Argo Group Gold Cup - Strong opposition for Berntsson

10:01 PM Wed 5 Aug 2009 GMT

'Sebastien Col luffls too close to Adam Minoprio (7) and gets a penalty. Minoprio beat Col in their quarter final match in the King Edward VII Gold Cup presented by Argo Group 3-1 and moves int the semis.' Talbot Wilson Click Here to view large photo

Argo Group Gold Cup - Johnie Berntsson (SWE) will return to Bermuda October 6th to defend his 2008 title.

He will be sailing to put his name on the King Edward VII Gold Cup Trophy for a second time in a row. Three other previous champions also return in 2009, Mathieu Richard (FRA), Ian Williams (GBR) and three-time winner Peter Gilmour (AUS). Match Racing begins October 6th on Hamilton Harbour at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and continues through Sunday October 11th.

Berntsson, who finished sixth in 2007 and first in 2008, commented on his title defence. 'I have a good feeling coming back to Bermuda. It will be a great challenge to defend the Gold Cup knowing the abilities the other teams have. We look forward to racing here again and seeing just how we handle the pressure.'

'We like the match racing arena in the colorful harbour in Hamilton. The historical story about the Gold Cup event that now has lasted for over 100 years is something that the other events on the World Match Racing Tour can't come close to. Not many other sailing events at all and not many other worldwide sports events in general can compare with the Gold Cup tradition.'

'I also think that this tradition makes a positive impact for businesses to join an event like this and be able to have some really good opportunities enjoying sharing the experience together with business partners in a nice environment.'

'The entry list is impressive and almost all the top teams are represented, Berntsson continued, 'This will make the event very interesting and I expect that we will have some really spectacular racing. '

'The other three previous Gold Cup champions have proven their skills in the Bermuda conditions and in the IOD [International One Design] and will all be strong opponents. I think it will all come down to who is having fun and sailing well on the water. These teams have all proved they can win in Bermuda.'

'There are also other good competitors like last year's runner up Adam Minoprio (NZL) and Ben Ainslie (GBR) who was third or the other Swedes Mattias Rahm (SWE) (fourth in 2008) and Bjorn Hansen (SWE) and a lot of others that have the capabilities to win. I think all these teams will make it a tough competition.'

'With such an impressive entry list,' Berntsson concluded, 'it will be interesting to see who will be the winner of the Argo Group Gold Cup and the famous King Edward VII Gold Cup trophy this year. Believe me, we will try our best.'

Twenty-two of the teams for this years event have now been selected and confirmed. They include ten of the top eleven teams on the 2009 World Match Racing Tour (WMRT).

The two other teams will be the winners of the New York Knickerbocker Cup and the Bermuda National Match Racing Championship. Sixteen teams will be eliminated in the first three days of racing leaving the top eight teams to battle for a finals slot and a shot at the $50,000 first place prize. The second through eighth place teams divide the rest of the $100,000 total purse.

Mathieu Richard, sailing for the French Match Racing Team, now ranks first on the Tour and second in the ISAF rankings. He won the King Edward VII Gold Cup Trophy in 2007. Richard placed eighth in 2008 and has a real comeback to make to take first in Bermuda again.

When asked what he would have to do to win again in 2008, Richard said, 'Just try to sail at our best level. If we sail well, we know that we can achieve very good results like in 2006 (2nd) and 2007 (1st). I am the leader [on the World Tour] at this point. But we have felt some frustration at some events by not reaching the finals, and we have not won any event so far. Hopefully, we will win one or two this year, so why not the Argo Group Gold Cup.'

Ian Williams (GBR), sailing for Bahrain Team Pindar, won in 2006 but finished out of the top eight in 2007. In 2008 he had an excellent start but faded to fifth in the end. He is ranked fifth on the tour and second by ISAF.

Peter Gilmour, sailing for YANMAR Racing, has won the most Gold Cups out of all of this year's skippers. He took the coveted cup in 1995, 1997 and 2003 and returns this year after a multi-year absence from Bermuda. Gilmour has returned to the World Tour with a vengeance and now ranks third after winning Match Cup Sweden. His 2009 Tour performance is 3-6-6-1.

The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club hosts the event, the ninth stage of the World Match Racing Tour. Argo Group, international underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products in niche areas of the property and casualty market based in Bermuda, sponsors the Gold Cup for the second year.

Ralph Richardson, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Commodore, speaking for his fellow club members and volunteers said, 'I am pleased that the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club will once again be hosting such an illustrious line-up of skippers and crews this year.

'The 2009 Argo Group Gold Cup promises to be a spectacular event as Bermuda celebrates our 400th anniversary of permanent settlement. We welcome everyone in Bermuda during Argo Group Gold Cup week, both residents and Island visitors are invited to come to Hamilton and enjoy the facilities at the club. Argo Group Gold Cup match racing in Bermuda is truly a spectator sport.'

'The fact that so many top match racing teams choose to sail in Bermuda each year,' Richardson added, 'is a testament to the quality of the event and the great location. We continue the tradition of putting on world class sailing events of which the Argo Group Gold Cup is a key feature on our annual sailing calendar.'

The Argo Group Gold Cup is unique on the WMRT. The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club invites twenty-four teams to compete. In addition to the eight World Match Racing Tour Card holders, two teams are selected from a pair of qualifying events, the Knickerbocker Cup and the Bermuda National Match Race Championship. The remaining fourteen teams are selected by application and invitation from the top international match-racing sailors on the ISAF ranking list.

The extra number of teams compared to other Tour events gives more opportunities for up and coming competitors to take on the world's best, fighting it out for the $100,000 prize purse.

In addition to Argo Group, key sponsors of the Argo Group Gold Cup include The Bermuda Department of Tourism as official host, Guy Carpenter, Renaissance Re and Bacardi. Of note, Renaissance Re will once again sponsor the Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup International Optimist Dinghy regatta sailed in Bermuda's Great Sound and Hamilton Harbour on October 8-11th.

The finals Sunday of the Argo Group Gold Cup will also be the date for Bermuda's second annual Festival of Sail. Activities to celebrate Bermuda's sailing heritage will be offered to all Bermuda and island guests at Barrs Park on October eleventh. The Argo Gold Cup, sailed in Hamilton Harbour just off of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club marina and the Festival of Sail adjacent to the club are open to the public as are all international events at RBYC.

Argo Group Gold Cup website click here

Stage 9 of the World Match Racing Tour

The Argo Group Gold Cup, sailed for the King Edward VII Gold Cup, is now stage 9 of the World Match Racing Tour, the International Sailing Federation match racing world championship. The Bermuda classic is the oldest match racing competition in the world for one-design yachts. The trophy presented to the winning team was originally given at the Tri-Centenary Regatta at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1907 by King Edward VII in commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of the first permanent settlement in America. C. Sherman Hoyt, a renowned American sailor, won the regatta and was presented with this now historic cup.

Through the years Bermuda has won the Cup twenty-one times, the United States seventeen times, New Zealand ten times, Australia five times, the United Kingdom three times, Sweden once and in 2002 Denmark claimed the King Edward VII Gold Cup for the first time. The 2006 winner was Ian Williams (UK) who defeated a fleet including the 2005 winner, Luna Rosa Skipper James Spithill, who in that year had shut out Russell Coutts' incredible string of wins. Mathieu Richard of France became the third consecutive first-time winner of the King Edward VII Gold Cup in 2007. In 2008 the cup went to Sweden's Johnie Berntsson and his Berntsson Racing Team in the final 3-1 victory over Adam Minoprio's Emirates Team New Zealand/BlackMatch Team.

The Argo Group Gold Cup is the ninth out of ten events on the 2009 World Match Racing Tour's World Championship schedule. It is sailed in Hamilton Harbour adjacent to the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. The venue brings world-class match racing close to shore where spectators can easily see the competition.

The twenty-four invited crews include eight official 'World Tour Card' teams and two winners of qualifying events, the Knickerbocker Cup and the Bermuda National Match Race Championship. Teams will be divided into three groups of eight to sail a round robin elimination series Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The leading eight skippers go on to the Quarter and Semi Finals, to be sailed on Friday and Saturday respectively.

The finals take place on Sunday with the top two teams in a 'first to three points' head to head battle and the losing semi finalists in a 'first to two points' Petite Final. Between the second and third races, the course is taken over for the final race of the Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup, which will have been underway simultaneously since Thursday in the Great Sound.

Johnnie Berntsson (5) leading Mathieu Richard in their quarter final match in the King Edward VII Gold Cup presented by Argo Group. Berntsson took the day at 3-1 and moves int the semis. - Talbot Wilson Click Here to view large photo

The King Edward VII Gold Cup was a founding member of the World Match Racing Tour click here

by Talbot Wilson