Issue date
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Youth Training Programme Graduate Adam Minoprio, is a past ISAF Match Racing World Champion on the 2009 World Match Racing Tour but hasn’t sailed a regatta this year. Today he made an emphatic statement on his return to the helm.
Minoprio’s Black Match team from New Zealand (RNZYS)defeated Keith Swinton’s Black Swan Racing from Australia, 3-2, in the final of the 67th annual Argo Group Gold Cup.
Minoprio and crew of Nick Blackmon, Andrew Burgess and Tom Powrie won $35,000 of the $100,000 prize purse. Swinton and crew Ted Hackney, Henry Kernot and Björn Lundgren won $16,000.
“I’m ecstatic. It’s amazing. I’ve been trying to win this event for a long time and to do so feels wonderful,” said the 30-year-old Minoprio from Auckland, New Zealand, who was competing for the sixth time. “Some of my crew talked me into coming back here and we were able to get some good results and have a good time.”
Minoprio has previously finished runner-up twice (2008, ’09) and today he had to work hard for the victory. With a southerly wind blowing around 10 knots the crews were racing the width of Hamilton Harbour. That placed the windward mark under the southern shore and in very shifty and patchy winds.
No lead was safe coming out of the windward mark and there were frequent lead changes, including the fourth race when it appeared Minoprio would seal the victory. He led by about four boat lengths beginning the run to the finish line but Swinton overcame his rival with a series of gybes and a final luff to force the final, winner-take-all race.
“We thought we might’ve broken their spirit on that one,” said the 29-year-old Swinton from Perth, Western Australia. “We’re disappointed to lose but happy with our performance. Adam kept improving throughout the day, especially his starts, while our performance stayed the same.”
In the fifth and final race Minoprio forced Swinton into a poor start that saw the Aussie put in a gybe at the committee boat end as the start gun sounded while Minoprio sailed onto the course with speed. Swinton trailed all the way around and although it appeared he might have one final chance after rounding the windward mark for the final time, it never materialised.
Fellow RNZYS Youth Training Programme Graduates Phil Robertson and Chris Steele also had outstanding regattas to make it through to the Quarterfinal stage with the best match racers in the world.
OVERALL RESULTS
1. Adam Minoprio (NZL) BlackMatch
2. Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing
3. Björn Hansen (SWE) Nautiska Racing
4. Taylor Canfield (ISV) US One
5. Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing
6. Eric Monnin (SUI) Team SailBox
7. Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar
8. Chris Steele (NZL) 36 Below Racing
9. Dean Barker (JPN) SoftBank Team Japan
10. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team
11. Francesco Bruni (SWE) Artemis Racing
12. Chris Poole (USA) Riptide Racing
13. Blythe Walker (BER) Team RenRe
14. Reuben Corbett (NZL) Corbett Racing
15. Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) Aschenbrenner Racing
16. Nicolai Sehested (DEN) Trefor Match Racing
Full Regatta Report / World Match Racing Tour Press Release HERE: http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=298bb0e5755db31081ad90a62&id=b5f4afc6b5&e=c42e90e4a5
