71st contest for the venerable King Edward VII Gold Cup set for October
HAMILTON, Bermuda (July 24, 2023) — The 71st running of the Bermuda Gold Cup, hosted by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, will be presented in partnership with the Bermuda Tourism Authority, Oct. 2-7.
Additionally, RenaissanceRe, a Bermuda-based global reinsurance provider, will also sponsor the event as well as the RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup, an invitational event for Optimist sailors scheduled Oct. 4-7.
“We’re very grateful for the support from Bermuda Tourism Authority and RenaissanceRe,” said event chair Jon Corless, a Past Commodore of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. “BTA has long been a supporter of the Gold Cup and RenaissanceRe has sponsored the Junior Gold Cup since its inception in 2002. We’re thrilled to have both regattas up and running again.”
The Bermuda Gold Cup, a World Championship event of the World Match Racing Tour, is one of the world’s most storied match race regattas. The trophy, the King Edward VII Gold Cup, was first awarded by King Edward VII at the 1907 Tri-Centenary Regatta in Virginia.
First raced as a match race regatta in 1937, the King Edward VII Gold Cup is the oldest match racing trophy in the world for competition in one-design yachts and is the only King’s Cup ever to be offered for competition in the United States, which could be won outright.
The winner’s list includes the most prominent names in international sailing, including America’s Cup winners Russell Coutts (the event’s all-time winner with seven championships) of New Zealand and James Spithill of Australia, as well as luminaries such as Ben Ainslie (Great Britain), Taylor Canfield (USA), Chris Dickson (New Zealand), Peter Gilmour (Australia) and Ian Williams (Great Britain).
The names of Bermudian legends such as A.F. “Bert” Darrell, C. Archie Hooper and B.W. “Jordy” Walker also adorn the trophy.
“We are thrilled to support the 2023 Bermuda Gold Cup and the legacy of sport in Bermuda that it represents,” said Hazel Clark, Director of Global Business Development and Partnerships, Bermuda Tourism Authority. “This prestigious regatta showcases sailing at the highest level while highlighting the pristine natural beauty, great sailing conditions, and warm hospitality Bermuda is renowned for. We’re happy to welcome the international sailors back to Bermuda.”
The RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup has helped some sailors forge a path to greater heights. Sailors such as Taylor Canfield of the U.S., Nicklas Dackhammar of Sweden and Bermudians Kelsey Durham and Emily Nagel have raced in the Bermuda Gold Cup or global events such as The Ocean Race after competing in the RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup, helping promote Bermuda on the world stage.
“RenaissanceRe is proud to continue our longstanding sponsorships of the iconic Bermuda Gold Cup and the Junior Gold Cup. We look forward to supporting our junior sailors as they compete and excel on the global stage in the upcoming 18th running,” said Bob Qutub, Chief Financial Officer of RenaissanceRe.
Visit the Bermuda Gold Cup and World Match Racing Tour websites for more information.
For more information on visiting Bermuda, visit Bermuda Tourism
CONTACTS
Nicole Butterworth, Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Sailing Office, sailingoffice@rbyc.bm
Sean McNeill, Bermuda Gold Cup Press Officer, bermudagoldcup@gmail.com
World Match Racing Tour, info@wmrt.com
WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR
Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) promotes the sport of match racing around the world and is the longest running global professional series in the sport of sailing. The WMRT is awarded ‘Special Event’ status by the sport’s world governing body – World Sailing – and the winner of the WMRT each year is crowned World Sailing Match Racing World Champion. Previous champions include Sir Ben Ainslie (GBR), Taylor Canfield (USA), Peter Gilmour (AUS), Magnus Holmberg (SWE), Peter Holmberg (ISV), Adam Minoprio (NZL), Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Bertrand Pace (FRA), Jesper Radich (DEN), Phil Robertson (NZL) and Ian Williams (GBR). Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have awarded over USD23million in prize money to sailors which has helped to contribute to the career pathway of many of today’s professional sailors. www.wmrt.com
