Yachting: Black Match fail to fire

Adam Minoprio's Black Match team lost their crunch match against Mathieu Richard. Photo / Getty Images

Adam Minoprio is at a loss to explain his shock exit from the Monsoon Cup - but team member David Swete says there may have been a lack of unity in New Zealand's world champion match racing team this year.

Swete says skipper Minoprio's decision in May to opt for Emirates Team New Zealand's Volvo Ocean Race campaign next year (meaning the team in effect would disband at the end of this campaign) shattered a few dreams.

"We were under the illusion we would all step up to the next level together," says Swete. "We have seen that in the past with [Russell] Coutts and his boys in Team New Zealand then all going on to Alinghi [and] James Spithill and his Australian team making that next step. That was always our aim - to stick together and do that.

"Adam has been given an opportunity that he can't turn down and we have to accept that, though I guess it has been pretty hard."

All manner of permutations were discussed before the Monsoon Cup but having the defending world champion knocked out before the quarter-finals did not enter the equation. Minoprio and his Black Match racing team won just four races (only one against a crew in the top eight) and lost seven.

Minoprio concedes a degree of over-confidence and a less than ideal preparation could have been factors.

"Maybe at the start, we were a little complacent. We knew we had a lot of experience here and with these type of boats. But as the pressure went on, there was no complacency."

With hindsight, Minoprio feels they were a bit rusty and the decision not to compete in the lead-up event - the Australian Cup in Perth - may have been wrong.

"We failed to fire this week. We made a lot of little mistakes, just pure sailing mistakes, which is a real shame."

But the skipper denies the rumours of a rift on the boat.

"We have all sailed together for a long time, so things have been fine," says Minoprio. "At times this year, our minds have been in different places which has not been great for us but it is not disharmony."

However, commentators who have followed the circuit all year have been surprised by some of the conversations picked up by on-board microphones, emphasising the lack of unity.

Most put it down to Minoprio's announcement he was leaving Black Match to sail for the Team New Zealand entry in the 2011 Volvo Ocean race.

Double world match racing champion Ian Williams feels Minoprio's switch created a chasm.

"I think Adam's decision to move on has made them not quite such a close team. I think it has created some tensions. I don't know if there has been a rift but when your future is uncertain, it creates a slight lack of focus. But also it is always hard to defend - it ramps up the pressure.

"Last year, it was all fun, they were the upstarts. This year, I don't think it has been much fun at all, with everybody gunning for them."

Some also felt the looming end meant individuals started to concentrate on safeguarding their own futures, possibly at the expense of the group effort.

Swete says: "Last year, before the Monsoon Cup, we did the Australian Cup and it was really good preparation.

"Whereas, last week, I was doing a trial for a Volvo team in the United Arab Emirates and [fellow trimmer] Dan [McLean] was working for Team New Zealand in Dubai and maybe trying to sort out things for next year.

"That was instead of concentrating fully on this event and that could have affected things - it is a hard one."

Black Match were off the pace on the first two days but started to display some of the old magic on Thursday, kicking into gear to beat Ben Ainslie and convincingly winning the starts against Italian Francesco Bruni and world No 1 Mathieu Richard. But they failed to capitalise and the string of early losses left no margin for error.

"It is a pretty tough way to end the team," reflects Swete, "as one wind shift [against Richard] in the final race changed the whole outcome. But that has been the story all week - little things that we failed to capitalise on.

"The wheels didn't fall off; things just didn't come together. Maybe last year, we wanted it more, there was more hunger."

The added pressure of doing things on a shoestring over the past four years must also have taken a toll. They have slept on couches across Europe, doubled up in hotel rooms and even grabbed rides with the media to various events. In 2009, Black Match had the smallest budget of any team and, despite their world champion status in 2010, were unable to attract much more additional sponsorship.

The team had a last supper of seafood and a few beers with sponsors before going their separate ways.

Swete heads back to snowy Southampton, where he has a long list on his computer of things he could do next year.

"Hopefully a few of us will be racing Adam in the next Volvo - though they are definitely the team to watch and will be hard to beat.

According to match racing veteran Peter Gilmour, when Minoprio announced he was going in the Volvo, they lost that team factor.

"It became Adam and the rest of the guys and it directly reflected in a few of the results in the middle part of the year. I think they managed to sort themselves out and got back in the title hunt but the bonds were definitely loosened a little. At their ages, a month or two is a long time."

Certainly it has been the week from hell for Minoprio. In an extended chat before the event, he looked nervous, strained and a little distracted and the pressure intensified.

After a single loss on day one: "I'm glad we only had one race. We were poor but there are 10 races to go and plenty of time."

After more setbacks on day two: "We are making amateur mistakes in the biggest race of the year. I'm glad today is over and hope tomorrow is better."

After the events of Friday: "I'll take three months to get over this. To finish up, in our last race together, with bitter defeat is not a good taste in the month. I'm gutted [and] the boys are gutted."

Triple Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie is sure Minoprio will bounce back. He recalled the first time he saw Minoprio race, as a young upstart against Dean Barker in the national championships.

"He gave Dean a hard time," remembers Ainslie, "and had the knack. All round, he is strong and consistent."

Fellow Kiwi Phil Robertson also had a largely forgettable regatta, finishing outside the top eight. Waka Racing enjoyed an impressive win over Ainslie and the Origin team on Wednesday before a decline in performance.

A loss to Richard, after holding a large lead on the final leg, ended any quarter-final hopes.