Day 2 of racing at the 68th Argo Group Gold Cup could well be a carbon copy of Day 1. The Bermuda Weather Service is forecasting south/southeasterly winds of 12 to 18 knots, which should provide plenty of horsepower for another action-packed day.
Principal Race Officer David Campbell-James’s first order of the day is to complete the Round Robin. Only five flights remain to determine the top four crews who advance to the quarterfinals. Currently that group is led by skippers Taylor Canfield (6-0), Joachim Aschenbrenner (6-2), Johnie Berntsson (5-1) and Lucy MacGregor (5-3).
Once the round robin is complete Campbell-James will begin the Repechage Round for the seven crews who don’t finish in the top four. The hope is to complete up to three flights of the repechage.
Canfield, Aschenbrenner, Berntsson, MacGregor sit atop the standings
HAMILTON, Bermuda (May 8, 2018) - In a day packed with so much action that many skippers' memories were left blurred, Taylor Canfield's USone Sailing Team streaked out to the early lead at the 68th Argo Group Gold Cup.
Canfield and crew Mike Buckley, Victor Diaz de Leon, Erik Shampain and George Peet won all six of their matches and are the only undefeated team remaining at the $100,000 match racing regatta. Close behind are Joachim Aschenbrenner's Team TriFork from Denmark with a 6-2 record. Johnie Berntsson's crew stands third at 5-1 and Lucy MacGregor's crew from the U.K. is fourth with a 5-3 record.
A total of 35 races were completed today as principal race officer David Campbell-James took advantage of the southerly wind blowing between 10 and 15 knots. With the wind blowing across Hamilton Harbour there were shifts of 20 to 30 degrees at times with many puffs. The steady pace of action left many struggling to recall what had transpired during the day.
0920 hours: The first day of racing at the 68th Argo Group Gold Cup is set to get underway with the first attention signal scheduled for 1000 hours (ADT). The Bermuda Weather Service is forecasting southerly winds of 12 to 18 knots, backing to the south/southeast as the day wanes. The race committee hopes to complete at least seven flights of the round robin.
Check back here on the website and the Argo Group Gold Cup Facebook page for regular updates throughout the day.
Flight 1
Marek Stanczyk vs. Sam Gilmour
Ettore Botticini vs. Lucy MacGregor
Torvar Mirksy vs. Nicklas Dackhammar
Johnie Berntsson vs. Chris Poole
Flight 2
MacGregor vs. Mirsky
Taylor Canfield vs. Berntsson
Joachim Aschenbrenner vs. Dackhammar
Botticini vs. Charlie Lalumiere
Flight 3
Berntsson vs. Stanczyk
Lalumiere vs. Mirsky
Aschenbrenner vs. Botticini
Canfield vs. Poole
Flight 4
MacGregor vs. Aschenbrenner
Berntsson vs. Gilmour
Dackhammar vs. Lalumiere
Mirsky vs. Botticini
Flight 5
Stanczyk vs. Canfield
Dackhammar vs. MacGregor
Poole vs. Gilmour
Lalumiere vs. Aschenbrenner
Flight 6
MacGregor vs. Lalumiere
Poole vs. Stanczyk
Gilmour vs. Canfield
Aschenbrenner vs. Mirsky
Flight 7
Lalumiere vs. Poole
Berntsson vs. Aschenbrenner
Dackhammar vs. Botticini
Canfield vs. MacGregor
Flight 8
Poole vs. Dackhammar
Canfield vs. Lalumiere
Aschenbrenner vs. Gilmour
Stanczyk vs. MacGregor
Flight 9
Canfield vs. Aschenbrenner
Gilmour vs. MacGregor
Berntsson vs. Mirsky
Botticini vs. Poole
Flight 10
Lalumiere vs. Stanczyk
Botticini vs. Berntsson
MacGregor vs. Poole
Dackhammar vs. Canfield
Flight 11
Stanczyk vs. Botticini
Gilmour vs. Lalumiere
Mirsky vs. Canfield
Dackhammar vs. Berntsson
Flight 12
MacGregor vs. Berntsson
Aschenbrenner vs. Stanczyk
Gilmour vs. Botticini
Poole vs. Mirsky
Flight 13
Lalumiere vs. Berntsson
Poole vs. Aschenbrenner
Mirsky vs. Stanczyk
Gilmour vs. Dackhammar
Flight 14
Mirsky vs. Gilmour
Stanczyk vs. Dackhammar
Botticini vs. Canfield
Moderate to fresh winds forecast for week of match racing on Hamilton Harbour
HAMILTON, Bermuda (May 7, 2018) - The 68th running of the $100,000 Argo Group Gold Cup commences tomorrow with round robin racing scheduled.
The matches in Flight 1 pit Poland's Marek Stanczyk against Australia's Sam Gilmour, Italy's Ettore Botticini against Women's World Match Racing Champion Lucy MacGregor of the U.K., Australia's Torvar Mirsky versus Sweden's Nicklas Dackhammar and Sweden's Johnie Berntsson against Chris Poole of the U.S.
Other skippers in the field include Joachim Aschenbrenner of Denmark, and Taylor Canfield and Charlie Lalumiere, both of the U.S. They'll take to the water in Flight 2.
The field of 11 crews will sail a round robin with the top four advancing to the Quarterfinal Round. The remaining skippers will sail a Repechage Round with the top four advancing to the Quarterfinals.
MacGregor, Mirsky lead a field that includes three past Gold Cup champions
HAMILTON, Bermuda: Lucy MacGregor and Torvar Mirsky, respectively the reigning Women’s and Open Match Race World Champions, headline a championship field slated for the Argo Group Gold Cup, the most prestigious match race regatta in the world.
Hosted by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, the 68th running of the Argo Group Gold Cup is scheduled May 8-12. Twelve teams will be vying for the $100,000 prize purse, of which $30,000 is earmarked for the champion. First awarded in 1907, the King Edward VII Gold Cup is one of the most coveted trophies in match racing and carries a panache that regularly attracts the world’s best sailors.
This year’s field is no exception. Johnie Berntsson of Sweden is a two-time past champion (2008, ’14) and two-time runner-up (2011, ’12). Taylor Canfield of the U.S. won the Gold Cup in 2012, finished 3rd in 2013 and ’14, and placed 4th in 2015. He comes into the regatta with a hot hand having won the Congressional Cup two weeks ago in Long Beach, Calif.