Yachting: Following in Minoprio's tour wake

The four man keelboat crew headed by Phil Robertson. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Kiwi sailor Phil Robertson knows he has big shoes to fill. The 24-year-old is New Zealand's flagbearer on the 2011 World Match Racing Tour, following in the large footsteps of Adam Minoprio.

Minoprio stunned the sailing world in 2009, becoming the youngest ever to win the WMRT with his Black Match team. They finished fourth overall in 2008 and 2010 but Minoprio has since left the tour and joined Team New Zealand.

"We always had some great battles with Adam but it is nice now to be the top ranked Kiwi," Robertson told the Herald on Sunday in Korea. "It has probably helped our confidence a bit."

After being unknown underdogs last year, in 2011 Robertson and his Waka Sailing team are one of the eight tour card holders, guaranteeing them entry to all events. Robertson currently sits 10th in the world on the ISAF world match racing rankings.

"I guess there is more expectation from others but we are always pushing ourselves to perform. We have set our sights on a top three finish which we truly think we can make."

"This year is a make or break year for our careers," agrees tactician Garth Ellingham. "We want to make sure we deserve to be here and we have to perform well at every event."

Robertson and Waka Racing made a poor start to the year, finishing ninth in France before rebounding with an impressive third in Germany. This week at the Korea Match Cup has been disappointing, with another ninth place finish. On Saturday they needed just one more win to reach the quarter-finals but some uncharacteristic mistakes sealed their fate.

"We need to work on our consistency - our boat handling and speed was good all week but we made a series of unforced errors," says Robertson. "We can be on fire and nail everything then we can have our shockers like Wednesday with three straight losses. It is tough to take but we have to refocus on the next event in Sweden now."

Robertson admits their round robin form is a concern but is remarkably level headed about it.

"He is quite calm compared to other skippers and he never really gets angry," says Ellingham.

Robertson has also learned the value of playing the percentages.

"I still get hassled about being too aggressive - especially by my team-mates - but we have definitely toned it down. It is mainly in the pre-starts where you can get caught up trying to nail the guy and instead it can go bad for you.

"You have to be 100 per cent certain otherwise generally it is better just to get an even start and look for other options to pass. Here in Korea you can't really win many races at the start but you can definitely lose them."

Having a tour card has enabled them to map their year out, unlike last year when it was hard to plan more than a month in advance. At WMRT events, accommodation and meals are generally taken care of - this week the team stayed in the luxurious Rolling Hills hotel, usually reserved for Hyundai employees that come from across Korea and around the world. But outside those weeks the budget gets tight.

"We are still crashing on couches a lot," says Robertson. "Sponsorship is really hard to get and we just scrape by."

The team went to Chicago for a training camp earlier this year, staying at the apartment of a mutual friend. There was one couch, two airbeds (one had a steady leak) and Robertson slept in a hammock suspended above the kitchen sink.

It was even worse in the early days. The nadir came when six of them shared a four-bed dormitory in a backpackers in Slovenia, located in the red light district.

"We have been through a lot and, as they say, it definitely makes us stronger," says Robertson. "The belief and the desire are there and now we have to go out and show it."

Michael Burgess is at the Korea Match Cup with the assistance of the WMRT.