A sea breeze stayed long enough to provide suitable conditions for the finish of Round Robin action at the Brasil Sailing Cup, the first event on the 2008 World Match Racing Tour. The top three teams from Groups A and B have qualified to advance to the next Quarter Final stage, while the remaining two are yet to be determined in the unfinished Repechage stage.

The top slots went to those teams with the most WMRT experience, as reigning World Champion Ian Williams (GBR) and his Team Pindar went undefeated in Group A, beating Magnus Holmberg (SWE) of Victory Challenge, while young Torvar Mirsky (AUS) and his Mirsky Racing Team also managed to get through on the strength of three wins. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) of the Alandia Sailing Team won Group B on a tie-break with runner-up Paolo Cian (ITA) of Team Shosholoza, and Mattias Rahm (SWE) and his Stena Bulk Team also qualified on a three-win score.

The wind direction and light conditions permitted race managers to set the course area within metres of the shoreline, making the pre-starts interesting for the teams as they maneuvered among the huge 2-metre South Atlantic swells. With slightly more pressure available on the left side of the course area, teams fought hard for control of the pin at the starts, giving an advantage to those who could lead back to the line.

Two flights of the Repechage remain to be sailed tomorrow, along with the start of the first-to-three point Quarter Final stage.

For a list of full results, and more information click here .