Gavin Brady a enfilé son 4ème « Blazer rouge » symbole de la victoire dans la Congressional Cup.
Nous avons, quant à nous échoué en demi finale perdant 2/0 contre Berntsoon. Nous avions une avance confortable dans la première manche, mais nous nous sommes fait reprendre au vent arrière dans les petits airs du matin. La seconde manche fut à sens unique après un départ raté.
Il nous restait la petite finale pour finir cette semaine en beauté. Nous l’avons enlevé devant la « star locale » Scott Dickson (petit frère du plus célèbre Chris, skipper d’Oracle BMW).
« Ce fut une semaine vraiment sympa, cette épreuve est la plus belle du circuit avec des bateaux exigeants et physiques, un accueil exceptionnel des volontaires et membres du LBYC avec une mention spéciale pour nos familles hôtes (Betty Carol Denis et Bernard) et des conditions de navigation de rêve. »
Bravo à Gilles MORELLE (Mast man) - Gilou ANDRE (n°1) – Julien FALXA (Régleur) – Xavier HUSSON (GV et Pit) – Stephane CHRISTIDIS (Tactique).
Gavin Brady joined a small, elite club of match racing sailors with a common problem Saturday: what to do with all of those Crimson Blazers in their closets. Only Rod Davis and Peter Holmberg also own four of the traditional winner's wardrobe in Long Beach Yacht Club's Congressional Cup presented by Acura, now counting 44 years of consecutive competitions among the best in the world at their specialty.
After winning 15 of his 18 round robin contests, Brady drove through the sailoffs with a steady and steely determination in sweeping local pride Scott Dickson and Sweden's Johnie Berntsson---who was coming off seven consecutive wins---in two straight races each in the semifinals and finals, respectively.
Berntsson had swept France's Philippe Presti, 2-0, in the other semifinal, and Presti took the measure of Dickson in the consolation final.
Brady, a New Zealand native who has lived in Annapolis, Md., since the mid-90s, won his first two Congressional Cups in 1996 and '97 when he was only 22 and 23, then his third in 2006 after building a professional sailing career of America's Cups and various ocean races.
"We were competitive in a boat sailing fast and we didn't have to take any risks," Brady said.
As a southwest breeze built to 13 knots, the clincher against Berntsson was especially a show of total control. Brady had Berntsson pinned to leeward and slightly ahead of the starting line and didn't tack until reaching the port layline for the windward mark. Downwind, he blocked the Swede's every move while jibing only twice, and on the next two legs he needed only two tacks and one jibe---a total of three tacks and jibes for the race he won by 14 seconds.
"They were just better," Berntsson said.
FINAL
1. Gavin Brady, New Zealand
2. Johnie Berntsson, Sweden
3. Philippe Presti, France
4. Scott Dickson, U.S.
5. Simon Minoprio, New Zealand
6. Damien Iehl, France
7. Dave Perry, U.S.
8. Andrew Arbuzov, Russia
9. Pierre-Antoine Morvan, France
10. Chris VanTol, U.S.
