IFDS Blind Match Racing World Championship 2014

September 9-14, 2014

2014 IFDS Blind Match Racing World Championship, Sheboygan WI

BMRWC 2014 NOR

September 15

The weather on Sunday improved for the semi-finals and finals with breeze building to 10-15 and sunny skies. The Americans were knocked out of the B2 and Canadians the B1 Categories by the respective Italian teams. In B1 Luigi Bertanza (ITA) went on to race Kylie Forth (AUS) with Bertanza taking the first race but losing the next three leading to the Australians wining the B1 category. In B2 Danilo Malerba (ITA) went against Vicki Sheen and her team from Great Britain with Sheen taking three races in a row and the B2 1st place. Racing in both categories finals was close with some close crossings and occasional contact making for some great match racing.

Final Category 1 Results
1st		Kylie Forth, Ryan Honshooten, Erin McGlew
2nd		Luigi Bertanza, Alberto Prudenzano, Enrico Sosio
3rd		David Brown, Grant Robinson, Brian Arthur

Final Category 2 Results
1st		Vicki Sheen, Lucy Hodges, Liam Cattermole
2nd		Danilo Malerba, Alessandro Malipiero, Elisabetta Bardella
3rd		Kris Scheppe, Scott Ford, Jim Kerr

September 12

Today’s second day of racing for the IFDS Blind Match Racing World Championship had colder than normal weather but great racing. Six teams representing five countries have come to the U.S. Sailing Center Sheboygan, Wisconsin for this challenging new format. Conditions thus far have been less than ideal with Wednesday’s racing canceled due to strong winds and large waves signaling a cold front that dropped the temperatures for Thursday’s racing. The teams competing hail from Australia, Italy, Great Britain, Canada, and the United States.

This regatta is being raced in Sail Sheboygan’s evenly matched Sonar fleet with sounding systems that indicate which tack the boat is on, as well as Homerus Autonomous Sailing System marks that each give a unique sound for the competitors to track. All three sailors on the Sonar are blind with a sighted coach following in a rib during the actual race.The Coach is not allowed to communicate with their team until after the match has finished.

Racing on Thursday began with the competitors sailing relatively conservatively as they began to feel out their competition and the unfamiliar conditions of Lake Michigan. Racing was made complicated by three to four foot swells that would distort the sound made by the Homerus marks as well as shifty winds.

Today brought more cool weather and some light rain with a 5-10 knots and a settled sea. Competitors began sailing more aggressively and there were some close matches. Today was the completion of the first round robin with Vicki Sheen and the British team undefeated after five races, Kylie Forth and the Australians are one race behind at four wins and Danilo Malerba’s Italian team come in third with three wins. The other Italian team skippered by Luigi Bertanza is in fourth followed by David Brown and the Canadians and Kris Scheppe for the United States in sixth.

The event is being put on by a collective group of organizations. Sail Sheboygan, the Sailing Education Association of Sheboygan (SEAS), and the Sheboygan Yacht Club have headed the racing aspects with amazing shoreside support provided by the Lions Club and Rehabilitation Center of Sheboygan (RCS) and others. The event also coincides with the launch of an adaptive sailing program in Sheboygan ran by SEAS which has purchased a set of the Homerus marks to continue training blind sailors for future events.

Racing continues tomorrow with good conditions forecast, racing is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Spectators are welcome to view the event from the Presidential Suite at the Blue Harbor Resort where there will be live commentary broadcasted by Liz Baylis.