I guess this is why Ian Williams is a three-time world champion in match Racing. He can race and win no matter how tough and tricky the conditions even with the absence of one of the main sailors of the crew. According to Wikipedia, “the city of Chicago has been known by many nicknames, but it is most widely recognized as the Windy City” but, unfortunately, I wouldn’t claim this weekend and especially on Sunday for the petit finals and the finals we had so much wind off Chicago’s Navy Pier.
The finals started right on time at 2pm but with a very light breeze that probably didn’t exceed 5-6 knots. In addition, the dozens, if not hundreds, of leisure powerboats that were zooming back and forth off Navy Pier put even more pressure on the crews with their wake. At times, the photo boat would wobble for no apparent reason and then we would realize a 100-foot powerboat was doing 25 knots a few hundred meters from there. Even if there was a very extended restricted zone around the race area, the sheer quantity of powerboats was enough to be felt almost everywhere.
These factors certainly put a premium on crew work and maneuvers and a slight mistake would cause the yachts to stall, caught in one-meter waves. Williams and his crew sailed flawlessly, taking care of any minor detail and deserved their victory both today but also throughout the week. Not only did they get their maneuvers and tactics on the spot, they sailed without their tactician and mainsail trimmer Bill Hardesty who had to be hospitalized with appendicitis. Hardesty was replaced by Garth Ellingham, who is a core-group member of Phil Robertson’s Waka Racing.
This well-deserved victory now closes the gap Williams has with championship leader Björn Hanson. The Swede holds on to the lead, thanks to a third place here in Chicago, but his advantage has now shrank to just four points. Hansen now has 81 points in the overall championship score table while Williams stands on 77. The podium places are closed with France’s Pierre-Antoine Morvan, coming third with 57 points.
The ALPARI World Match Racing Tour will now take a six-week break and racing will resume at the St. Moritz Match Race, August 28th to September 2nd.
Match 1
The finals couldn’t have started better for Williams. A few seconds after the 4-minute period was signaled and the two yachts were entering into dialup Reece got a penalty. The young Australian hit the start line with a good pace and headed to the left-side of the course. He had better breeze than Williams who was the first to tack and rounded the first weather mark with a 5-boatlength advantage. He managed to hold onto his lead in the first run and second beat and decided to offload his penalty at the second top mark. However, a bad spinnaker hoist cost them dearly. Williams grabbed the opportunity and put himself in front of the Australian. From that point there wasn’t any option left for Reece and all he could do was hand over the first point to Williams.
You surely haven’t seen such a 7-minute signal before. Chicago, 15 July 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info
Reece receives a penalty in the dialup. Chicago, 15 July 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info
Reece has a decent lead in the first weather mark. Chicago, 15 July 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info
Reece rounds the leeward gate ahead of Williams. Chicago, 15 July 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info
Reece rounds the leeward gate ahead of Williams. Chicago, 15 July 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info
The race’s decisive moment and turning point. Reece decides to offload his penalty at the weather mark but a very poorly-executed spinnaker hoist gives Williams the opportunity to take the lead. Chicago, 15 July 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info
Match 2
This was the only match of the finals that brought some suspense and saw Williams’ lead shaky at some stage. The British sailor has a good start at the committee boat end, picks the right-hand shift, opts for the right hand-side of the course and has a slim lead at the first weather mark. When it seemed Williams was in control of the situation, Reece found a passing lane at the left side on the first run and rounded the leeward ahead. Yet, Williams again takes control on the right, recovers his lead at the last weather mark and crosses the finish line ahead of the young Australian.
Prestart of the second race. Chicago, 15 July 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info
Williams leads at the first weather mark. Chicago, 15 July 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info
Great performance by Reece in the first beat. He finds a passing lane and rounds the leeward gate in the lead. Chicago, 15 July 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info
Reece’s lead didn’t last long! Williams recovers in the second beat and rounds the seconds weather mark ahead of Reece. Chicago, 15 July 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info
Williams sails into victory in the last run of the second race. Chicago, 15 July 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info
Match 3
Williams continued his domination in the third, and final match, of the 2012 Chicago Match Cup. Again, he had a good start and, most importantly, played the left shift, rounding the first weather mark in the lead. With no more major wind shifts after the race committee had the changed the course, Reece had practically no possibility to come back and attack. Williams extended his lead in the second half of the race and crossed the finish line five-six boatlengths ahead of his opponent.
Start of the third and final race. Chicago, 15 July 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info
Williams rounds the first weather mark in the lead. Chicago, 15 July 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info
Williams leads in the first run. Chicago, 15 July 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info
Williams extends his lead at the second weather mark. Chicago, 15 July 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info
Williams sails into victory at the Chicago Match Cup. Chicago, 15 July 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info