1625 Hours
Ian Williams and Johnie Berntsson have moved to match point in their respective semifinal matches. Williams and Berntsson both blitzed Lucy Macgregor and Harry Price, respectively, in the second flight to open 2-0 scores.
Racing is concluded for the day and the semifinals are scheduled to be concluded tomorrow morning with the final and petite final slated for the afternoon.
HAMILTON, Bermuda (May 9, 2019) — The repechage round of the 69th Argo Group Gold Cup was expected to produce close-quarter racing as eight teams fought for one of four spots in the quarterfinal round. And it delivered.
With a gusty and shifty northeasterly breeze changing headings nearly every second, skippers Chris Poole of the U.S., Lucy Macgregor of the U.K., Ettore Botticini of Italy and Eric Monnin of Switzerland led their crews to the quarterfinals of the $100,000 match racing regatta hosted by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. It is the second consecutive year that Macgregor and Botticini have forged this path to the quarterfinals.
Poole won the round with a 5-2 record and was largely unscathed in his seven races. Macgregor also finished with a 5-2 record but had one half point deducted from her score for a collision in her final match. Botticini and Monnin both advanced after a three-way tiebreaker.
Monnin, the runner-up at the 2014 Argo Group Gold Cup, might’ve summed up all four skippers’ emotions the best. “It would’ve been nice to advance to the quarterfinals after the round robin, it would mean that you’re sailing well,” he said. “But I also think the repechage is good to get extra practice. I think we are much more ready for tomorrow now than if we had been that lucky in the round robin.”
1445 Hours
The repechage round is complete and Chris Poole is the provisional winner with a 5-2 record, followed by Lucy Macgregor (5-2), Ettore Botticini (4-3) and Eric Monnin (4-3).
Nicklas Dackhammar, Maxime Mesnil, Pauline Courtois and Kelsey Durham were eliminated from further racing by placing fifth through eighth, respectively.
Ian Williams, Torvar Mirsky, Harry Price and Johnie Berntsson previously advanced to the quarterfinals after the initial round robin.
The draw for the pairings will be held later today.
HAMILTON, Bermuda (May 8, 2019) — Ian Williams and his Team GAC Pindar crew from the U.K. won the initial round robin stage of the 69th Argo Group Gold Cup and advanced to the Quarterfinal Round as the No. 1 seed.
Williams’s crew posted a 4-1 record today after yesterday’s 5-1 mark to advance with the top score of 9 points from 11 races. After yesterday’s racing Williams said it was important for the crew to advance to get some well needed rest. After today’s tight racing, the day off will be a welcome respite.
“It was close racing all around, I think we were fighting from behind all day long,” said Williams, who won the Argo Group Gold Cup in 2006. “You take the small gains when you can and just keep chipping away. It’s good to have tight racing, especially in the round robin. You can’t win them all but you take the ones you can and keep going forward.”
1545 Hours
Ian Williams and his Team GAC Pindar crew from the U.K. have advanced to the Quarterfinal Round of the 69th Argo Group Gold Cup as the No. 1 seed. They ensured their position after winning a close fought match in Flight 15 against Eric Monnin. The two crews were never separated by more than one boatlength, but Williams always held the upper hand to claim the top seed.
After Williams it would appear that Harry Price and Johnie Berntsson are also poised to advance to the quarterfinals. Each has 7 points from 10 races, with one to sail. Price races Kelsey Durham in Flight 16 and Berntsson races Mirsky in Flight 17. Even if they lose their respective matches, they should be through to the quarters.
The final quarterfinalist will come down to Mirsky or Chris Poole and the advantage would appear to lie with Mirsky. He has 6 points with two races to sail, against Monnin and Berntsson. A win in either race would give him 7 points and move him onto the quarterfinals. If he were to lose both races Poole would be the fourth skipper to advance.
Be sure to view the Results Page for the most current standings and the schedule of flights.