PETERSEN LEADS OPENING DAY AT FICKER CUP

The reigning US Youth Match Racing Champion – just 19-years-old – Petersen topped the leaderboard, defeating each of his adversaries in the formidable fleet, with the exception of his rival and friend David Wood (USA), finishing 6:1. Wood finished 5:2.

Ficker Cup Chair Lisa Meier welcomed the eight teams from the US and abroad to the event which had been canceled once, and postponed ‘til September, due to the pandemic.

“Interest in the Ficker Cup exploded the moment the dates were released,” Meier announced. “We had dozens of inquiries from all over the world: people were so excited to get back on the race course, and eager for an invitation.”

The Ficker Cup is a Grade Two event and official event of the World Match Racing Tour, the world’s leading world championship match racing series sanctioned by World Sailing.  As a bonus, the Ficker Cup serves as a qualifier for the Congressional Cup, with the top three finishers advancing to that event Sept. 14 to 19.

“The level of competition here is so high: the stakes are high!” Meier continued pointing out the skippers have pulled together some lofty teams. Emil Kjaer (DEN) has Congressional Cup veteran Joachim Aschenbrenner onboard; the world’s number four-ranked match racing skipper Maxime Mesnil is sailing with Pauline Courtois (FRA); and David Hood (USA) has crew from the ranks of four-time Congressional Cup champion Taylor Canfield.

Conditions were spectacular for the first of three days of racing, with sunshine and steady breezes. The early tentativeness of the racers gave way to confidence and ferocity as the day went on. By Match Four, the box was penalty alley, with flags flying as the sailors became more savvy racing the Catalina 37s – a custom one-design keelboat specially manufactured for the Congressional Cup – and began feeling their oats.

Petersen had been scrapping all summer long with Kjaer and Wood – who, along with Peter Holz (USA), were tied for second at the end of the day. In June Petersen won the US Youth Match Racing Championship for the Rose Cup and followed up with a victory in the Governor’s Cup in July – where he edged out

Kjaer in the finals. But it was Wood who triumphed in the International Youth Match Racing World Championship in mid-August, with Petersen in second, and Kjaer in fourth.

“We’ve had a fortunate opportunity to race each other a lot since June,” Petersen said. “It’s a lot of fun, developing those relationship; there’s some playful banter and a little bit of trash talk during the race, but it’s all in the name of fun.”

On the flip side was Pauline Courtois’s team from Le Havre, France – who finished 1:6 at the end of a challenging day: something she had fully anticipated. The three-time Women’s Match Racing French National Champion said “We are very happy to be here. It’s a prestigious event and really good regatta, but a very different boat than what we sail in France and in the women’s events. It’s bigger and heavier so it’s more challenging.” Undaunted, she added, “But that’s a good way to improve our sailing, and to progress. So we’re very happy and excited to compete and will try to do our best.”

Racing continues Saturday and Sunday Sept 11 and 12 at the Congressional Cup stadium, a designated race course adjacent the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier. Spectators are invited to watch the action, for free, beginning at 11:30AM daily.

Ficker Cup live results
For more information on WMRT, visit www.wmrt.com

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Established in 1929, Long Beach Yacht Club is recognized as a leading club in the international yachting community for its commitment to excellence in yacht racing and innovation in race management. Congressional Cup, the club’s signature event, now in its 56th year, is the preeminent match racing regatta in the United States and considered the Gateway to the America’s Cup. In addition to hosting numerous local, national and international yachting events, the Club’s member families enjoy a year-round calendar of social, yachting, and junior activities at its beautiful clubhouse on the shore of Alamitos Bay.

WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR

Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) promotes the sport of match racing around the world and is the longest running global professional series in the sport of sailing. The WMRT is awarded ‘Special Event’ status by the sport’s world governing body – World Sailing – and the winner of the WMRT each year is crowned World Sailing Match Racing World Champion. Previous champions include Sir Ben Ainslie (GBR), Taylor Canfield (USA), Peter Gilmour (AUS), Magnus Holmberg (SWE), Peter Holmberg (ISV), Adam Minoprio (NZL), Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Bertrand Pace (FRA), Jesper Radich (DEN), Phil Robertson (NZL) and Ian Williams (GBR). Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have awarded over USD23million in prize money to sailors which has helped to contribute to the career pathway of many of today’s professional sailors. www.wmrt.com