LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 30, 2026) – The battle for the coveted Crimson Blazer at the 61st Long Beach Yacht Club Congressional Cup stepped up a pace today with three former champions sitting atop the leaderboard after an intense second day of racing. Two-time Congressional Cup champion Chris Poole (USA) continues to lead the fleet in commanding fashion with 11 wins and just 1 loss, while defending 2025 champion Eric Monnin (SUI) and 2009 winner Johnie Berntsson (SWE) are locked in a fierce tie for second place at 9-3.
A lively afternoon sea breeze delivered another spectacular day of close duels and tactical sailing as ten world-class match racing teams from six nations completed the first round robin stage. Attention now turns to the decisive second round robin, where every point matters in determining the top four teams advancing to this weekend’s semi-finals.
Poole’s perfect opening-day streak came to an end in a marquee showdown with longtime rival Berntsson, who surged to five victories on the day to strengthen his Swedish team’s charge toward the knockout rounds.
“We had a good race with Johnie, but he was just able to get the right side of us and stay ahead,” said Poole. “I don’t care about the losses. I only care about who wins the last race of the regatta.”
Poole also survived one of the most dramatic finishes of the regatta against Swede Oscar Engström, competing in his first Congressional Cup. Trailing with a penalty entering the finish, Poole executed a brilliant last-second maneuver to offset the penalty before gybing across the line for an impressive win. “Things weren’t looking good,” said Poole. “Then we pulled a rabbit out of the hat.”
Meanwhile, Monnin demonstrated why he wears the defending champion’s Crimson Blazer, grinding out four hard-fought comeback victories.
“We had to work hard today, but we’re pleased with our wins,” said Monnin. “We had a tough tacking duel with Scotty Dickson, and against Oscar Engström we had to clear a penalty at the finish with almost no room.”
With only six races remaining for each team in the double round robin, Friday’s final qualifying matches promise high drama as teams battle for a coveted place in Saturday’s semi-finals.
Racing continues tomorrow at Belmont Pier at 11:30 a.m. local time. Following a double round robin between the ten teams, the top four teams will advance to the semi-finals with racing continuing through Sunday. Viewing is free for spectators at the Congressional Cup Stadium at the end of Belmont Pier.
For more information, visit www.thecongressionalcup.com and www.wmrt.com.
2026 Congressional Cup Teams
1. 🇺🇸 CHRIS POOLE, RIPTIDE RACING (World ranking #1)
Crew: Joachim Aschenbrenner, Bernardo Freitas, Mal Parker, Lars-Peter Rosendahl, Harry West
2.🇸🇪 JOHNIE BERNTSSON, BERNTSSON SAILING TEAM (World ranking #2)
Crew: Martin Krite, Johan Bäckman, Bjorn Lundgren, Henrik Walderyd, Daniel Wallberg
3. 🇦🇺 COLE TAPPER, KAIROS RACING (World ranking #3)
Crew: Max Brennan, Jack Frewin, Nathan Guliksen, George Richardson, Hamish Vass, Jordon Reece (coach)
4. 🇫🇷 IAN GARRETA, MED RACING (World ranking #4)
Crew: Calixte Benoit, Simon Bertheau, Thibaut Demal, Pierre Garreta, Gaulthier Germain, Vicenç Girodeau
5. 🇫🇷 AURÉLIEN PIERROZ, MATCH AGAIN BY NET (World ranking #5)
Crew: Paul Dagault, Jules Ducelier, Hugo Feydit, Camille Pfaff, Sebastien Riot
6. 🇩🇰 JEPPE BORCH, BORCH MATCH RACING (World ranking #6)
Crew: Bastian Beach, August de la Cour, Thomas Jorgensen, Matias Rossing, Gustav Wantzin
7. 🇺🇸 CHRISTIAN PRENDERGAST, A TEAM (World ranking #10)
Crew: Sam Gilmour, Connor Mashlan, Peter Nicholas, James Prendergast, Mark Spearman, Justin Wong
8. 🇨🇭ERIC MONNIN, SWISS MATCH RACING TEAM (World ranking #11)
Crew: Julien Falxa, Maxime Mesnil, Jean Claude Monnin, Marc Monnin, Ute Monnin Wagner, Cyril Schüpbach
9. 🇺🇸 Scotty Dickson, Dickson Racing, United States (World ranking #214)
Crew: Danny Bailey, GArret Brown, Jackson Mccoy, Cameron Feves, Matt Whitfield
10. 🇸🇪 Oscar Engstrőm, Team LIROS, Sweden (World ranking #8)
Crew: Filip Karlsson, Emil Wolfgang, Zak Merton, Rasmus Alnebeck, Severin Gramm
World Sailing Open match racing rankings as at 1 April 2026
CONTACT
LBYC Race Office
Cameron MacLaren: raceoffice@lbyc.org
Instagram: @lbycconcup
Facebook: @congressionalcup
World Match Racing Tour:
Contact: media@wmrt.com
Instagram: @worldmatchracingtour
Linked In: World Match Racing Tour
Facebook: @worldmatchracingtour
SPONSORS 2026
ABOUT LONG BEACH YACHT CLUB
Established in 1929, Long Beach Yacht Club is recognized as a leading organization in the international yachting community for its commitment to excellence in yacht racing and innovation in race management. In addition to hosting the Ficker Cup and Congressional Cup and numerous other local, national and international yachting events, the Club’s member families enjoy a year-round calendar of social, yachting and junior activities at its beautiful clubhouse on the shore of Alamitos Bay. www.lbyc.org
ABOUT 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. Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have awarded over USD24million in prize money to sailors which helped to contribute to the career pathway of many of today’s professional sailors. www.wmrt.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]