Loe maintains his grip

After day two of Knickerbocker Cup match racing

John Loe (USA), representing the Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans, LA and his team of Val Smith, Bartosz Zienda and Baker Potts has done it again and made good on their goal to “have fun” at the 2007 Knickerbocker Cup. After two days of racing, Loe still is on the top of the leaderboard. But just barely. Keith Swinton (AUS) with Dirk van der Struyf, Adam Martin and Christian Christienson, were tie with Loe, with 8-3 each, but because Loe beat Swinton in their one match race, the tie breaker went to the team from New Orleans. With an ISAF ranking of 240, these college sailors are doing a lot of damage to the other teams that have come from around the world to capture the Cup - racers with world class ratings.

Mother Nature smiled on Manhasset Bay today with great wind and even a few white caps. Racing was fast and competitive, with many protests flags evident as teams pushed their boats and their teams to the limit. Two crew fell overboard, one while screaming to the finish under spinnaker; the other during practice before their start. According to Swinton, there was “good wind, but very shifty.” Welcome to Manhasset Bay, a venue that has felled many a top ranked match racer. What makes Loe and Swinton’s position on the leader board so interesting is that they are first timers to the Cup, competing against teams that have raced two, three and more times here in western Long Island Sound. So much for the “knowledge of local waters” advantage.

Next stop for both Loe and Swinton are the quarter finals, planned for Saturday afternoon. They both will have ample time to devise a winning strategy. For Swinton that means “taking one race at a time and sticking to their plan.” Whatever the plan is, Swinton chose not to reveal. While it is still too early to place a wager on either team - there still time for other teams to catch up - one thing is certain; spectators are going to get a really good show for the next two days. And if Loe and Swinton continue their winning streak, the finals may come down to a face-off between the United States and Australia. Think 1983 America’s Cup, Australia II vs. Liberty, and the subsequent USA comeback in 1987. Yes, a final between these two classic match racing rivals would not only be exciting; it would be a lot of fun.

Results Day 2:

John Loe (USA) 8-3
Keith Swinton ((AUS) 8-3
Andrew Arbuzov (RUS) 6-2
Chris Van Tol (USA) 6-5
Dave Perry (USA) 5-3
Przemek Tarnacki (POL) 4-4
Matteo Simoncelli (ITA) 3-5
Robert Gibbs (AUS) 3-5
Martin Angsell (SWE) 2-3
Nick Cherry (GBR) 2-6
Brian Angel (USA) 1-5
Pierre-Antoine Morvan 0-5