World Match Racing Tour Monsoon Cup - Overall

Ian Williams dominates Monsoon Cup to win 6th World Title

Ian Williams (GBR) dominated Taylor Canfield (ISV) to win the Final of the Monsoon Cup 3-0, sweeping the GAC Pindar skipper to his sixth World Championship title on the World Match Racing Tour. Williams has extended his record as the most successful match racing skipper in the history of the Tour.

While Canfield was getting the better of his arch-rival in the pre-starts, once out of the blocks GAC Pindar was just coaxing maximum speed out of the FarEast 28R keelboat on the challenging, ever-changing Straits of Johor.

Ian Williams and his GAC Pindar team dominated the finals at the Monsoon Cup Malaysia - photo © Robert Hajduk / WMRT

The British skipper admitted that the US Virgin Islander had brought his "A game" to the pre-starts, as US One managed to stick penalties on GAC Pindar in both of the final two matches. However Williams had a clear boatspeed edge that left Canfield scratching his head. The British skipper paid tribute to his team – mainsheet trimmer Gerry Mitchell, headsail trimmer Mal Parker and tactician Chris Main – for digging him out of a few holes. "I can't say enough about these guys, I feel like I let them down a bit today. A fantastic job by all of them and to come back in that last race, buried off the line, a penalty down, to be able to overtake and sail away was just amazing. Chris was nailing the shifts, and Gerry and Mal were keeping us fast. We could cross when we needed to, and that was the key to that match."

Taylor Canfield dominated all three pre starts but was out sailed by Williams and his team in the final of the Monsoon Cup - photo © Robert Hajduk / WMRT

Canfield, the 2013 World Champion, was understandably downbeat. "After dominating all three starts, it's definitely not what we hoped for," said the US One skipper, for whom the new era of M32 multihull racing can't come fast enough. "Ian and his guys sailed a hell of a day; they took down Bjorn Hansen (SWE) and took us down in the Finals. We thought we were going pretty well, starting well, but they simply outsailed us in the Finals. I'm looking forward to the next rematch."

The previous evening, Canfield had attempted to upset team morale on GAC Pindar by announcing that he would be racing next season with Williams' tactician, Chris Main. However, Williams said the announcement had achieved the opposite effect. "I think it really helped clear the air between me and Chris. It galvanized the team and really helped lift us to a higher level today. So, thanks for that Taylor!" And so the bitter rivalry continues as the Tour moves into multihulls. "It does feel like the end of an era," said Williams of his time racing monohull keelboats, and now looking forward to a new format Tour in high-speed M32 catamarans. "It's an era we've dominated, thanks to these guys, and thanks to GAC Pindar."

Bjorn Hansen and his team finished third overall at the Monsoon Cup and the 2015 World Match Racing Tour Season - photo © Robert Hajduk / WMRT

The path to the Final had been very straightforward for both teams, with Williams outsmarting Hansen in all three pre-starts to win 3-0, the same score by which Canfield dispatched Eric Monnin (SUI).

In the Petit Final, Hansen beat Monnin 2-0 and took 3rd overall in the regatta. "We're disappointed we didn't manage to do better this time," said the Swede. "We were quite depressed after we came in from the Semi Finals, but I have to admit after watching the Finals and what Ian and his team did, picking almost every shift, having fantastic speed in the boat, maybe we weren't so bad. I'm extremely impressed with GAC Pindar. They really deserved the win this time."

His Royal Highness Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar presents Ian Williams and his GAC Pindar team the Monsoon Cup and the 2015 World Match Racing Tour trophy - photo © Robert Hajduk / WMRT

At the prize giving ceremony at the Hotel Jen in Puteri Harbour, His Royal Highness Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, The Sultan and Sovereign Ruler of The State and Territory of Johor Darul Ta'zim presented the Garrard-designed World Match Racing Tour Championship Trophy to Williams and his crew. Also in attendance was YB En Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar, Malaysian Minister for Youth and Sports, and YB Dato' Zulkurnain Hj Kamisan, Johor Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage committee chairman.

Ian Williams and his GAC Pindar team win the Monsoon Cup and the 2015 World Match Racing Tour title - photo © Robert Hajduk / WMRT

From a total prize purse of US$440,000 for the World Match Racing Tour, Williams' season victory earns him US$80,000. He also receives 310,000 Malaysian Ringgits (approx US$75,000) for his Monsoon Cup victory. After finishing runner-up at the Monsoon Cup, Canfield finished 2nd overall in the Tour standings with Hansen 3rd for the season.

Now the teams have just a month to regroup and ready themselves for a very different challenge in Fremantle, Australia, where we will see 20 teams doing battle in M32 multihulls for the first time, competing on the World Match Racing Tour 2016.

For the latest standings and scores on the Monsoon Cup visit wmrt.com/component/wmrt/event_results/105.html

2015 World Match Racing Tour Leaderboard:

1. Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar 142pts
2. Taylor Canfield (ISV) US One 132pts
3. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Nautiska Racing 130pts
4. Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing 100pts
5. Eric Monnin (SUI) Team SailBox 96pts
6. Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing 96pts
7. Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) Aschenbrenner Racing 92pts
8. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team 76pts
9. Reuben Corbett (NZL) Corbett Racing 76pts
10. Nicolai Sehested (DEN) Trefor Match Racing 65pts

Monsoon Cup Overall Results:

1. Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar
2. Taylor Canfield (ISV) US One
3. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Nautiska Racing
4. Eric Monnin (SUI) Team SailBox
5. Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) Aschenbrenner Racing
6. Nicolai Sehested (DEN) Trefor Match Racing
7. Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing
8. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team
9. Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing
10. Reuben Corbett (NZL) Corbett Racing
11. Maximilian Soh (SIN) Team Red Dot
12. Hazwan Hazim Dermawan (MAS) hazOne Racing Team

Final
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar bt Taylor Canfield (ISV) US One 3-0

Petit Final
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Nautiska Racing bt Eric Monnin (SUI) Team SailBox 2-0

Semi Final Results
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar bt Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Nautiska Racing 3-0
Taylor Canfield (ISV) US One bt Eric Monnin (SUI) Team SailBox 3-0

Quarter Final Results
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Nautiska Racing bt Nicolai Sehested (DEN) Trefor Match Racing 2-0
Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing v Eric Monnin (SUI) Team SailBox 1-1
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar v Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) Aschenbrenner Racing Team 1-1
Taylor Canfield (ISV) US One v Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team (abandoned)

Final Qualifying Results
Taylor Canfield (ISV) US One 9-2
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar 8-3
Eric Monnin (SUI) Team SailBox 7-4
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Nautiska Racing 6-5
Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) Aschenbrenner Racing Team 6-5
Nicolai Sehested (DEN) Trefor Match Racing 6-5
Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing 6-5
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team 5-6
Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing 5-6
Reuben Corbett (NZL) Corbett Racing 3-8
Maximilian Soh (SIN) Team Red Dot 2-9
Hazwan Hazim Dermawan (MAS) hazOne Racing Team 2-9