Top seed Ian Williams (England) and GAC Team Pindar cruised into the semi-finals of the $100,000 Argo Group Gold Cup without hardly breaking a sweat.The reigning Alpari World Match Racing Tour champion made it all look so easy en route to a convincing 3-0 shutout win over Adam Minoprio (New Zealand) in his quarter-final series in Hamilton Harbour yesterday.“Obviously we are pleased to make it through the semis and looking forward to tomorrow (today),” Williams said. “I think the key was we won all the starts which meant we could choose and Bill Hardesty (tactician) picked the right side every time and we were able to extend and make it quite comfortable.”Minoprio completed the group stage with an impressive 8-1 record. But the sparkling form the past Tour champion demonstrated earlier in the week seemed to elude him yesterday as he was made to look ordinary against Williams, who coped better than his rival in the light and shifty conditions that forced race officials to alter the racecourse several times and abandon matches.“Adam has been sailing very well, but it didn’t feel like he brought his ‘A’ game today,” Williams said. “But I’m happy with the way we sailed. I think we were really strong.”Perhaps making defeat all the more bitter for Minoprio to swallow was the fact he forfeited the right to have first pick of his quarter-final opponent.As top qualifier out of the round robin matches, the Kiwi should have had first choice of opponent in the quarter-finals. But he was not present when the draw was made, leaving US Virgin Islands skipper Taylor Canfield and Team Chicago Match Race Centre to do the honours instead.After the second and third picks were made, Minoprio was pitted with unchosen 2012 Tour leader Williams who is fresh of victory at last week’s Match Race France.Canfield (US Virgin Islands), who also completed the group stage with an 8-1 record, also advanced to today’s semi- finals after prevailing 3-0 in his quarter final series with David Chapman (Australia).Eric Monnin (Switzerland) and Oklays Corum Sailing Team and Johnie Berntsson (Sweden) and Berntsson Sailing Team claimed the remaining semi-final spots up for grabs.Monnin got past Staffan Lindberg (Finland) 3-1 while past Gold Cup winner Berntsson prevailed by the same margin over second seed and compatriot Bjorn Hansen.Top seed Williams has been pitted against Berntsson while Canfield will face Monnin in today’s semi finals.Today’s schedule will also feature a fifth to eighth place series.The Petite final and final of the 2012 Argo Group Gold Cup will take place tomorrow in Hamilton Harbour.Ceci Wollman currently tops the local Optimist fleet in the Renaissance Re Junior Gold.The promising sailor is sixth overall after seven races, 30 points adrift of leader Douglas Elmes (Ireland).The next highest local sailor is Chase Cooper who is ninth while Mikey Wollmann remains in 11th.Other local sailors in the top 20 include Peter Dill (12th), Campbell Patton (18th) and Benn Smith (19th).The eventual top local sailor in the Junior Gold Cup will be awarded the new Dick Kempe Trophy honouring the memory of the late Royal Bermuda Yacht Club commodore and well -respected international juror.There are 39 sailors competing in the regatta that concludes tomorrow with racing for the Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup 10th Anniversary Trophy in Hamilton Harbour.