Frech team takes the Detroit Cup
French Team Tops International Field to Win the Detroit Cup
By Peggy Walsh-Sarnecki
August 24, 2014 at 5:33 pm Detroit
Pierre-Antoine Morvan and his Vannes Agglo Sailing Team of Mathie Renault and Steven Liorzou 2014 Detroit Cup Match Race Winners. Photo from Bayview Yacht Club.
It was the French boat, skippered by Pierre-Antoine Morvan, that won the Detroit Cup this year.
Matt Graham, the University of Michigan doctoral candidate whose crew was probably one of the two youngest in the regatta, finished highest among the three local boats, in fourth place.
“The team sailed great,” Graham said. “We don’t have any regrets. We left it all on the course.”
Matt Graham’s team left to right, is Chris Cyr Grosse Pointe Woods, Austin Colpaert, Grosse Pointe Park, Alex Ramos, Annapolis and Graham, Ann Arbor.
Winner Morvan was the top ranked match racer coming into the event, with an international sailing ISAF ranking of 7. Chris Poole of New York placed second, ISAF ranking 28. Maxi Soh of Singapore, ISAF ranking 32, placed third.
Graham’s ISAF ranking is 67, which means he cruised ahead of four other skippers with higher rankings.
This was truly great match racing, and it was a rare treat to be able to see some of the top international and national match racers right here in Detroit.
Host Bayview Yacht Club made it easy for anyone to watch, with online live streaming that was so popular, it almost crashed Bayview’s site until they beefed it up.
If you missed it, well, all I can say is, don’t make the same mistake next year. This was great sailing to watch with excellent online support and commentary.
Winds for the finals Sunday were around 10 knots, a nice change from the mostly light air racing Thursday through Saturday. Light winds and the Detroit River’s two-knot current were challenging.
“It’s a really strong current and it doesn’t change directions, we’re not used to that,” Soh said.
Poole agreed, knowing when to play the current and when to play the wind were keys.
“It provides a whole new element,” Poole said of the current.
Sunday’s sailing included the first to win three races duel between Morvan and Poole for first place, and a first to win two Petit Final between Soh and Graham for third.
Morvan easily won three in a row from Poole. He pinned Poole between his boat and the committee boat at the start of the second race, the culmination of some very aggressive maneuvering at the start. There really was little doubt who would won the final.
“A big point for who wins the race was to go left first,” Morvan said, adding there was less current on the left side.
The Ultimate 20s were also a plus to the regatta.
“This is only one of two match races that I know of using asymmetricals (spinnakers),” Poole said. “With the current, it makes for a whole new game.”
Soh, in front, and Graham return after their Petit Final.
Graham was tied with Soh 1-to-1 going into the third and final Petit Final race. But he crossed the line early by about a yard. Having to restart as a penalty pretty much took him out of the third race.
“There’s not a whole lot we would have done differently,” Graham said. “Match racing is all about minimizing mistakes and mistakes happen.”
Being the top local finisher feels good, Graham said.
“But it would have been nice to have a winner from Detroit,” Graham said.
One of the spectators on the sidelines was Kent Colpaert, who had a double interest.
Colpaert’s son Spencer, 23, was crewing for Ian Hollerbach’s team, one of the three local teams along with Chris Van Tol. (Hollerbach didn’t make the finals but won the round robin, racing once against every team.)
Colpaert’s younger son, Austin, who turned 18 on Sunday, was on Graham’s team. Austin’s major goal was to beat his brother, Colpaert said.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Colpaert said of watching his sons. “I had to get up and leave during the semifinals.”
The Detroit Cup was great racing and great for Detroit.
“It’s my first time here,” Morvan said. “It won’t be the last.”
For more on the Grand Slam Series, including the Chicago, Knickerbocker and Oak Cliff finishes and the eventual winner, go to http://www.usamatchracing.com/2014/#.
FINAL DETROIT CUP RESULTS
1.FRA Pierre-Antoine Morvan
2.USA Chris Poole (New York)
3.SIN Maximilian Soh
4.USA Matt Graham (Detroit)
5.AUS Sam Gilmour
6.USA Ian Hollerbach (Detroit)
7.USA David Storrs (New York)
8.JPN Wataru Sakamoto
9.USA Chris VanTol (Detroit)
10.USA Dustin Durant (California)
11.USA Peter Holz (Chicago)
12.IRL Shane Diviney
