US One Wins World Match Racing Tour in Newport

NEWPORT, RI—Taylor Canfield led his US One racing team to the championship at the World Match Racing Tour Newport on Saturday, wrapping up six days of catamaran racing in the City-by-the-Sea.

Canfield’s team, hailing from the U.S. Virgin Islands, edged out New Zealand’s WAKA Racing, led by Phil Robertson, in an exciting match in front of a crowd lining the shore at Fort Adams State Park.

The two teams edged out 18 other teams from 10 countries to earn their spots in the finals, ending a week of fast-paced racing that Sail Newport and WMRT officials said dispelled any doubts about the tour’s switch to carbon fiber M32s from monohulls.

"It has been brilliant," said Håkan Svensson, owner of the World Match Racing Tour. "We have had all kinds of conditions: fog, wind, no wind.  There have been lead changes, obstacles to deal with on the course, and some teams found their way around the course more skillfully than others. There has been everything for sailors and for spectators: a fantastic and enjoyable week."

Sail Newport Executive Director said the event once again has solidified Newport’s reputation as a premiere sailing destination and offers a “perfect venue for stadium-style racing for spectators.”

At Fort Adams, spectators enjoyed comfortable viewing conditions and spectacular scenery as they watched the races and sampled the family-friendly activities bundled in at the fort.

Canfield and his team finished 3-1 in the first-to-three Finals match in dramatic fashion. The victory is their second on the tour and they now look like the M32 team to beat.

"We have put the time in; we've been pushing hard and making sure that we are learning throughout all of this, including all the qualifying events, to make sure that we continually grow as a team, which is important to us,” Canfield said.

In Saturday's final, Robertson claimed the first match, but Canfield then won the next three to clinch first prize. While Canfield ultimately prevailed, there were many occasions when it could have gone the opposite way

In the last, deciding fourth race, Canfield had aggressively and repeatedly luffed Robertson out of the start. Finally, as both boats ran back downwind, attention focused on Canfield as, incredibly, for a second time in the finals, he hooked a mooring buoy. What many failed to notice was that while this was happening, Robertson had passed the wrong side of the first reaching mark of the course. The Kiwi skipper led around the course, unaware of this until he was about to head to the finish line.

"We obviously missed the first mark, so technically we never sailed the first lap, so they were still waiting for us to do that... which was a little bit interesting." Robertson explained later, once he'd come to terms with what had happened: "In the heat of the moment people were making mistakes like that and the courses are a bit new and different to everyone. But that was a big, costly mistake...."

An equal eye-opener was the second race.  Canfield somehow managed to win, despite picking up two penalties and there being two collisions along the way.

Earlier, both Semi-final matches had been decided 2-1 with Canfield overcoming Ian Williams' GAC Pindar team and Robertson beating France's Yann Guichard and his Spindrift racing crew. Williams subsequently came out on top in the best-of-one race Petit Final, to secure third place overall.

Håkan Svensson told the assembled crowd at the prize giving ceremony: "It is great to bring the World Match Racing Tour to Newport. It is one of my favorite places on the planet. It has been a long time since I came here for the first time in 2010 with Puma. To see everyone who is so interested in sailing to come out and ask questions is such fun. Thank you so much."

The first-, second- and third-placed finishers today walked away from the World Match Racing Tour Newport with prize money of US $33,000, US $23,000 and US $18,000 respectively.

All eyes are now on the final event of the season, the World Match Racing Tour Finals in Marstrand, the picturesque island on Sweden's west coast, July 4th-9th. This event features the incentive of a winner-takes-all first prize of US $1 million as well as the Match Racing World Championship title.

 Live-streamed racing, including the Finals, can be re-viewed on www.wmrt.com

FINAL RESULTS

Photo: Ian Roman Photos