Detroit………Done
Detroit Cup - Day 4
The final day of the Detroit Cup brought to a close our tour of the USA and with it a chance to reflect on the positives and negatives of a tough trip.
For the first time so far on this trip we had broken the curse and made it to the finals and so were really keen to push on and make the most of our chance at redemption after the last couple of weeks of frustration. The race committee was also keen to complete the regatta in good time, and although all the locals said it never happens the seemingly predictable thermal breeze began to build down the river as it had done for the last 3 days.
Coming into the final day with one race of the semi-finals already complete we were in a must win situation as Phil Robertson led 1 – 0 in the first to two point series. This task was made even harder as the committee in their eagerness to complete the regatta fired straight into a start sequence. The thermal breeze was only just settling in and the boats were only barely able to make headway into the strong current flowing down the river. However, the marginal conditions weren’t going to faze us and Laurie once again dominated the pre-start, leading out to the favoured left hand side to gain a small advantage in less current. This had definitely become a feature of this regatta; with 9 times out of 10 the boat that won the left at the start won the race. This race was no different and although Phil was able to keep it close in the light and fluky conditions SLAM Kiwi Match defended expertly and took the win to lock it up 1 – 1.
The final race guaranteed fireworks as both teams were fighting for a spot in the finals. We didn’t disappoint as Laurie continued to show his expert pre starting skills, controlling Phil and forcing him into a mistake that earnt him a red flag penalty which he had to undertake immediately. This handed us the start which we took full opportunity of slamming a tight cover on Phil to take the left side of the course splitting Phil off to the right and into more current. Unfortunately this proved to be one of the rare 1 out of 10 occasions when the right side of the track produced a winning shift, and Phil having been forced off managed to pick up some extra pressure to lead at the top of the course. This lead proved too much and even after throwing everything at Phil we were unable to find a passing lane.
This advanced Phil through to the final against an in-form Anna Tunnicliffe and us into the petite-final for third and forth against the top ranked Keith Swinton. This proved to be another tough series which also went to the wire, needing all three races to get a result. This time Keith came out on top, as the young Western Australian skipper drew on the experience of a season match racing in Europe, to hold off a hard charging SLAM Kiwi Match in the final race to take third leaving us in fourth place. Anna Tunnicliffe proved too strong in the final, showing her Olympic gold medal form to repel the more experienced match racer Phil Robertson to win the Detroit Cup.
To walk away from Detroit with 4th place in a really tough field of well established teams was a good achievement. It demonstrated that we have learnt from mistakes made over the last couple of weeks, and showing improvement that only time together and time on the water can achieve. While it was hard not to feel that this was another case of missed opportunities, and we may be slightly disappointed with our final placing’s over the last 3 weeks, we know that we can take a lot of lessons away with us to build on back in New Zealand.
The team is definitely stronger after our experience in the USA and we look forward to getting back home and working up to our next big regatta the New Zealand Match Racing Nationals. This regatta in our own back yard, with our local knowledge, raced on familiar boats, all combined with our experience gained in the USA should see us as a force to be reckoned with, so watch this space.
Big thanks to SLAM for their continued support and again to all our friends and family who stuck by us over the last few weeks, it was definitely appreciated. Keep an eye on the website as we update it with new photos and video from the last few weeks, and future regattas.
For the first time so far on this trip we had broken the curse and made it to the finals and so were really keen to push on and make the most of our chance at redemption after the last couple of weeks of frustration. The race committee was also keen to complete the regatta in good time, and although all the locals said it never happens the seemingly predictable thermal breeze began to build down the river as it had done for the last 3 days.
Coming into the final day with one race of the semi-finals already complete we were in a must win situation as Phil Robertson led 1 – 0 in the first to two point series. This task was made even harder as the committee in their eagerness to complete the regatta fired straight into a start sequence. The thermal breeze was only just settling in and the boats were only barely able to make headway into the strong current flowing down the river. However, the marginal conditions weren’t going to faze us and Laurie once again dominated the pre-start, leading out to the favoured left hand side to gain a small advantage in less current. This had definitely become a feature of this regatta; with 9 times out of 10 the boat that won the left at the start won the race. This race was no different and although Phil was able to keep it close in the light and fluky conditions SLAM Kiwi Match defended expertly and took the win to lock it up 1 – 1.
The final race guaranteed fireworks as both teams were fighting for a spot in the finals. We didn’t disappoint as Laurie continued to show his expert pre starting skills, controlling Phil and forcing him into a mistake that earnt him a red flag penalty which he had to undertake immediately. This handed us the start which we took full opportunity of slamming a tight cover on Phil to take the left side of the course splitting Phil off to the right and into more current. Unfortunately this proved to be one of the rare 1 out of 10 occasions when the right side of the track produced a winning shift, and Phil having been forced off managed to pick up some extra pressure to lead at the top of the course. This lead proved too much and even after throwing everything at Phil we were unable to find a passing lane.
This advanced Phil through to the final against an in-form Anna Tunnicliffe and us into the petite-final for third and forth against the top ranked Keith Swinton. This proved to be another tough series which also went to the wire, needing all three races to get a result. This time Keith came out on top, as the young Western Australian skipper drew on the experience of a season match racing in Europe, to hold off a hard charging SLAM Kiwi Match in the final race to take third leaving us in fourth place. Anna Tunnicliffe proved too strong in the final, showing her Olympic gold medal form to repel the more experienced match racer Phil Robertson to win the Detroit Cup.
To walk away from Detroit with 4th place in a really tough field of well established teams was a good achievement. It demonstrated that we have learnt from mistakes made over the last couple of weeks, and showing improvement that only time together and time on the water can achieve. While it was hard not to feel that this was another case of missed opportunities, and we may be slightly disappointed with our final placing’s over the last 3 weeks, we know that we can take a lot of lessons away with us to build on back in New Zealand.
The team is definitely stronger after our experience in the USA and we look forward to getting back home and working up to our next big regatta the New Zealand Match Racing Nationals. This regatta in our own back yard, with our local knowledge, raced on familiar boats, all combined with our experience gained in the USA should see us as a force to be reckoned with, so watch this space.
Big thanks to SLAM for their continued support and again to all our friends and family who stuck by us over the last few weeks, it was definitely appreciated. Keep an eye on the website as we update it with new photos and video from the last few weeks, and future regattas.
‘D’ Day in Detroit
Detroit Cup – Day 3
The sun keeps shining here at Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit and the racing continues on at a frantic pace. The race committee pushed through all the sail-offs, the quarterfinals and one race in the semi finals today so they have plenty of time tomorrow for the remainder of the regatta.
SLAM Kiwi Match continued on as they left off yesterday winning their quarterfinal match up against Nathan Hollerbach, easily securing a semi final spot. The breeze was exactly the same as yesterday with a sea breeze filling in at around 11:00am. This caused the left side of the course to be favoured and again making the starts especially critical. Laurie continued to control the starts and in both quarterfinal races against Nathan being able to win the pin end of the line and lead across to the left. Solid crew work bought the team home for two wins.
With the quarterfinals completed the top four skippers were decided. Anna Turnicliffe, Keith Swinton, Phil Robertson and of course Laurie Jury progressed to the next round. Anna was the top qualifier and had the option to choose her opponent for the semi finals; she picked Keith as her opponent leaving SLAM Kiwi Match to face fellow kiwi Phil Robertson and his Waka Racing Team.
The first race in the local derby went to Phil so the pressure is on SLAM Kiwi Match to turn up tomorrow and take control of the semi finals. The forecast looks similar for tomorrow so hopefully the weather plays along and we can have a great final series.
Remember to check out all the live action brought to you by our friends at Sailing Anarchy at http://www.justin.tv/onthewateranarchy and http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=95512. There coverage has been great and it has been an incredible way to get the action out to the world.
Thanks again to SLAM for their support and of course all our friends and family and a special happy Father’s day to David Jury, Bruce Fraser, Brian Phillips and Mike O’Cain, because at the end of the day if it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t be here!
SLAM Kiwi Match continued on as they left off yesterday winning their quarterfinal match up against Nathan Hollerbach, easily securing a semi final spot. The breeze was exactly the same as yesterday with a sea breeze filling in at around 11:00am. This caused the left side of the course to be favoured and again making the starts especially critical. Laurie continued to control the starts and in both quarterfinal races against Nathan being able to win the pin end of the line and lead across to the left. Solid crew work bought the team home for two wins.
With the quarterfinals completed the top four skippers were decided. Anna Turnicliffe, Keith Swinton, Phil Robertson and of course Laurie Jury progressed to the next round. Anna was the top qualifier and had the option to choose her opponent for the semi finals; she picked Keith as her opponent leaving SLAM Kiwi Match to face fellow kiwi Phil Robertson and his Waka Racing Team.
The first race in the local derby went to Phil so the pressure is on SLAM Kiwi Match to turn up tomorrow and take control of the semi finals. The forecast looks similar for tomorrow so hopefully the weather plays along and we can have a great final series.
Remember to check out all the live action brought to you by our friends at Sailing Anarchy at http://www.justin.tv/onthewateranarchy and http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=95512. There coverage has been great and it has been an incredible way to get the action out to the world.
Thanks again to SLAM for their support and of course all our friends and family and a special happy Father’s day to David Jury, Bruce Fraser, Brian Phillips and Mike O’Cain, because at the end of the day if it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t be here!
Top Day = Top 8
Detroit Cup – Day 2
Another stunning day at Bayview Yacht Club for the second day of the Detroit Cup and it was a pleasant view on the course as SLAM Kiwi Match found their form. Conditions were almost identical to yesterday with a sea breeze filling in by 10:30 and building to a perfect 8 – 10 knots by 11:00.
The race committee pushed through a lot of racing today with ideal conditions to finish the round robin with SLAM Kiwi Match returning to the dock with 7 wins 4 loses. This is the team’s best result of our tour so far and leaves us in a good position heading into the quarterfinals tomorrow.
The racing didn’t all go our way, but started off well, with a close match first up against Rueben Corbett, we only just sneaked across the finish line ahead. The team built on this result to dominate their opposition in the pre-start and around the course. The only other glitch coming in our race against Anna Tunnicliffe where we received a dubious red flag penalty at the bottom mark rounding. This handed the race lead back to Anna and although we kept the race close, Anna had the favoured side of the course and was able to defend to the finish.
The team is happy to have qualified in the top 8 and to proceed to the quarter final round. It’s been a long time coming with 2 frustrating regattas over the last 2 weeks where things haven’t quite gone our way.
We are racing top local match racer Nathan Hollerbach in the quarterfinals on Saturday and look forward to building on a solid day today.
The race committee pushed through a lot of racing today with ideal conditions to finish the round robin with SLAM Kiwi Match returning to the dock with 7 wins 4 loses. This is the team’s best result of our tour so far and leaves us in a good position heading into the quarterfinals tomorrow.
The racing didn’t all go our way, but started off well, with a close match first up against Rueben Corbett, we only just sneaked across the finish line ahead. The team built on this result to dominate their opposition in the pre-start and around the course. The only other glitch coming in our race against Anna Tunnicliffe where we received a dubious red flag penalty at the bottom mark rounding. This handed the race lead back to Anna and although we kept the race close, Anna had the favoured side of the course and was able to defend to the finish.
The team is happy to have qualified in the top 8 and to proceed to the quarter final round. It’s been a long time coming with 2 frustrating regattas over the last 2 weeks where things haven’t quite gone our way.
We are racing top local match racer Nathan Hollerbach in the quarterfinals on Saturday and look forward to building on a solid day today.
Day of Two Halves
Detroit Cup – Day 1
A beautiful sunny day greeted the teams for the first day of the Detroit Cup, the last regatta on SLAM Kiwi Matches tour of the USA. A easterly breeze slowly built throughout the day into a pleasant 8 – 10 knots in the afternoon, and the spectators enjoyed great racing just off the yacht club break wall.
The draw had us on shore for the first five flights so we enjoyed some of the action from the comfort of the yacht club patio and got a good look at the racetrack and how the races were playing out.
With the breeze settled in, the committee were pushing through the flights and we were onboard and racing in our first match against Taylor Canfield in no time. With the breeze blowing directly down the river and a 1 – 2 knot current running with the wind the pre-starts were tricky. Getting off the line was a huge part of the race and from there, passing lanes were limited with no room for error in this talented fleet; the left was where the gains were made with strong tide relief.
The first race saw us enter from the port end against Taylor Canfield. Taylor did a good job of holding us left despite trying to wriggle out of a tight situation. The end result was Taylor leading off the start and leaving no lane open for the boys on SLAM Kiwi Match to get through.
In race two Laurie got off the start well and we managed to lead around the top mark, a gibing duel on the downwind lead to a pressure drop at the bottom mark that was poorly executed and the trailing boat capitalised taking the lead and the race.
By race three, the feeling onboard was palpable. The next race was a must win after such a disappointing previous race; time to deliver against Chris Van-Tol. The start was even with SLAM Kiwi match starting to windward but being ‘burnt’ before getting into the left side of the course and into the tide relief. A tacking duel ensued and we managed to keep the game close around the top mark. Laurie did a great job of setting up an overtaking lane and when both boats simultaneously gybed we managed to roll over the top of Chris Van-Tol’s team. From there we held enough of an advantage to take the race.
SLAM Kiwi Matches 4th race against an on fire Waka Racing Team from NZ had Laurie again showing good form in the pre-start but Phil Robertson managed to wriggle two tacks into the final approach to the line and hold the left side of the course. Despite being faster off the line the real power of the left hand side of the course was felt and Phil’s team left no lane open to get into the lead.
Our final race was against Adam Hollerbach, a local guru sailing with Bora Gulari, the current Moth World Champion, and all-star sailor Matt Cassidy. Laurie took the local lad back to school in the pre-start and SLAM Kiwi Match lead the race from start to finish.
Tomorrow, 6 more races are left for us to sail in this round robin so standby for action and keep your fingers crossed as we aim to qualify for the next round of the Detroit Match Cup.
Also for all those people with too much spare time, be sure to check out the live action thanks to Sailing Anarchy with their on-the-water Anarchy at http://www.justin.tv/onthewateranarchy. Thanks guys for putting in the effort to cover the event!
The draw had us on shore for the first five flights so we enjoyed some of the action from the comfort of the yacht club patio and got a good look at the racetrack and how the races were playing out.
With the breeze settled in, the committee were pushing through the flights and we were onboard and racing in our first match against Taylor Canfield in no time. With the breeze blowing directly down the river and a 1 – 2 knot current running with the wind the pre-starts were tricky. Getting off the line was a huge part of the race and from there, passing lanes were limited with no room for error in this talented fleet; the left was where the gains were made with strong tide relief.
The first race saw us enter from the port end against Taylor Canfield. Taylor did a good job of holding us left despite trying to wriggle out of a tight situation. The end result was Taylor leading off the start and leaving no lane open for the boys on SLAM Kiwi Match to get through.
In race two Laurie got off the start well and we managed to lead around the top mark, a gibing duel on the downwind lead to a pressure drop at the bottom mark that was poorly executed and the trailing boat capitalised taking the lead and the race.
By race three, the feeling onboard was palpable. The next race was a must win after such a disappointing previous race; time to deliver against Chris Van-Tol. The start was even with SLAM Kiwi match starting to windward but being ‘burnt’ before getting into the left side of the course and into the tide relief. A tacking duel ensued and we managed to keep the game close around the top mark. Laurie did a great job of setting up an overtaking lane and when both boats simultaneously gybed we managed to roll over the top of Chris Van-Tol’s team. From there we held enough of an advantage to take the race.
SLAM Kiwi Matches 4th race against an on fire Waka Racing Team from NZ had Laurie again showing good form in the pre-start but Phil Robertson managed to wriggle two tacks into the final approach to the line and hold the left side of the course. Despite being faster off the line the real power of the left hand side of the course was felt and Phil’s team left no lane open to get into the lead.
Our final race was against Adam Hollerbach, a local guru sailing with Bora Gulari, the current Moth World Champion, and all-star sailor Matt Cassidy. Laurie took the local lad back to school in the pre-start and SLAM Kiwi Match lead the race from start to finish.
Tomorrow, 6 more races are left for us to sail in this round robin so standby for action and keep your fingers crossed as we aim to qualify for the next round of the Detroit Match Cup.
Also for all those people with too much spare time, be sure to check out the live action thanks to Sailing Anarchy with their on-the-water Anarchy at http://www.justin.tv/onthewateranarchy. Thanks guys for putting in the effort to cover the event!
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