Robertson out in front

Difficult day at the Congressional Cup

Dismal conditions on the race course here forced lengthy postponements, and ultimately curtailed racing, on the second day of qualifying Round Robins at the 52nd Congressional Cup regatta, the second stage of the 2016 World Match Racing Tour.

Despite rain and light, shifty breeze, PRO Randy Smith was able to sneak in two flights before winds deteriorated to null.

And they were eventful races. Phil Robertson (NZL) tacked on two more wins to his tally, climbing to the top of the leaderboard. Meanwhile a tenacious Chris Steele (NZL) evened the score between his 36 Below Racing team, and Nicolai Sehested (DEN) in a match that saw boat speeds, at best, top three knots; and damp spinnakers hang limp.

Following the first postponement – with the course flopped in an attempt to make the best of an uncharacteristic offshore breeze – Ian Williams (GBR) won his first match of the event, over Eric Monnin (SUI); and Sam Gilmour (AUS) beat Johnie Berntsson (SWE) – by one second, “It was very close, we thought the race was over, but at the top mark the wind came up and gave us an opportunity, and it went our way,” said Gilmour. At the last minute they spun their penalty turn, and crossed the line six inches ahead of Berntsson’s Team FLUX. “We were stoked to get the win.”

Sehested had entered the day undefeated; but “not invincible,” he implored.

The 26-year-old Dane, ranked 12th in the world, had triumphed over past winners of the Congressional Cup, including World Champion Williams and defender Taylor Canfield (ISV). His 5-0 day was no small feat for someone unfamiliar with the custom built Catalina 37s, and Long Beach conditions, but he credited his success to, “a strong team, who knows how to set up the boat well.”

“But sailing at the top level like this, things can go up and down rapidly,” he added. “We don’t feel confident at all.”

On the first leg of his match against Steele, Sehested rounded the top mark eight boat lengths ahead ... but in the fallow breeze, that eight boat lengths equated to 42 seconds. And by the time Sehested was on his second lap, that advantage had grown to nearly eight minutes.
But as Steele rounded the mark astern, he found a lane with a tickle of breeze. That puff carried him to the finish, as Sehested foundered further offshore. Steele, Sehested, and Taylor Canfield (ISV) each finished the day 5-1; after Canfield defeated Bjorn Hansen (SWE), admitting, “we drifted a little faster than them.”

As the zephyrs waned and drizzle fell, PRO Smith called the races, and sailors retreated to the warmth and comfort of the host, Long Beach Yacht Club.

Racing will continue through Sunday April 10, in the waters off the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier, in Long Beach; beginning at roughly 1130AM each day.

With unsettled weather ahead, PRO Smith announced that at the conclusion of the Round Robins, a modified six-team repechage will be raced. If they are unable to pull off more than three flights, the repechage may be eliminated.

Results: