Monsoon Cup practice day onboard Adam Minoprio’s Alpari Racing Team

by Vsail.info · 3 December 2012

Adam Minoprio is back in action at the Monsoon Cup with the Alpari Racing Team! The young kiwi match racer is back on familiar waters as he was crowned World Match Racing champion right here, off the Kuala Terengganu marina, exactly three years ago. The newly-formed Alpari Racing Team consists of Minoprio together with three sailors of his former core crew – Dave Swete, Tim Powrie and Nick Blackman – and newcomer Chris Main, and is a first attempt by the former world champion to mount a fully-fledged campaign next year. Obviously, that will depend on whether he’s successful in securing the necessary funding and hopefully Alpari, the title sponsor of the World Match Racing Tour, will extend their backing for the entire season.

Monday was practice day here in Kuala Terrengganu and the nine crews took to the waters of the Malaysian city for a two-hour training session each. We were onboard Minoprio’s yacht and the former world champion chose as sparring partner the current champion, Great Britain’s Ian Williams. Their training consisted mainly of a number of prestarts and two full races. Conditions are very good, compared to what we have witnessed in the four previous editions we attended. It is unusually dry with very little rain in the past week, plenty of sunshine and no trace of a monsoon. The breeze is also quite decent, with peaks of 10-12 knots in the afternoon. One truly hopes that these favorable conditions will prevail during the rest of the week in order to watch an exciting finale to the 2012 Alpari World Match Racing Tour

Onboard Adam Minoprio’s Alpari Racing Team during the Monsoon Cup practice day. Kuala Terengganu, 3 December 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info