Day 1 of the 71st Bermuda Gold Cup is in the books with veterans Eric Monnin and his Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team and Johnnie Berntsson’s eponymous crew from Sweden leading their respective groups.
The race committee, led by Principal Race Officer David Campbell-James, reeled off four flights each for Group 1 and 2 for a total of 32 races in light and shifty conditions. The wind direction ranged between 350 degrees and 060 degrees, and the strength mostly ranged between 6 to 9 knots but built slightly stronger for the final races of Group 2 later in the afternoon.
Monnin leads Group 1 with a 3-1 record after posting wins over Taylor Canfield’s (USA) Stars+Stripes Team USA, Nick Egnot-Johnson’s (NZL) KNOTS Racing and Chris Poole’s (USA) Rip Tide Racing. His race against Canfield, the event’s reigning champion, was emblematic of many of today’s races—a back-and-forth affair that came down to the run to the finish.
Aboard Gavin Brady’s (USA) boat, his crew implored him to be more aggressive. Brady is racing the Bermuda Gold Cup for the first time since 2005, after managing three racing programs for private owners over the past 15 years.
Much like Monnin and Canfield in Group 1, Berntsson and Williams had a great match in the last race of Flight 1 in Group 2. Williams forced Berntsson over the line early and had him tucked well astern around the first lap of the two-lap race.
Berntsson, however, used his position to his advantage and gained a split at the leeward gate for the second upwind leg. There he found a shift to the right and sneaked around Williams at the windward mark and then held on down the run to the finish.
In Group 2, Berntsson’s 4-0 record was the only perfect score today and included wins over Ian Williams’ (GBR) Chinaone.Ningbo team, Jeffrey Petersen’s (USA) Golden State Match Racing crew, Brady’s True Blue Racing and Jeppe Borch’s crew from Denmark. Borch and Williams are one win behind, each at 3-1.
It’s no coincidence that four of the top five in the regatta are the most experienced at the Bermuda Gold Cup. Besides Berntsson, Monnin and Williams, Canfield is racing the Gold Cup for the eighth time. Only Borch is the newcomer among the group, sailing for the second time after winning the Jordy Walker Trophy in 2020 when he finished fourth.
Racing resumes Wednesday morning at 0930 ADT. Rights free images for editorial use only may be downloaded at the Bermuda Gold Cup Photoshelterpage. Visit the Bermuda Gold Cup and World Match Racing Tour websites for more information.
