penalties upon entering we could have been singing a different tune. We are still very confident in our speed and tactics at this event, and all we need to do is keep sailing how we have been sailing and we will be able to post a good result. With 7 teams still in contention for the top 4 spots, tomorrow’s racing is going to be tight.

A special thanks to Line7, Harken and the Royal Perth Yacht Club for their support.

Kinley Fowler

MirskyRacingTeam

http://www.mirskyracingteam.com

Troia Portugal Match Cup Day Two

The day’s racing started leisurely, with the westerly seabreeze filling in about midday to a perfect 8-10 knots which lasted until late in the evening, allowing the race committee to complete 7 more flights of the round robin. We dropped only one race, putting us on 7 wins and 2 losses, just one point off Matthiu Richard in first.

We only lost one race against Swedish Sailor of the year Bjorn Hansen in an intensive battle which saw 2 lead changes and 2 penalties. Unfortunately, both penalties were against us, firstly for hitting the top mark, and the second for gibing in Hansen’s water on the final run. We managed to bounce back however, and defeat the UK’s Nick Cherry as the wind strengthened to a shifty 15 knots as the sun began to sink.

We have three more races left of the round robin and are quite eager to add a few more wins to the tally as the possibility of scrapping the quarterfinals is looming. At the moment we are sitting in 2nd, however we have done more races than most, so anything could happen.

A Special thanks to Line7, Harken and the Royal Perth Yacht Club for their support.

Kinley Fowler
MirskyRacingTeam
http://www.mirskyracingteam.com

Troia Portugal Match Cup

You couldn’t ask for better conditions than those delivered to us on the first day of racing here in Portugal. Flat waters and 12 knots of breeze settled in just after midday and stayed through until late in the evening. We finished the day on 4 wins from 5 races, and are looking to be in a fairly comfortable position for the Quarter Finals.

We started the day paired up against current world number 1 Matthiu Richard, and after being beaten off the line, we were forced to follow on his tail around the race track. We then managed to step up our game, and go on to do to our opponents what Richard had done to us, and won the next four races consecutively.

After doing four regattas in a row, our team is starting to click, and it couldn’t come at a better time. The 2008 World Tour is coming to a close, with only one more event left before the final in Malaysia at the Monsoon Cup. We had a really good feeling on the boat today, and hopefully we can continue the momentum on to get some much needed Tour points to finish the season off on a high.

A special thanks to Line7, Harken and the Royal Perth Yacht Club for their support.

Kinley Fowler

Mirsky Racing Team

www.mirskyracingteam.com

ACI Match Cup Day Four

The Bura wind kicked in as strong as promised, but the race committee still managed to fit in the full format to complete the event. We had an intense finals series, but our French competitors outshone us, and we ended the regatta in 4th place. Congratulations to Paolo Cian and his team for taking out the title for the second year running.

After qualifying for the semi finals in 2nd place, it was a case of the young gun against the old fox as we faced up against French match racing veteran Bertrand Pace, and the hunt was on. Despite winning the first race and showing promise in the next two heated matches, Pace was cunning enough and managed to take out the series 2-1, putting us up against Sebastian Col in the petit final.

Once again, we won the first race convincingly, and the next two matches saw a number of lead changes and penalties. However the feisty Frenchman managed to get the better of the tricky conditions and won the last race to get 3rd place behind Pace and Paolo Cian.

This regatta has been an excellent warm up for the upcoming World Tour event in Troia, Portugal which is the third last Tour event of this year. This is the second time we have sailed as a full team and hopefully we will be able to go a few better next week and climb into the top 3 on the leader board.

A special thanks to Line7, Harken and the Royal Perth Yacht Club for their support.

Kinley Fowler
Mirsky Racing Team

http://www.mirskyracingteam.com

ACI Match Cup Day Three

Once again the competitors of the ACI Match Race Cup were left becalmed, only this time the race committee just managed to get away one flight in the fickle winds. We managed to win our race against local Frane Barbieri, taking our total score to 11 wins and 2 losses, putting us in 2nd place just behind Sebastian Col.

Tomorrow is forecast for 30+ knots, and with 5 more flights left in the round robin as well as a full final series, the race committee has a lot of work to do in order to get through the full format. Although we are sitting in 2nd place, we are very eager to improve our result as the season is coming to a close, so hopefully the Bura won’t come in so strong.

In the lengthy time ashore today, we were able to check the new ISAF rankings out yesterday and were greeted with great news, as we jumped from 7th to 4th place. Our win in France and the 4th place at the Danish Open added some extra points to our already strengthening list of achievements. Now with the top 3 teams of Paolo Cian, Ian Williams and world number one Matthiu Richard so close in reach, every race is becoming more and more of a fight for the top spot.

A special thanks to Line7, Harken and the Royal Perth Yacht Club for their support.

Kinley Fowler
Mirsky Racing Team
http://www.mirskyracingteam.com

ACI Match Cup Day Two

With the Bora mountain wind settled down, Split was transformed into a tranquil bay with dicey winds that caused some delays. The race committee only managed to get 4 flights away before the breeze completely shut off at 4.30 this afternoon, putting pressure on them tomorrow to get through the big format.

We started the day with a tough match against the Kiwi team, Blackmatch Racing to finish off the first round robin. Our start was almost textbook, coming off the line with pace in a strong lee bow position which forced Minoprio to tack off. We pushed out to a distant left pressure which never came, giving Minoprio the upper hand. We rounded the top mark on his tail, and kept the game close downwind. After nailing the bottom mark rounding, we split tacked off to the right. This time we came out with the upper hand, and finished just in front to end the round on 7 wins and 2 losses.

So far the second round has run smoothly, winning 3 races straight. However after the second match our pitman had to sit out due to a head injury. We were forced to sail with a local star crew who happened to be out sailing at the time. This put the pressure on the four of us to pick up our game and fill in for our lost man, and it showed with a lot of mistakes being made around the course. However we managed to keep a tight lead into the finish line and ended the day with 4 wins from 4 races.

A special thanks to Line7, Harken and the Royal Perth Yacht Club for their support.

Kinley Fowler
MirskyRacingTeam

http://www.mirskyracingteam.com

ACI Match Cup Day One

After experiencing a different side to match racing in Trieste, it is refreshing to step back into the more familiar 5 man boats. This time we find ourselves once again in Split, Croatia at one of the longest running match racing events (which is celebrating its 25th year) the ACI Match Cup.

Today saw an unexpected 20 knot Bora mountain wind reign supreme through to dusk, and with 10 teams in 10 boats meaning no breaks, it was a case of separating the boys from the men. We stepped it up from the start and despite some close matches, only lost to the two French teams of Bertrand Pace and Sebastian Col putting us in 4th place.

We came so close to winning this event last year, going down 3-2 to Paolo Cian in the finals, so we are as hungry as ever to get a another shot at the title. Although we motored through the racing today, it is far from over, with another whole round robin to be completed over the next two days. We are in a good position to build on our performance tomorrow which is steadily moving in the right direction.

A special thanks to Line7, Harken and the Royal Perth Yacht Club for their support.

Kinley Fowler
MirskyRacingTeam

www.mirskyracingteam.com

Trieste Challenge Day Three

A steady breeze saw the 52 footers come to life today as the second round robin got underway. In only 6 knots of breeze the carbon fibre canting keel yachts took off reaching 7 knots comfortably on the downwinds, making for some exciting racing.

Today was a real chance for us to get used to the big boat side of match racing with a steadier and stronger breeze than the previous two days. We learnt exponentially as the day progressed through watching the other three teams, in particular Saville and his Mascalzone Latino team, who displayed dominant boathandling, and are now sitting in first place.

The four teams are extremely close, but it was clear that experience was the key today, as we lost all three of our matches. Despite this, we are still very happy with our performance and are getting what we want out of the event.

Tomorrow we are racing Damien Iehl for third place in the notorious “Bora mountain wind” which is forecast to reach up to 35 knots. Hopefully it is not deemed too strong, as the chance for us to sail boats like these is rare to come by, and it would be an opportunity sorely missed.

A special thanks to Line7, Harken and the Royal Perth Yacht Club for their support.

Kinley Fowler
MirskyRacingTeam

http://www.mirskyracingteam.com/

Trieste Challenge Day Two

[source: Kinley Fowler]
Once again light winds prevailed today as we only just managed to finish the first round robin. We finished on 2 wins, losing only to Mascalzone Latino’s Jes Gram Hansen after some small tactical errors.

Three of the 4 teams are on 2 wins, with French Sailing Team’s Damien Iehl losing all of his matches. Despite his scorecard, Iehl and his team are sailing impressively and all of the races have been tight. Although we had a significant lead in our race against him, he managed to close up the gap on the final run to mere inches which would have put us in last.

The Race Committee is hoping to complete the second round robin tomorrow, which may be a bit ambitious if the wind stays the same. However, we are on the losing side of the 3 way tie and would have to race Gram Hansen in the semi finals if it is bypassed. We feel that he has the strongest team here, so as far as we are concerned, the more racing the better!

A special thanks to Line7, Harken and the Royal Perth Yacht Club for their support.

Kinley Fowler
MirskyRacingTeam
www.mirskyracingteam.com