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HOLMBERG STRUGGLES
IN SWEDISH MATCH OPENER
Team Caribbean goes 1-4 in first round robin
Marstrand, SWEDEN - JUNE 30, 1989 - Fresh from his Grade One June 28 win in the Trofeo Challenge in Italy, Peter Holmberg and Team Caribbean struggled through Day One of the Swedish Match Cup, posting a disappointing 1-4 first round robin record. Among Group B skippers, Holmberg bested Denmark's Morten Henriksen, but dropped matches to France's Bertand Paci and Thierry Peponnet, as well as Denmark's Jesper Bank. With a lot of racing yet to come and according to race organizers, "Together with Law, Gilmour and the other Holmberg, Peter is one of several grenades primed and ready to go off. In strong winds Peter takes no prisoners."
Helmsman Holmberg's five-man crew for the Swedish Match Cup consists of St. Thomas sailors Morgan Avery (trimmer) and Maurice Kurg (bow and tactics), as well as St. Maarten racer Paul Dielemans (main trimmer). Joining the team in Marstrand is Swedish trimmer Mikael Bjorndahl, who crewed for Holmberg in last year's Alandia Cup. Hosted in its fifth year by the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club (GKSS), the Swedish Match competition pits 16 teams sailing 36-foot Danish-built DS Match Racers in a two-day preliminary double round robin series, progressing to quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals racing rounds.
An estimated 100,000 spectators are attracted annually by the Marstrand inlet's spectacular racing venue, world famous helmsmen, and virtually non-stop racing program. It's an interesting mix of tough veterans and young upstarts, with no less than three Swedes to boost national pride. Eighty yachtsmen in all fight every inch of the way -- right in front of
the audience.
Swedish Match Cup Group A skippers include: three-time winner Peter Gilmour (Japan), Chris Law (Great Britain), Marcus Wieser (Germany), Per Petterson (Sweden), wildcard Hans Wallin (Sweden), Henrik Lundberg (Finland), Kiwi Gavin Brady (Hong Kong), and Sten Mohr (Denmark). Racing throughout the morning, Group A's Flight One pairing winners were: Petterson (versus Wieser), Gilmour (Wallin), Law (Lundberg), and Mohr (Brady). Flight Two duel scorers: Petterson (Wallin), Lundberg (Wieser), Gilmour (Brady), and Mohr (Law). Flight Three winners: Wallin (Wieser), Brady (Petterson), Gilmour (Law), and Mohr (Lundberg).
Group B skippers, sailing in the afternoon, included Peter Holmberg (Virgin Islands), 1996 Swedish Match winner Bertrand Paci (France), Thierry Peponnet (France), Dean Barker (New Zealand), Jesper Bank, Magnus Holmberg (Sweden), Morten Henriksen (Denmark), and Tomislav Basic (Croatia).
Group B's Flight Four pairing winners were: Basic (versus Paci), Magnus Holmberg (Bank), Peter Holmberg (Henriksen), and Peponnet (Barker). Making a sweep of Flight Five were: Basic (Magnus Holmberg), Paci (Peter Holmberg), Bank (Barker), and Peponnet (Henriksen). Flight Six winners included: Paci (Magnus Holmberg), Barker (Basic), Paci (Bank) and Peponnet (Peter Holmberg). Fitting in a Seventh Flight, top skippers were Barker (Magnus Holmberg), Basic (Henriksen), Bank (Peter Holmberg) and Paci (Peponnet).
Holmberg's international match racing team is sponsored in Italy by its Team Caribbean America's Cup Challenge sponsors and American Airlines. For more information contact Arlene R. Martel at 340-776-0921. |
