Van Tol comes out on top

After finals of the Knickerbocker Cup match racing

The Bayview Yacht Club Match Racing Team, with skipper Chris Van Tol, Mike Hoey, John Van Tol and Mike Rehe have won the 2007 Knickerbocker Cup, beating Andrew Arbuzov (RUS), the leaders going into the semi-final round with a score of 2-0. It took three races to determine third and fourth place winners, with last year’s Cup Champion, Martin Angsell (SWE) beating John Loe (USA) 2-1 in the Petit Finals.

The pre-start of the first race of the finals had Arbuzov, with Igor Bychkol, Anton Sergeev and Alexander Kapalin, setting spinnaker to catch up to Van Tol as they raced around the bow of the Race Committee boat. Emerging at the stern, Arbuzov dropped spinnaker, rounding up to sneak between Van Tol and the Committee Boat. Van Tol protested, but it didn’t hold; however Van Tol was able to maintain an advantage at the start and held it throughout the race. Race two of the finals had both teams neck and neck approaching the starting line. At the gun, Van Tol covered Arbuzov’s air and shot ahead to take a huge lead that lasted throughout the race. A jubilant team crossed the finish line in style, with hugs and high fives all around.

It took Martin Angsell and crew members Martin Stromberg, Johan Sawensten, Jens Kulstad three races to dispense with John Loe, 2-1. Loe beat Angsell in the one match during the semi-finals; wind conditions prevented additional matches. Once the wind filled in after a short delay, Loe and his team of Val Smith, Bartosz Zienda and Baker Potts, lost the first match to Angsell, got an early lead in the second race to beat the Swedes, but just couldn’t make it happen a second time. Loe came very close to beating Angsell - it was a photo finish, with Loe just inches behind Angsell. With both team promising to return next year, Loe will have another chance to tackle Angsell. And with an additional year’s worth of college sailing, he and his crew might very well be able to slay the giants they were up against this year.

During the awards ceremony, Chris Van Tol let on that they call themselves the “zero to hero” team. He explained: “We were here last year and only managed to win one race. We put it together this year by practicing a lot. Each race had us gaining momentum and confidence and by the time we got into the finals, we nailed it.” Next stops for this team are the Great Lakes Match Racing Championships, the US Match Racing Championships in Newport, RI at the end of September and then it is on to Bermuda for more racing. Van Tol and his team “are thankful for the support of Alcos Insurance and Financial Services that helps them extend their match racing schedule.”

This is the Silver Anniversary for the Knickerbocker Cup. The late Edward du Moulin, who is a past Commodore of Knickerbocker YC, a member of the New York YC and the Storm Trysail Club, and an inductee into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame, and his late friend Arthur Knapp founded the Knickerbocker Cup. 25 years ago, the two friends had just returned from the Congressional Cup in California and thought it would be a good idea to bring match racing to the east coast. Since that day, the Cup has grown in prestige and in recent years has become a platform for launching many match racing careers. To celebrate the Silver Anniversary, Knickerbocker YC member Morty Schwartz produced a video highlighting the Cup from its inception. Richard du Moulin, Ed’s son, presented commentary on the match racers who have challenged for the Cup over the years. Rich, a member of Larchmont YC, NYYC, and a past Commodore of the Storm Trysail Club, won the Knickerbocker Cup in 1984.

Edward du Moulin was truly a devotee of match racing. And his interest in training up and coming racers was legendary. Some time ago, he and Dennis Conner founded the Knickerbocker Cup Junior Match Racing Trophy to promote match racing for juniors in Manhasset Bay. This year the trophy was won by Colin Kennedy, a junior sailor representing Port Washington YC. Several years ago, this same trophy was won by Carrie Morea, du Moulin’s youngest grandchild.

As the 2007 winner, Chris Van Tol’s name will be engraved on the Knickerbocker Cup. He will be in good company with match racers from past years: Ed Baird, Peter Holmberg, Peter Gilmour, Paul Cayard, Russell Coutts, Terry Hutchinson, Ian Williams, and Long Island Sound sailors, Dave Dellenbaugh, Dave Perry and Rich du Moulin. With the top four teams planning to return in 2008, next year promises to be a great event. But for now, it is Chris Van Tol and his “zero to hero” team who holds the title of 2007 Knickerbocker Cup Champion.

2007 Knickerbocker Cup final results:

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