With northerly winds blowing up to 20 knots, the quarterfinalists are nearly set at Stage 1 of the Swedish Match Tour 2004-’05.

Group B completed its five flight round robin this morning, with crews led by skippers Russell Coutts (NZL), Bertrand Pacé (FRA) and Peter Holmberg (USVI) advancing to the quarters by placing 1-2-3.

Coutts won the group with a 5-0 mark, followed by Pacé at 4-1 and Holmberg at 3-2.

They joined Ed Baird (USA), Peter Gilmour (AUS) and Jesper Radich (DEN) in the quarterfinals of the inaugural Portugal Match Cup. The Group A skippers advanced after yesterday’s racing.

All that’s left to decide is the two remaining quarterfinalists, which will be determined from the five flight repechage round that was suspended this evening after two and two-thirds flights.

REPECHAGE ROUND DAY 1

Flight 1 : Geoff Meek (RSA) def. Francisco Neto (POR) - Philippe Presti (FRA) def. Michael Dunstan (AUS) - Staffan Lindberg (FIN) def. Chris Law (GBR)

Flight 2 : Michael Dunstan (AUS) def. Geoff Meek (RSA) - Chris Law (GBR) def. Francisco Neto (POR) - Staffan Lindberg def. Philippe Presti (FRA)

Flight 3 : Francisco Neto (POR) def. Staffan Lindberg (FIN) - Philippe Presti (FRA) def. Geoff Meek (RSA) - Chris Law (GBR) def. Michael Dunstan (AUS)

GROUP B STANDINGS (after 5/5 flights)

1. Russell Coutts (NZL), 5-0
2. Bertrand Pacé (FRA, BMW Oracle Racing), 4-1
3. Peter Holmberg (USVI, Team Alinghi), 3-2
4. Chris Law (GBR), 1-4
5. Staffan Lindberg (FIN), 1-4
6. Francisco Neto (POR), 1-4

GROUP B RESULTS

Flight 1 : Bertrand Pacé (FRA) def. Francisco Neto (POR) - Peter Holmberg (USVI) def. Chris Law (GBR) - Russell Coutts (NZL) def. Staffan Lindberg (FIN)

Flight 2 : Francisco Neto (POR) def. Chris Law (GBR) - Russell Coutts (NZL) def. Peter Holmberg (USVI) - Bertrand Pacé (FRA) def. Staffan Lindberg (FIN)

Flight 3 : Russell Coutts (NZL) def. Chris Law (GBR) - Bertrand Pacé (FRA) def. Peter Holmberg (USVI) - Staffan Lindberg (FIN) def. Francisco Neto (POR)

Flight 4: Peter Holmberg (USVI) def. Staffan Lindberg (FIN) - Russell Coutts (NZL) def. Francisco Neto (POR) - Bertrand Pacé (FRA) def. Chris Law (GBR)

Flight 5 : Peter Holmberg (USVI) def. Francisco Neto (POR) - Chris Law (GBR) def. Staffan Lindberg (FIN) - Russell Coutts (NZL) def. Bertrand Pacé (FRA)

Sailing very shifty winds, the 2004-’05 Swedish Match Tour officially began today when racing began at the Portugal Match Cup.

The inaugural Tour event saw Ed Baird (USA), skipper of Team Musto, race to a 5-0 record aboard the new Swedish Match 40s. Baird, who won his third match-racing world championship last week, said luck played a part in his undefeated day.

The top three will join Baird, Gilmour and Radich in the quarters, while the bottom three move on to the repechage round and another chance to advance to the quarterfinals.

GROUP A STANDINGS (after 5/5 flights)

1. Ed Baird (USA), 5-0
2. Peter Gilmour (AUS), 3-2
3. Jesper Radich (DEN), 3-2
4. Philippe Presti (FRA, le Défi Francais), 3-2
5. Geoff Meek (RSA, Shosholoza Challenge), 1-4
6. Michael Dunstan (AUS, OzBoyz Challenge), 0-5

GROUP A RESULTS

Flight 1 : Jesper Radich (DEN) def. Michael Dunstan (AUS) - Ed Baird (USA) def. Geoff Meek (RSA) - Philippe Presti (FRA) def. Peter Gilmour (AUS)

Flight 2 : Ed Baird (USA) def. Michael Dunstan (AUS) - Peter Gilmour (AUS) def. Geoff Meek (RSA) - Jesper Radich (DEN) def. Philippe Presti (FRA)

Flight 3 : Ed Baird (USA) def. Peter Gilmour (AUS) - Jesper Radich (DEN) def. Geoff Meek (RSA) - Philippe Presti (FRA) def. Michael Dunstan (AUS)

Flight 4 : Philippe Presti (FRA) def. Geoff Meek (RSA) - Peter Gilmour (AUS) def. Michael Dunstan (AUS) - Ed Baird (USA) def. Jesper Radich (DEN)

Flight 5 : Geoff Meek (RSA) def. Michael Dunstan (AUS) - Ed Baird (USA) def. Philippe Presti (FRA) - Peter Gilmour (AUS) def. Jesper Radich (DEN)

The Swedish Match Tour introduce the Portugal Match Cup as the newest event on the professional match-race tour. The event, scheduled July 26-31, will commence the 2004-'05 Swedish Match Tour.

Organized by Justino de Sa Machado and the Sun Sailing Team, and including strong backing from the Portuguese government the event features an 150,000 Euro, approximately $181,000 (based on an exchange rate of $1.2), prize purse, which makes it the richest event on the Swedish Match Tour.

"Justino de Sa Machado and his Sun Sailing Team have done a spectacular job in creating this event", said Pierre Tinnerholm, President of the Swedish Match Tour. "And particularly their efforts in securing the support of the Portuguese government and the town of Cascais. The Portugal Match Cup promises to be a tremendous event,"

The 2003-'04 Swedish Match Tour offers a total purse of $800,000. The Portugal Match Cup helps to increase that sum to near $1 million for next season.

"We've seen significant interest from organizers around the world wanting to become a part of the tour," said Scott MacLeod, director of the Swedish Match Tour. "The new event in Portugal helps affirm the Swedish Match Tour as the premier professional sailing series.

The Cascais Naval Club will host the activities for the Portugal Match Cup, and racing will be held off Cascais, on Portugal's southeastern coast. The venue was a finalist to host America's Cup 2007 before Valencia, Spain, won the rights. Cascais made the short list due in part to its wind conditions.

"This will show the magnificent sailing conditions we have here for sailing," said Pedro Garcia, head of Cascais Marina. "There are trade winds, not thermal winds, from the northwest most of the time. We also benefit from the protection of Cascais (with) an offshore breeze, so typically there are not big seas on the race area."

In conjunction with the inaugural event the Swedish Match 40 also will make its tour debut. Pelle Petterson, designer and skipper of Sweden's 1977 and 1980 America's Cup syndicates, designed the five-person crew 40-footer especially for the match-race tour.

The field of 12 teams will race in six of this powerful new boat, built by Maxi Yachts in Sweden.

The organizers have already received interest from some of the world's leading match-racers, including current tour leader Peter Gilmour's Pizza-La Sailing Team and three-time America's Cup winner Russell Coutts, skipper of Cup champion Team Alinghi.

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The 2003-'04 Swedish Match Tour resumes in April with the Long Beach Yacht Club's annual Congressional Cup, off Long Beach, Calif. Tour stops follow in Italy, Croatia and Germany before the 2003-'04 season wraps up with the Swedish Match Cup in Marstrand, Sweden, in July.

The Australian Gilmour and his sailing team lead the tour after the first three events (Denmark's Danish Open, Bermuda's Gold Cup and Japan's Nippon Cup) with 65 points. Sweden's Magnus Holmberg and his team lies second with 45 points while Denmark's Jesper Radich holds third with 35 points.