Competition for the oldest trophy in one-design yachts takes a breather
HAMILTON, Bermuda – The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club announced today that the Argo Group Gold Cup will not be held this year. The decision comes after weeks of discussions between the management of the World Match Racing Tour, the RBYC, and the RBYC’s title sponsor of eight years, Argo Group Limited.
“With Bermuda playing host to the America’s Cup next year, the focus and energy is on that right now. We are looking forward to meeting with Argo Group and its CEO Mark Watson III in the spring of 2017 to plan for upcoming Argo Group Gold Cup Regattas. It’s great to have a partner that is committed to the Gold Cup and sailing in Bermuda,” said Andy Cox, chairman of the Regatta.
The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club has organised the Argo Group Gold Cup for eight out of its thirty one years in the modern format and has long been recognized as a leader in promoting Match Racing, with the Argo Group Gold Cup being one of the highlights on the Match Racing Calendar. Past winners have included Sir Russell Coutts, Jimmy Spithill and Sir Ben Ainslie.
The Kiwi’s BlackMatch team returns to match racing and defeats Swinton’s Black Swan Racing
HAMILTON, Bermuda – Adam Minoprio is a past match racing world champion (2009) but hasn’t sailed a regatta this year. Today he made an emphatic statement in his return to the helm.
Minoprio’s BlackMatch team from New Zealand defeated Keith Swinton’s Black Swan Racing from Australia, 3-2, in the final of the 67th annual Argo Group Gold Cup.
Minoprio and crew Nick Blackmon, Andrew Burgess and Tom Powrie won $35,000 of the $100,000 prize purse. Swinton and crew Ted Hackney, Henry Kernot and Björn Lundgren won $16,000.
HAMILTON, Bermuda – On Saturday, Oct. 10, Argo Group CEO Mark E. Watson, III, took 10 school children from around Bermuda for the ride of their young lives aboard an M32 catamaran.
The children were from the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club’s sailing programmes with the public school system and home school group and included a mix of boys and girls.
Through the Argo Foundation the company also supports local community endeavours such as the Bermuda Sloop Foundation, the Sea Cadets and the Ocean Academy at BIOS, all aimed at giving children an opportunity to learn about sailing. Argo’s core values are based in team work, self assurance and crossing social boundaries, all qualities that Watson, a successful amateur sailor, feels are well represented in sailing.
Adam Minoprio's BlackMatch Racing has won the 67th annual Argo Group Gold Cup. The Kiwi crew defeated Keith Swinton's Black Swan Racing from Australia, 3-2, in a dramatic final.
With a southerly wind blowing around 10 knots the crews were racing the width of Hamilton Harbour. That placed the windward mark under the southern shore and in very shifty winds. No lead was safe coming out of the mark and there were frequent lead changes, including the fourth race when it appeared Minoprio would close the deal. But Swinton rebounded to force the final, winner-take-all race.
Minoprio forced Swinton into a poor start that saw the Aussie jibe to starboard at the boat end as the start gun sounded. Swinton trailed all the way around the course and although it appeared he might have one final chance after rounding the windward mark for the final time, it never materialized.
Minoprio wins $35,000 of the $100,000 prize purse while Swinton earns $17,000. In the petite final, Björn Hansen's Nautiska Racing defeated Taylor Canfield's US One, 2-1.
It's an all antipodean final at the 67th Argo Group Gold Cup featuring Adam Minoprio's BlackMatch Racing from New Zealand and Keith Swinton's Black Swan Racing from Australia. Minoprio defeated Taylor Canfield's US One, 3-2, in a dramatic semifinal, while Swinton downed Björn Hansen's Nautiska Racing, 3-1.
With the score tied 2-2, Minoprio looked on the verge of elimination in Race 5. He was on the course side at the start gun and trailed around the course, by as much as 30 seconds at the second windward mark. But on the run to the finish Minoprio worked the right side of the course (looking upwind) and found a streak of pressure that never reached Canfield on the other side. Minoprio took the gun at the committee boat end of the line, almost two lengths ahead of Canfield.
In the other semifinal match Swinton acted like a pit bull, constantly going at Hansen in the pre-starts to gain the edge off the start line. Swinton won the first race and Hansen evened the score in the second race despite being saddled with a pre-start penalty, which he unloaded at the top of the first beat. But Swinton came back to win the next two and advance to the final. The final is scheduled to start at 1430 ADT.
- UPDATE: 1020 ADT
- Morning Briefing // Oct. 11
- Canfield Leads Four Into Semis
- UPDATE: 1600 ADT
- UPDATE: 1140 ADT
- Morning Briefing // Oct. 10
- Swinton, Steele Into Quarterfinals At Argo Group Gold Cup
- Morning Briefing // Oct. 9
- Repechage Round Underway
- UPDATE: 1410 ADT
- UPDATE: 1155 ADT
- Morning Briefing: Oct. 8
- Blustery Conditions Greet Fleet At Argo Group Gold Cup
- UPDATE: 1315 hours (ADT)
- Hansen finally on site as racing begins today
- Williams Versus Walker First Up At Argo Group Gold Cup
- Argo Group Gold Cup Schedule Unchanged In Wake Of Hurricane
- Youngest World Tour skipper faces new challenge in Bermuda
- The 2015 Argo Group Gold Cup
- Scramble for points at Argo Group Gold Cup
- Argo Group Gold Cup To Feature America’s Cup Flair
- Argo Group Gold Cup Attracts World’s Best Match Racers