Non-AC skippers fight back

During the brief racing on day one of the ACI HT Cronet Cup match racing in Croatia

The Swedish Match Tour's ACI HT Cronet Cup began today under steady rains and with light winds off the Adriatic Coast. Only one flight of racing was completed before race organisers postponed further racing until tomorrow.

In Flight 1 the 'amateurs' competing against the six America's Cup syndicates in attendance served notice that they are here to fight this week. Swede Bjorn Hansen of the GOL Sailing Team, Denmark's Jes Gram-Hansen and his Team Marienlyst, and local skipper Tomislav Basic all bumped off teams representing challengers for the 2003 America's Cup.

"It was very tricky out there today. It was very windy for five minutes and then it would drop down to nothing and then start-up from another direction five minutes later," said Bjorn Hansen. "It was tough to be a PRO (principal race officer) today, he had it much worse than us."

In the day's 'marquee match-up' Bertrand Pace of Team New Zealand defeated Swedish Match Tour Rankings leader Peter Holmberg of Oracle Racing. The other winner on the day was Team SeaLife's Magnus Holmberg, helmsman for the Victory Challenge, who dispatched of Great Britain's Chris Law.

ROUND ROBIN LEADERBOARD

Skipper Wins Losses
1. Tomislav Basic, Croatia 1 0
Jes Gram-Hansen, DEN/Team Marienlyst 1 0
Bjorn Hansen, SWE/GOL Sailing Team 1 0
Magnus Holmberg, SWE/Team SeaLife 1 0
Bertrand Pace, Team New Zealand 1 0
6. Andy Beadsworth, GBR Challenge 0 1
Paolo Cian, Masclazone Latino 0 1
Peter Holmberg, Oracle Racing 0 1
Chris Law, Great Britain 0 1
Philippe Presti, Le Defi Areva 0 1

Round Robin 1 Results

Flight 1
Hansen def. Beadsworth
M. Holmberg def. Law
Gram-Hansen def. Cian
Pace def. P. Holmberg
Basic def. Presti