Gram-Hansen v Gilmour

Match race skippers slog it out at the Pizza-La Red Lobster Nippon Cup in Japan

Sunny conditions returned and the match-racing remained intense on day four of the Pizza-La Red Lobster Nippon Cup, the fourth event on the 2004-’05 Swedish Match Tour.

In a thrilling semifinal match, the Danish Gram-Hansen Racing Team beat the previously undefeated Pizza-La Sailing Team, led by skipper Peter Gilmour, 3-2 to advance to the final of the 15th anniversary regatta.

Led by skipper Jes Gram-Hansen, the Danish crew including Morten Helkier, Christian Kamp and Rasmus Kostner rallied from a 2-1 deficit against Gilmour, Mike Mottl, Kazuhiko Sofuku and Yasuhiro Yaji.

Gram-Hansen Racing will meet Ed Baird and Team Musto in tomorrow’s final. Baird and crew Andy Horton, Piet Van Nieuwenhuyzen and Jon Ziskind defeated Dean Barker’s Team New Zealand crew, Ray Davies, James Dagg and Jared Henderson, 3-0 in the other semifinal match.

In racing for fifth and sixth place, France’s Philippe Presti and his le Défi crew of Antoine Breger, Gilles Andre and Fred Guilmin defeated Michele Ivaldi and crew Tom Burnham, Manuel Modena and Tatsuya Wakinaga 2-0 to claim fifth place. Ivaldi and his Luna Rossa Challenge crew placed sixth.

Day 4 of the Nippon Cup started crisp and clear. Two days of cold and rainy weather gave way to sunny skies and a fluky northerly wind. The first attempt to begin racing at the scheduled time of 9:30 a.m. was abandoned seven minutes into the first start sequence. A postponement of about one hour ensued before the race committee attempted another start. “It was a very tricky day. I thought the race committee did a fantastic job,” said Presti, echoing the sentiments of every skipper.

Racing commenced in a north/northeast wind (between 020 and 030 degrees) of 10 knots, and it quickly became apparent that the Gram-Hansen-Gilmour match would be the show of the day. The match was so close that of the 15 green flags and three penalties issued by the umpires in the semifinals, 11 greens and all three penalties were in the Gram-Hansen-Gilmour match.

Gilmour won Flight 1 when he overtook Gram-Hansen on the first run and then extended on the second beat. Gram-Hansen won Flight 2 when Gilmour failed to complete a penalty turn outside the pin end of the finish line.

A downwind penalty turn requires a tack and bear away to a downwind course, but, according to chief umpire Marianne Middlethon, he only bore away to a reach so his turn was never completed.

Gilmour won the third flight when Gram-Hansen couldn’t complete a penalty turn on the finish line and clear the line ahead of Gilmour. “We thought we had enough space at one point, but he was too close,” said Gram-Hansen.

Then a postponement nearing 90 minutes ensued as the wind began shifting wildly. It was phasing to the right, but the shifts were huge and the race committee was determined to let it settle.

Racing resumed when the wind settled from an east/southeasterly direction (between 100 and 125 degrees), but with less punch in it. The strength was between 6 and 9 knots, and softening.

Gram-Hansen did a good job in the pre-starts of Flights 4 and 5 to take the match. He started to the left of Gilmour in Flight 4, but with Gilmour close on his quarter. They held starboard off the line toward the left side of the course, but sailed into a light patch. The forced header made Gilmour tack away to port first, and into more light wind. Gram-Hansen continued on and when he tacked to port he found a nice puff of wind that lifted his course while Gilmour wallowed in light winds to leeward. Gilmour kept the match close, but couldn’t get past Gram-Hansen, who kept a close cover on the eight time Nippon Cup champion.

A similar scenario played out in Flight 5. Gilmour started to the right of Gram-Hansen and tacked away first. “We got the start we wanted to the right of him,” Gilmour said. “We wanted to start to the right and be the first to tack away. But Jes got the cycle of the wind shifting to the left and we tacked short of the right-hand wind. It was a bit of a stuff up on our part.”

Gram-Hansen crossed Gilmour with an 8 to 10-boatlength lead halfway up the first beat, and converted for the 3-2 victory. “For sure we had a bit of luck in that race,” said Gram-Hansen. “I think we carried good speed off the line. We were in good pressure and when we tacked to port we got a good lift. That’s the kind of luck I’m talking about.”

Gilmour admitted he didn’t start very well in the series, and then when the wind went light he said the boat felt like it was glued to the water. It looked that way too. Gilmour and crew have had troubles on the Tour this year when the wind’s gone light, and it seemed to come back to haunt them this afternoon. “We’re heavier than they are, a bit bigger and more awkward,” said Gilmour. “It only takes another 2 or 3 knots of wind to make it smoother.”

Baird, who shook off a nasty case of food poisoning Friday night, made quick work of Barker in the other semifinal match. The closest heat was Flight 3, when Barker stuffed Baird in the pre-start and took a one boatlength lead onto the race course.

But Baird got to the right of Barker in the east/southeasterly wind, and stepped into a nice puff to close up. They led around the windward mark and although Barker remained close on their stern, Baird and crew pulled off the win.

Baird, who has won twice on the Swedish Match Tour this year, will meet Gram-Hansen, who has won three times on the Tour (once as skipper, twice as crew) in a scheduled best-of-five final series tomorrow. Gilmour and Barker will sail a best-of-three series for third and fourth place.

Semifinal Results

Ed Baird (USA) d. Dean Barker (NZL), 3-0
Jes Gram-Hansen (DEN) d. Peter Gilmour (AUS), 3-2

5th-6th Place
Philippe Presti (FRA) d. Michele Ivaldi (ITA), 2-0

Swedish Match Tour sponsors include Swedish Match (Official Sponsor), BMW
(Partner and Official Car), Colorcraft, Wedgwood, Musto, Trident Studio and
Travel Places (Official Sponsors).