On the northern tip of Denmark, where the North Sea meets the Baltic, a white froth of waves marks a battle point between two competing waterways, the Skagerrak and Kattegat straits. A few miles south, just off the coastal town of Frederikshavn, a handful of yachts are locked in their own aquatic duels, like pugilists feinting and dodging in the ring. Umpires in powerboats follow in close attendance, ready to penalise any low blows.

This spectacle is part of the World Match Racing Tour, the most prestigious global series in professional sailing, which pits top sailors against each other in one-on-one races, in identical yachts to ensure a fair contest. The bout at Frederikshavn, the Danish Open, is one of nine international stages that make up the tour.

Although the biggest names in sailing take part, the tour still feels like one of the sport’s best-kept secrets. Indeed, Ian Williams, the current world match-racing champion, is a relative unknown compared with Ben Ainslie, Great Britain’s three-times Olympic gold medallist. The International Sailing Federation voted match-sailing out of Olympic competition in 2000, so Williams never got the chance of glory at Athens or Beijing.

“It was a big blow,” he says. “Unlike some of the other [sailing] classes, match-racing does not have the enthusiasts to promote it. When they dropped the Soling boats that I was sailing, I had to think long and hard about the future.”

He faced a stark choice: either continue his career as a commercial lawyer, or pursue sailing full-time. In 2005, he decided to take a sabbatical, and joined the professional match-racing circuit. Two years later, he was world champion, in a team sponsored by the Scarborough-headquartered printing business Pindar. This year, Team Pindar is again leading the world field.

Victory in Denmark put Williams comfortably ahead of his nearest rival, French sailor Mathieu Richard, who had not made the semi-finals. But Richard beat Williams into second place in St Moritz the following week, meaning this Sunday’s Monsoon Cup final in Malaysia promises a competitive end to the season.

Unlike the America’s Cup, in which the biggest bucks buy the best boats, designers and crews, the tour is proudly egalitarian. Different events employ different boats – testing sailors’ ability to adapt their racing styles. In Frederikshavn, the DS37 race-boats all belonged to members of the Copenhagen-based Royal Danish Yacht Club, and, according to club treasurer Peter Falck, “Each boat was identically prepared so the racing was as fair as possible.” This means that the very best sailors should win in the end.

Success is measured in prestige rather than riches: the top prize in Denmark ($32,000) does not go far when shared among a crew. As Williams explains, “The match racing is important to establish my reputation, but I make most of my earnings from invitations to sail in other competitions.”

Most wealthy yacht owners who are serious about competition seek seasoned match-racing skippers and crew. It is no coincidence that two of Williams’s crew, mainsail specialist Simon Shaw and foresail trimmer Mal Parker, jetted out of the Danish Open to join luxury yachts competing in the annual Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Sardinia the following week.

This kind of luxury sailing is a meeting of business, bling, brawn and technical seamanship. Match racers work as modern-day Ben Hurs, hurling their lavish water-borne chariots around the waves while their on-deck patrons, who count their wealth in telephone numbers, try to score points off each other within their own privileged playground.

Here in Denmark, the rules are quite different. And if – as seems likely – Olympic champion Ainslie joins the full tour next year it should inject a fascinating extra dimension into the competition. Williams agrees: “Ben is a great helm. He has proved that time and again. It will be interesting to see how he settles when working with a team.”

I join Team Pindar before one of their races. There is no barking of orders, no cursing, no raised voices, just endless conversation. When mistakes occur – as they inevitably do – there is no blame or recrimination, just an intensive debrief as the crew strive to eliminate glitches in the system.

There is always scope for improvement in a championship that involves hundreds of short, demanding races, each with hundreds of small triumphs and disasters. Those with the most credits against debits at the end of the season should win. Match racing means playing the long game.

pursuits@ft.com

.............................

The Details

Defending champions Team Pindar compete in the final stage of the World Match Racing Tour – Malaysia’s Monsoon Cup – this weekend. www.worldmatchracingtour.com