Day 1 - Stena Match Cup Sweden

Ian Williams (Team GAC Pindar) got off to a strong start at the Stena Match Cup Sweden today, winning all four of his races, including victory over fellow British skipper and three-time gold medallist, Ben Ainslie (TEAMORIGIN).

Sweden’s biggest sailing event marks the halfway stage of this year’s World Match Racing Tour and is taking place at the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club on the stunning island of Marstrand. The morning’s racing got underway in near perfect conditions with a steady 10-15 knot breeze, clear blue skies and a total of 16 crews, battling it out in the round-robin stages on identical DS 37 boats.

Williams faced local sailor Johnnie Berntsson (Berntsson Sailing Team) in his first race and despite trailing after the last mark, worked hard to catch him, in a tight finish across the line. Race two and four saw convincing wins against Torvar Mirsky (Mirsky Racing Team) and reigning Stena Match Cup Sweden champion, Peter Gilmour (YANMAR Racing).

The race of the day, however, saw Williams face Ben Ainslie in an all British showdown, with Ainslie taking an early lead followed by some strong tactical tacking up the first beat. Williams responded well and closed the gap considerably down the run, before forcing Ainslie into a difficult manoeuvre around the bottom mark, which resulted in a wrapped spinnaker around the bow. This offered Williams the chance he needed to pass and win by a comfortable distance.

Williams commented: “It’s a great start to the week - we faced a tough line-up this morning so are delighted to win all four races. It’s a new team so we are improving race by race. We are looking forward to more competitive racing tomorrow.”

The team was joined today by a special guest - Lars Säfverström, Group President of global shipping logistics company and partner to the team, GAC, who joined the crew on board for the first race. Speaking after his exhilarating guest ride, he commented: “This is my first visit to the Stena Match Cup Sweden and I am enjoying it immensely. The race conditions could not have been better and it was fantastic to experience Ian’s cool management and the impressive teamwork from such an exciting vantage point. I am looking forward to following the action for the remainder of the week.”

Williams now needs to secure just one more win, from his three remaining round-robin matches, to confirm a place in the quarter-finals on Friday.

To follow all the action from the Stena Match Cup Sweden, please visit, http://www.wmrt.org or http://www.matchcupsweden.com

Team GAC Pindar crew
Ian Williams (skipper) Matt Cassidy, Mark Nicholls, Malcolm Parker, Richard Sydenham