1525 Hours
Ian Williams has won the 2019 Argo Group Gold Cup for the King Edward VII Gold Cup trophy with a 3-1 win over Johnie Berntsson of Sweden.
On the run to the finish of Race 4 it looked like Berntsson was going to even the score. But Williams, to the right of Berntsson on the run, found a streak of wind and closed up a huge deficit.
For Williams it is his second victory in the Argo Group Gold Cup, joining the title he won in 2006. For Berntsson, it his is second consecutive runner-up finish.
Williams and crew win $30,000 and Berntsson’s crew wins $15,000.
1450 Hours
Ian Williams has moved to match point in the final of the Argo Group Gold Cup after winning Race 3. Unlike the first two races there were no lead changes in this one, just a solid performance from Williams and crew in streaky conditions.
In the petit final, Harry Price scored a 2-1 victory over Lucy Macgregor to place third overall. Price mastered the patchy conditions in the race to sail away from Macgregor and crew. Price and his Down Under Racing Team win $12,000 for third place and Macgregor and crew win $11,000 for fourth place.
1415 Hours
Johnie Berntsson evened the final of the Argo Group Gold Cup at 1-1 after scoring a big win over Ian Williams in Match 2. The match was close halfway up the fisrt windward leg but then Berntsson was able to get across Williams in a close port-starboard crossing and sailed away for the comfortable win. The winner of the match will be the first to score 3 points.
Lucy Macgregor also evened up the petite final at 1-1 with a comfortable win over Harry Price. The winner of the next race will place third overall and the loser will place fourth overall.
1335 Hours
Ian Williams and crew have opened a 1-0 lead over Johnie Berntsson in the final. With the wind blowing out of the southeast between 5 and 8 knots, Williams overtook Berntsson twice to win the first race.
Berntsson led off the start line and held a comfortable lead going into the windward mark but sailed into a windless patch which allowed Williams to catch up and overtake. Berntsson passed Williams on the first run, to windward in a puff, but when they jibed to starboard Williams returned the favor and led around the leeward gate. On the second upwind leg Williams found more luck picking the streaks of wind and held on until the finish. The winner will be the first to score 3 points.
In the petite final, Harry Price took a 1-0 lead over Lucy Macgregor. Their match, too, was beset by windless holes and streaky puffs. The winner will be the first to score 2 points.
1200 Hours
The finial of the 69th Argo Group Gold Cup will pit Ian Williams of the U.K. versus Johnie Berntsson of Sweden. Each skipper completed their semifinal matches, 3-0, over Lucy Macgregor and Harrison Price, respectively.
The final pits two past champions of the Argo Group Gold Cup. Berntsson won in 2008 and ’14 and finished runner-up in 2018, ’12 and ‘11. In fact, this is Berntsson’s fifth consecutive final since 2011 (he didn’t race 2013 or ’15). Williams has made the final only once, when he won in 2006. This year the pair has squared off only once, with Williams coming out on top in the second day of the initial round robin.
The winner will be the first to score 3 points.
The petit final pits Price against Macgregor, with the winner the first to score 2 points. The petit final and final won’t start before 1300 hours.
0925 Hours
Good morning and welcome to the fifth and final day of the 69th Argo Group Gold Cup.
Today’s schedule calls for the completion of the semifinal round this morning followed by the final and the petite final in the afternoon. In between, the RenRe Junior Gold Cup will hold its final race on Hamilton Harbour after racing on Great Sound all week.
Ian Williams and Johnie Berntsson lead their semifinal matches, 2-0, against Lucy Macgregor and Harry Price, respectively. Williams and Berntsson need one more win each to advance to the final round. Conversely, Macgregor and Price have to run off three straight wins to make the final.
As luck would have it, after four splendid days of racing the wind today is light and wispy from the east, less than 5 knots with large patches of calm on the harbour. The Bermuda Weather Service is forecasting the wind to fill today and veer to the southeast, it’s just a matter of when.
Be sure to check back for updates and visit our photo galleries for stunning images of the racing.