Gold Cup Challenge draws sailing stars

by Nigel West on 29 Aug 2013 The upcoming Argo Group Gold Cup Challenge in Bermuda is likely to be one of the most hotly contested events for match race sailors this year, featuring previous winners of the prestigious King Edward VII Gold Cup, including sailing legend Sir Ben Ainslie, and all of the current skippers on the Alpari World Match Racing Tour.

The Gold Cup has been a Match Racing event since 1937 but was reformatted in 1985 as a professional event. Since then, the trophy has been lifted seven times by four-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts of NZ, twice by four-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Ben Ainslie, and also by the youngest ever America’s Cup winner James Spithill.

The King Edward VII Gold Cup is in fact the oldest match racing trophy in existence for same type yachts, and was first awarded by King Edward himself back in 1907. It was intended to commemorate the 300th anniversary of settlers first establishing themselves in America.

The Gold Cup is seen by many as a road to the next America’s Cup, one of the sport’s most important competitions. It’s also the penultimate event of the WMRT.

Tour Standings

Coming into the competition, Ian Williams (GBR) of team GAC Pindar is leading the World Match Racing table, nine points
ahead of Taylor Canfield (USVI) of USone and Adam Minoprio (NZ) of Team Alpari FX. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) of eWork Sailing Team is in fourth place, just a point behind Canfield and Minoprio. They are all sure to be in pursuit of the King Edward Cup. Williams himself managed victory in this event in 2006, with Canfield claiming the prestigious trophy last year. Both are contesting the top of the ISAF World Match Race Rankings.

By country, the Cup has been won 21 times by Bermuda, 17 times by the United States, 10 times by New Zealand, five times by Australia, and three times by the United Kingdom. Denmark also has a single victory, coming in 2002, thanks to Jesper Radich.

Sir Ben Ainslie’s presence is sure to make the event a special one, with all of the competitors looking to best the most successful Olympic sailor of all time.

Each race will be contested in the International One Design racing sloop, a classic boat used widely in Bermuda. It’s the very first class to ever have been awarded the status of International Classic Yacht, but isn’t known for being a performance craft. It’s slow to accelerate, has a large turning circle, and also requires considerable distance to slow down. This will only serve to make the action more exciting, as competitors have to exert themselves to gain the advantage.

The Argo Group Gold Cup will begin on October 8th, with the finals taking place on the 13th. Hamilton Harbour will be the venue for spectator races.

Nigel West is a keen sailor and blogger, and enjoys following the latest developments in competitive match racing both in UK and across the globe.