Lingering showers, light air, and massive wind shifts tested competitors, race managers and umpires today on Day Two of Match Cup Sweden. The eight teams in Group B managed to complete seven flights to conclude Round Robin 1, but one flight remains to complete this round for Group A, who will resume the competition tomorrow morning.The tricky conditions meant no lead was safe, and in numerous matches those who looked clearly out of contention managed to claw back and even pass their rivals when blessed with a favorable shift or fortuitous puff of breeze. The DS 37's used for the event accelerate quickly, and so are very responsive even in these light conditions.
One of the most dramatic examples of this was in this afternoon's first match of Flight 4 for Group A, where Gavin Brady (NZL) closed a losing margin of several boat lengths with Bjorn Hansen (SWE) to within less than one length on the second beat of the race, only to lose all of that gain again at the top mark. But then on the run, he and his team from Oracle Racing managed to close this gap and even passed Hansen at the bottom mark, and even drew a red flag penalty on him while rounding.
Jensen performed his penalty turn after the rounding, but fouled Brady again, and had to do yet another turn. Normally this would be the end of the match, and Brady let Jensen split to the right side of the course. But it was there that Jensen found a puff of breeze, rolled over Brady who sat windless in the middle, and sailed on to win the match.
Results - Round Robin 1
Group A: (incomplete)
Simon Minoprio, NZL, 5-1
Bjorn Hansen, SWE, 4-2
Mattias Rahm, SWE, 4-2
Gavin Brady, NZL, 4-2
Evgeniy Neugodnikov, RUS, 2-4
Jenny Axhede, SWE, 2-4
Ian Williams, GBR, 2-4
Torvar Mirsky, AUS, 1-5
Group B:
Jesper Radich, DEN, 6-1
Magnus Holmberg, SWE, 5-2
Mathieu Richard, FRA, 5-2
Sebastien Col, FRA, 4-3
Johnie Berntsson, SWE, 3-4
Eric Monnin, SUI, 2-5
Claire Leroy, FRA, 2-5
Malin Millbourn, SWE, 1-6
