ACI H1 Match Race Cup at Split, Croatia - Day 4

DRAMA MOUNTING IN CROATIA

The four semifinalists end the day in the midst of their series

Day 4 of the ACI H1 Match Race Cup, Stage 7 of the 2004-’05 Swedish Match Tour, ended in the midst of the semifinal round.

In the semis, Bertrand Pacé (FRA), of BMW Oracle Racing, is tied with Philippe Presti (FRA) at 1-1. In the other match, Peter Gilmour (AUS), of Pizza-La Sailing Team, leads Ed Baird (USA), of Team Alinghi, 2-0. Both series are first to 3 points.

The day was one of the best this week. A 12-knot west/southwesterly seabreeze filled in by 2:00 p.m. and allowed for fantastic racing. The final four flights of the round robin were completed, and the semis started.

The final flights of the round robin produced some of the most exciting action of the regatta outside of Day 2’s 30-knot conditions. With a steady breeze and flat water, the boat-for-boat action was intense. Most of the final 20 matches were decided by less than one boatlength.

Pacé, who started the event 17-0, lost three straight matches. Mathieu Richard (FRA) and Staffan Lindberg (FIN), dark horses to make the semifinals at the start of the day, bullied their way into contention. Baird, Gilmour and Presti all stumbled to one degree or another.

It set up a thrilling final flight. Pacé and Baird had advanced to the next round, but Gilmour, Lindberg, Presti and Richard each had 11 wins, putting them in contention for the remaining semifinal spots.

The last round saw Presti racing Richard, Lindberg racing Bjorn Hansen (SWE), and Gilmour racing Baird in the final match.

Presti got an early lead on Richard which he held to the finish to eliminate Richard. Hansen did a similar job on Lindberg, while Gilmour did the same to Baird. They weren’t big wins, but in each case the skipper that got to the right won the match.

“The right was strong today,” said Presti. “Looking at the wind you thought there was more on the left, but the right worked. There were funny things with the current there yesterday, it was running about 1 knot, and I think there was something going on with it today.”

With the semifinalists set, Pacé, who earned the right to choose his opponent by winning the round robin, selected Presti. That forced a match-up between Baird and Gilmour, the two contenders for the Swedish Match Tour championship.

Presti, who won this event in 2002, enjoys racing his countryman, who is the reigning champion. “Bertrand’s very aggressive. I really like sailing against him because I like his style,” said Presti.

Presti came out aggressive in the first match, gaining a pre-start penalty on Pacé. Pacé led to the finish line, but Presti was close enough behind so that when Pacé did his 270-degree penalty turn at the finish line, Presti passed him and sailed on to the win.

In their second match Presti received a red-flag penalty at the leeward mark. The two were engaged in a fierce jibing duel, with Presti attacking from behind. He got a leeward overlap late on the leg, which Pacé then broke. Presti reestablished the overlap but as they were past the port-tack layline to the leeward mark he had to jibe and didn’t do so immediately.

The red flag meant the umpires felt he gained a significant advantage, and he had to perform the turn as soon as possible once he cleared the two-boatlength zone out of the leeward mark. Pacé sailed away for a comfortable win, his first of the day in five matches.

“Everything went against us today,” said crewmember Eric Doyle. “Today was about winning the right. There weren’t a lot of shifts, it was flat water. You had to have the power of starboard tack.”

Gilmour, who trails Baird in the Tour standings, streaked to a 2-0 lead. Gilmour won the first cross in the first match to lead by about 10 seconds at the windward mark, an advantage he maintained throughout the match.

In the second flight Baird received a penalty in the pre-start when Gilmour, to leeward, gave a slight luff. He then received a second penalty at the top of the beat. With two penalties Baird was forced to perform one of the 270-degree turns immediately, which gave Gilmour an advantage he wouldn’t relinquish.

Regardless of who beats whom this week, the championship can’t be clinched. “It doesn’t matter where the two of us finish,” said Baird. “It’s going down to (to the final event in) Sweden.”

The semifinals are scheduled to resume tomorrow morning with the first warning signal scheduled for 11:50 a.m.

Swedish Match Tour partners include Swedish Match, BMW and the Match Race Association. Swedish Match Tour Official Sponsors include Musto, Sebago, Travel Places, Trident Studio and Wedgwood.

For more information on the Swedish Match Tour, its competitors and events, please visit the official Tour Web site, www.swedishmatchtour.com. Swedish Match Tour television programs may be viewed by clicking on the Tour television button on the home page of the Web site.

ACI H1 Match Race Cup Semifinal Standings:

Match 1: (3) Peter Gilmour (AUS) 2 – (2) Ed Baird (USA) 0
Match 2: (1) Bertrand Pacé (FRA) 1 – (4) Philippe Presti (FRA) 1

ACI H1 Match Race Cup Round Robin Standings: (after 22 of 22 scheduled flights)

1. Bertrand Pacé (FRA) BMW Oracle Racing, 17-3
Crew: Eric Doyle, Zach Hurst, Dirk de Ridder, Brad Webb
2. Ed Baird (USA) Team Alinghi, 14-6
Crew: Jordi Calafat, Lorenzo Mazza, Dean Phipps, Piet Van Nieuwenhuyzen
3. Peter Gilmour (AUS) Pizza-La Sailing Team, 12-8
Crew: Rod Dawson, Mike Mottl, Kazuhiko Sofuku, Yasuhiro Yaji
4. Philippe Presti (FRA) le Défi, 12-8
Crew: Thierry Fouchier, Fred Guilmin, Pascal Rambeau, Mathieu Renault
5. Mathieu Richard (FRA), 11-9
Crew: Greg Evrard, Olivier Herledant, Frederic Rivet, Yannick Simon
6. Staffan Lindberg (FIN), 11-9
Crew: Nils Bjerkas, Johan Karlsson, Carl-Johan Uckelstam, Daniel Wallberg
7. Kelvin Harrap (NZL) Emirates Team New Zealand, 10-10
Crew: Rod Davis, Andrew McLean, Richard Meacham, Rod Salthouse
8. Björn Hansen (SWE), 8-12
Crew: Mathias Brendin, Fredrik Ekman, Anders Jonsson, Johan Tempelman
9. Flavio Favini (ITA) Mascalzone Latino – Capitalia Team, 6-14
Crew: Marco Constant, Flavio Grassi, Antar Vigna, Jon Ziskind
10. Dario Kliba (CRO), 5-15
Crew: Kostiè Hrvoje, Zvonko Jelaèiæ, Prlenda Nikola, Celiæ Slaven
11. Ian Ainslie (RSA) Team Shosholoza, 4-16
Crew: Charles Nankin, David Rae, Mark Sadler, Ante Vanjak