  
|
LATEST
WINNERS
|
|
2003. KEN READ
2002.(USA)
2002. PETER HOLMBERG
2002.(USA,
Alinghi)
2001. PETER HOLMBERG
2002.(USA,
Alinghi)
2000. DEAN BARKER
2002.(NZL,
Team NZ)
1999. PETER HOLMBERG
200
2.(USA, Alinghi)
1998. PETER HOLMBERG
2002.(USA,
Alinghi)
1997. GAVIN BRADY
2002.(NZL,
Oracle)
1996. GAVIN BRADY
2002.(NZL,
Oracle)
|
|
|
|
Peter Gilmour may not have competed in
a match-racing regatta in nearly five months,
but he and his Pizza-La Sailing Team showed
little rust in the opening flights of the 40th
Congressional Cup.
Gilmour, the overall leader of the Swedish Match
Tour Championship Leaderboard, and crew Rod
Dawson, Michael Mottl, Alan Smith, Kazuhiko
Sofuku and Yasuhiro Yaji sprinted to a 5-0 lead
after the day one.
In Gavin Brady’s opinion, Gilmour’s very relaxedef.
"He looks like he’s having fun," said
Brady, who is tied for second with Jes Gram-Hansen
after the first day, each with 4-1 records.
"Gilly got out like this in Japan too,
but we almost beat him in the semifinals,"
said Brady, the helmsman for Oracle BMW Racing.
"We get a go at him tomorrow. We’ll see
what happens."
Day 1 Standings
1. Peter Gilmour (AUS), 5-0
2. Jes Gram-Hansen (DEN), 4-1
2. Gavin Brady
(NZL/Oracle BMW Racing), 4-1
4. Terry Hutchinson (USA), 3-2
4. Ed Baird (USA/Team
Musto), 3-2
6. Kelvin Harrap (NZL/Team New Zealand), 2-3
6. Cameron Appleton
(NZL), 2-3
8. Mattias Rahm (SWE), 1-4
8. Scott Dickson
(USA), 1-4
10. Allan Coutts (NZL), 0-5
Results (Flights 1-5)
Flight 1 : Peter Gilmour def. Allan Coutts (50'')
- Kelvin Harrap def. Mattias Rahm (50'') - Jes
Gram-Hansen def. Gavin Brady (30'') - Ed Baird
def. Scott Dickson (16'') - Terry Hutchinson
def. Cameron Appleton (25'')
Flight 2 : Brady def. Rahm (40'') - Gram-Hansen
def. Dickson (30'') - Baird def. Coutts (20'')
- Gilmour def. Hutchinson (30'') - Harrap def.
Appleton (03'')
Flight 3 : Gram-Hansen def. Coutts (21'') -
Hutchinson def. Baird (27'') - Gilmour def.
Harrap (1'20'') - Appleton def. Rahm (33'')
- Brady def. Dickson (1'30'')
Flight 4 : Baird def. Harrap (09'') - Gilmour
def. Appleton (15'') - Rahm def. Dickson (09'')
- Brady def. Coutts (05'') - Hutchinson def.
Gram-Hansen (DNF)
Flight 5 : Gilmour def. Rahm (08'') - Dickson
def. Coutts (28'') - Brady def. Hutchinson (19'')
- Gram-Hansen def. Harrap (16'') - Appleton
def. Baird (42'') |
|
|
|
The Congressional Cup resumes the 2003-04
Swedish Match Tour after a winter's hiatus since
the Nippon Cup in Japan last November.
The Congressional Cup, one of the oldest and
most prestigious Match Racing Events in the
world (and this year it is the only grade 1
match race regatta that will be sailed in the
United States), will showcase many of the skippers
from past and future America's Cup teams : |
| - |
two-time
winner and two-time runner-up (2002 and
2003) new zealander Gavin Brady of Oracle
BMW Racing, |
| - |
American Ed
Baird, who was the skipper of Young America
2000, |
| - |
New Zealander
Cameron Appleton, who sailed with the
Team NZ, |
| - |
Australian
Peter Gilmour, the 2001-02 SMT champion
and former skipper of Seattle's OneWorld
Challenge, currently leads the standings,
|
| - |
American Kelvin
Harrap who was part of the OneWorld Challenge, |
| - |
American Terry
Hutchinson (USA), tactician for Stars
& Stripes. |
| - |
Allan Coutts,
one of the Alinghi's New zealander. |
|
Rounding out the field of competitors are
: |
| - |
Denmark's
Jes Gram-Hansen , |
| - |
Mattias Rahm
of sweden, |
| - |
Long Beach
resident Scott Dickson. |
|
Gary Jobson will be almost a year late for a
date at the Long Beach Yacht Club, but his role
as a longtime competitor and TV commentator
at the Congressional Cup will be recognized
with the presentation of an honorary Crimson
Blazer on the eve of the 40th annual match race
sailing classic.
The Crimson Blazer is customarily awarded to
the winning skipper. Former winners Peter Gilmour
of Australia (1988), Terry Hutchinson of Annapolis
('92) and Gavin Brady of New Zealand ('96, '97)
are competing this year, but there also is an
illustrious list of honorary winners.
The Congressional Cup format includes a double
round-robin. Each crew will race the other twice
for a total of 18 races. The top four at the
end of the rounds robin advance to the semifinals,
with the two winners advancing to the finals.
Both the semis and finals are scheduled for
Saturday, April 24.
Principal Race Officer Bob Frazier, concerned
with the possibility of fluky conditions if
the Santa Ana winds develop, hopes to conduct
five flights each of the first two days. |
|
|
