(Long Beach, May 2, 2025) โ€“ The race to the semi-finals at the 60th Long Beach Yacht Club Congressional Cup is going down to the wire. With just two flights remaining in the double round robin stage, four teams are locked in a high-stakes battle for the final semi-final slots with crucial races to count.

Swedenโ€™s Johnie Berntsson, past winner of The Congressional Cup in 2009, surged back into contention today with a standout six wins and just one loss in the second round robin. That run included a crucial win over local favorite Dave Hood, handing Berntsson a key head-to-head advantage and lifting him into a tie for fifth on a 9-7 record alongside fellow Swede Bjรถrn Hansen.

(Left) Swedenโ€™s Bjรถrn Hansen, Hansen Sailing team with crew Johan Bรคckman, Mikael Berg, Nils Bjerkรฅs, Hugo Christensson, and Martin Berntsson. (Right) Swedenโ€™s Johnie Berntsson, Berntsson Sailing Team with crew Fredrick Aurell, Scotty Dickson, Per Frykholm, Pete Nicolas, and Carl-Johan Uckelstam. Photo: Ian Roman / WMRT

โ€œWeโ€™re happy with how the progress is going, and weโ€™re going to build on that to get to the semi-finals, and then from there, weโ€™ll just keep getting better,โ€ commented Berntsson. โ€œBut first, tomorrow, we have two important races. Iโ€™m not sure about the math and how we need to do, or if it depends on the outcome of others, itโ€™s all quite open. And thatโ€™s great in some kind of way, but it means we need to be on our game to win.โ€

Australiaโ€™s Cole Tapper and USAโ€™s Hood are sitting on ten wins and six losses, tied for third and fourth, respectively. But with four skippers separated by a single point and just two races left per team, the fight for the remaining places in the final four remains wide open.

โ€œWe had a really strong start to the regatta, so weโ€™re happy with that. We are chasing more performance, weโ€™re not thinking too much about who weโ€™re racing or the points,โ€ commented Tapper. โ€œWeโ€™re just trying to raise our level every day, and I think weโ€™ve done that for the most part, but weโ€™re still making a few mistakes. So, tomorrow, if we can make fewer mistakes than today, weโ€™ll be happy.โ€

Australiaโ€™s Cole Tapper, CYCA Youth Sailing Academy, with crew Jack Frewin, Max Brennan, Hamish Vass, Nathan Gulliksen, and George Richardson. Photo: Ian Roman/WMRT

Tomorrowโ€™s matches will be make-or-break: Hansen faces Hood, while Berntsson takes on Switzerlandโ€™s Eric Monnin. Monnin, currently second overall, will also race front-runner Chris Poole and Berntsson, all very important races to decide the overall ranking.

The annual Junior Congressional Cup capped off the day in front of the Long Beach Yacht Club, where junior LBYC sailors were paired with Congressional Cup skippers for a lively fleet race in Flying Juniorsโ€”always a highlight of Congressional Cup week. As the juniors battled it out on the water, the clubโ€™s balcony was packed with spectators cheering loudly with the occasional air horn. This yearโ€™s winners are LBYC Junior Sailor Otto Wehner and Pete Nicolas / Berntsson Sailing Team.

Junior Congressional Cup winning team of Otto Wehner and Pete Nicolas / Berntsson Sailing Team. Photo: Ian Roman/WMRT
Congressional Cup, Junior Congressional Cup. LBYC, Long Beach, CA, USA. May 02, 2025.

Tomorrowโ€™s racing will begin with what is left of the semi-finals before the finals match, where the two top teams will battle it out for the coveted Crimson Blazer.

For more information, visit www.thecongressionalcup.com. For news updates from World Match Racing Tour, visit www.wmrt.com.

Follow the action on World Match Racing Tour and Congressional Cup social media channels, with live coverage running through the finals on Sunday, May 4.

RESULTS AFTER DAY THREE

2025 CONGRESSIONAL CUP SKIPPERS

ย 1. Chris Poole / Riptide Racing (USA)
World Ranking: 1
crew: Joachim Aschenbrenner, Ben Lamb, Mal Parker, Rob Scivenor, and Harry West

2. Johnie Berntsson / Berntsson Sailing Team (SWE)
World Ranking: 5
crew: Fredrick Aurell, Scotty Dickson, Per Frykholm, Pete Nicolas, and Carl-Johan Uckelstam

3. Eric Monnin / Capvis Swiss Match Racing (SUI)
World Ranking: 4
crew: Ute Monnin Wagner, Mathieu Renault, Jean-Claude Monnin, Simon Brรผgger, Julien Falxa, Maxime Mesnil

4. Rocco Attili / RBYS Racing (ITA)
World Ranking: 8
crew: Paolo Iacchia, Andres Guerra, Ludovico Mori, Gianluca Perasole, and Aurรฉlien Pierroz

5. Ian Garreta / Med Racing (FRA)
World Ranking: 7
crew: Calixte Benoit, Thibaut Demai, Pierre Garreta, Vicenรง Girodeau, Mathieu Richard, and Gaultier Tallieu

6. Cole Tapper / CYCA (AUS)
World Ranking: 13
crew: Jack Frewin, Max Brennan, Hamish Vass, Nathan Gulliksen, and George Richardson

7. Dave Hood / DH3 Racing (USA)
World Ranking: 30
crew: Ted Hackney, Chris Main, Ricky McGarvie, Steve Natvig, and Chris Steele

8. Bjรถrn Hansen / Hansen Sailing Team (SWE)
World Ranking: 68
crew: Johan Bรคckman, Mikael Berg, Nils Bjerkรฅs, Hugo Christensson, and Martin Berntsson

9. Nicole Breault / Vela Racing (USA)
World Ranking: 23
crew: Allie Blecher, Tony Festa, Dylan Finestone, Sidney Gathrid, Cameron Feves, and Cade Morris

10. Peter Wickwire / Storm Match Racing (CAN)
World Ranking: 9
crew: Dan MacMillan, Steve Flam, Travis Odenbach, Savannah Taylor, James Heyhoe

For more information on the Long Beach Congressional Cup, visitย www.thecongressionalcup.com

For more information on the World Match Racing Tour, visitย www.wmrt.comย and via social media at Facebook and Instagram @wordmatchracingtour, and viaย YouTube