Switzerland’s premier professional sailing competition will be held from 28 August to 2 September 2012 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. It will bring together the world’s leading match race teams, including six of the top ten and the two best teams in Switzerland, those of Eric Monnin and Jérôme Clerc.
St. Moritz, 22 August 2012 – St. Moritz Match Race, the premier professional sailing event in Switzerland is the fifth stage of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour. The event will celebrate its tenth edition from August 28 to September 2, 2012 and the winner will be crowned “King of the Mountain”.
Leading international sailors will take part, including Ian Williams (UK), reigning world champion, Björn Hansen (SWE) and Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA), who are currently co-leading the world rankings, and a host of specialists from the Southern Hemisphere, led by veteran Peter Gilmour, a sailing legend and former international competitor of the America’s Cup. There are also four crews from New Zealand, including Phil Robertson, Laurie Jury, Keith Swinton and Josh Junior, as well as French skipper Mathieu Richard, winner in 2008 and 2010. In short – it’s going to be an epic event.
Switzerland’s top two teams will compete against the world’s best and try to shake the hierarchy. Eric Monnin’s Okalys-Corum Team hasen’t missed a single edition of the event yet, whilst Jérôme Clerc and his “Geneva Traing Centre” qualified last weekend by winning the Swiss Championships in Romanshorn.
In recent years, the Swiss crews have struggled to compete against the world’s best. Eric Monnin, the best Swiss skipper, finished tenth in the past three years, while Jérôme Clerc ranked twelfth in 2010 and 2011.
According to Eric Monnin, « the world’s best are beatable, but you have to be ready to be humbled. They sail year round in the Alpari World Match Racing Tour so we can’t argue that it’ll be tough. Our role is that of the underdog. But I remain convinced, we do have a role to play, and we can shake the hierarchy.”
Jérôme Clerc said meanwhile that the weight of the crew is a key element. « Participants in the World Tour weigh on average 87 kilos. For comparison, we missed 50 kilos last year, more than half a teammate, it’s huge! » The new Swiss Match Race champion is confident he can beat the best. He is actively looking for a jib trimmer to replace his usual one, unfortunately not available next week. This replacement should, in an ideal world, weigh 120 kilos…!
St. Moritz Match Race will once again benefit from the support of Volvo Cars Switzerland and Badrutt’s Palace Hotel as key partners. Companies Romano & Christen, BDO, LGT and FLYER will also be at the heart of the action as « Boat Partners ». Finally, Engadin St. Moritz and Tourism St. Moritz will again be local partners of the event.