Mirksy At the Helm of an America’s Cup Boat.
Torvar At the Helm
MRT was given the chance to go for a training session on SWE 63. With Torvar Mirsky on the helm and other MRT members filling key crew positions, the training session ran smoothly and gave the local journalists a glimpse of what lays ahead for the young Australian team.
“It was great to get a go on the helm of an AC boat, I have been working towards this for a while now and to be given a glimpse of this sort of sailing is very exciting” said Torvar on the dock afterwards at the Victory Challenge base.
“Its a great opportunity for our team to experience first hand the inner workings of an organisation whose business is elite sailing” commented MRT bowman Graeme Spence.
MRT, being from Perth, know about the history behind the Cup and its importance in Australia and for a young Australian team to be out sailing on SWE 63 is not only monumental for MRT, but for the sailing community of Perth and Australia.
It seems to be the team’s natural progression is to step onto the Americas Cup scene, and with the amount of uncertainty with the Americas Cup who knows what will be next for the rising stars of the yachting world.
From Valencia Sailing…
It was a first today for both of the young up-and-coming sailors. Torvar Mirsky and Adam Minoprio, currently holding the 4th and 5th place in the ISAF Match Racing rankings, took the helm of an America’s Cup yacht for the first time ever this afternoon in Valencia.
Torvar Mirsky (helm) and Kinley Fowler (trim) were on SWE-63 while Adam Minoprio (helm) and Tom Powrie (trim) sailed on Victory Challenge’s newer boat, SWE-73. Even if it was part of a corporate hospitality program and with the majority of the crew consisting of guests of the Volkswagen group, the two young sailors didn’t take things lightly. It is obvious that when your grinders are car dealers or car component executives you can’t be too demanding but their aggressive style could be felt in the prestarts. Still, this kind of marketing is a unique opportunity for the sport of sailing, especially under the current tough financial situation. In what other sport can you rub shoulders with the world’s 4th and 5th sportsmen?
The two teams will spend Sunday training in Valencia in full earnest on two SM40′s and will then head to Portugal for the Portugal Match Cup, the 4th event of this year’s World Match Racing Tour.
Kinley on Trim
Torvar Mirsky helming SWE-63. Valencia, 13 June 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing
Kinley Fowler from Mirsky Racing Team during the prestart. Valencia, 13 June 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing
