Match Racing Europeans at Hamburg, Germany - Day 1

Italians without loss

Very variable wind conditions dominated the first day (Saturday, 30 September) of the European Match Racing Championship and challenged some of the teams on Hamburg’s River Alster. Even the main favourite Björn Hansen from Sweden had to fight with the wind temporarely but won four out of five matches. Italian Skipper Matteo Simoncelli finished the first day without losing. Andreas Willim, Germany’s top match racer, won only one race.

Italian’s Matteo Simoncelli and his team had a superb start: The 33 years old helmsman scored four wins out of four races. The most exciting match was against the crew from Switzerland: Simoncelli had a small lead but caught a penalty which he unsuccessfully tried to take at the windward mark. The Italians could hold their lead and forced the Swiss crew to break a rule. The penalties cleared each other and Simoncelli managed to win.

Swede Björn Hansen goal is to take the European title to Stockholm. The top favourite showed his multiple skills on the first day of the European Championship. He started in five duels boat against boat and crossed the finish line first in four races in the morning. The 38 years old from Stockholm came back on shore very satisfied: “The result was definitely okay. We could not prevail ourselves only in the match against the French team. Although we had a penalty right from the start we managed to overtake them. But a poor spinnaker manoeuvre gave the lead back to the crew from France and we could not get it back. The shifty wind was an additional challenge for us today.”

Hansen dictated the match against the German team of Andreas Willim right from the beginning. At the end of the day the 39 years old Willim could only win one race. It was their first match against the Russian sailors. “It could not have been much worse,” stated Willim, “we did not get the right feeling and could not find our rhythm.”

Last years winning country France was very lucky against the home team: Pierre-Antoine Morvan, Skipper from Brittany earned a penalty because he got stuck in the anchor line of the starting vessel and another penalty for not entering the starting zone in time. The Frenchman protested because the marking buoy attached to the anchor was in a wrong position. And the race committee decided to abandon the match. Pierre-Antoine Morvan won the re-sail.

Umpire Manuel Hünsch of the organising Hamburger Segel-Club was enthusiastic: “We have professional sailors with sophisticated tactics in the fleet, but they did not show their entire skills today. The next stages will surely be tougher.”

Ulf Denecke was on water with the sailing offspring while tactics decided on the racing track. The sail coach of the HSC showed the children who take part in the “Camp of Nations”, a migrant-children-project, the first tacks and jibs in a youth boat: “Everything was fine”, said Denecke, “because nobody felt in the water and the kids were excited and nervous to sail for the first time.”

Spectators followed the young and the experienced sailors with interest. Presenter Christian Rinder told them everything they needed to know such as the team’s names, the tactics, the meaning of the flags and pointed out the most interesting situations.

More information at www.hamburg-matchrace.de