Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo 2023 S600 LEADERBOARD

Match Racing Veterans to meet again in Finals of Bermuda Gold Cup

by World Match Racing Tour 3 Nov 05:18 UTC 29 October - 3 November 2024
Bermuda Gold Cup Day 4 © Ian Roman / WMRT

Match racing veterans Eric Monnin from Switzerland (Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team) and Sweden's Johnie Berntsson (Berntsson Sailing Team) will meet again in Sunday's final at the 72nd Bermuda Gold Cup after winning their respective semi-final matches on Hamilton Harbour yesterday against USA's Chris Poole and New Zealand's Nick Egnot-Johnson.

Light airs proved challenging for the four semi-finalists at the Bermuda Gold Cup yesterday as the two semi-final pairs battled shifty conditions to keep pace in the heavier IOD race boats.

Experience prevailed, however, from defending 2023 Gold Cup winner, Johnie Berntsson form Sweden, and match racing veteran Eric Monnin from Switzerland, as both skippers found critical speed on the course.

Monnin, the only skipper sailing with a five-person crew including Ute Monnin-Wagner, Simon Brügger, Maxime Mesnil and Cyril Schüpbach, was able to win over their semi-final opponent Chris Poole/ Riptide Racing in three straight wins,

"We had very strong starts and also some good luck" commented Monnin. "Once we were in front after the start, we had some moments which we doubted, but the key was not to overreact, and we felt good."

"It was very light air, different to what we have seen the last three days" added a disappointed Poole. "It was quite an adjustment for usa nd Eric [Monnin] sailed very well. They got off the line fast and seemed to find the right shifts which kept us on the back foot."

In the second semi-final, Sweden's Berntsson won the first match against 2022 match racing world champion Nick Egnot-Johnson from New Zealand. Egnot-Johnson was able to equalise 1-1 but Berntsson pushed on to win the next two races straight advancing him to the final with a 3-1 defeat of Egnot-Johnson.

"The breeze changed quickly. Sometimes we couldn't even read what was going to happen to the last second decision at the bottom of the gate, which side we wanted to go, and that was really the deciding outcome of the match." said Egnot-Johnson.

Following the cancellation of today's racing due to light airs, Monnin and Berntsson will now meet in the first-to-three-point final tomorrow Sunday 3 November with racing expected from noon local time in Bermuda.

The two skippers have met before in the Bermuda Gold Cup final ten years ago, which Monnin lost on that occasion. This year, the Swiss team are determined to see their name etched to the famous King Edward VII trophy, atrophy that has eluded them so far, and one that Monnin is particularly keen to add to his impressive match racing career.

Chris Poole and Nick Egnot-Johnson will face off in the petite-final to determine the third podium spot and share of the USD75,000 prize purse.

Visit the Bermuda Gold Cup and World Match Racing Tour websites for more information.

Related Articles

How navigation tech is protecting our seabeds
Seagrass meadows store 10% of the ocean's carbon Just under two years into partnering together and more responsible sailing and seagrass conservation has been put on the map by Clean Sailors, the Ocean Conservation Trust (OCT) and Savvy Navvy. Posted on 21 Nov
ASMFC to meet on 2025 Striped Bass Management
The meeting is in response to the 2024 Stock Assessment Update The Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) will meet on December 16th to consider changes to the 2025 management measures to meet the stock's rebuilding targets. Posted on 19 Nov
Fishing: 11th Hour Muskies
Stalk the biggest muskies of the year Take advantage of the gap between fall and ice fishing season to stalk the biggest muskies of the year. Posted on 19 Nov
Marine Auctions: November Online Auction
Bidding to Open on Friday 22 November and Close on Thursday, 28 November 2024 at 2pm AEST Bidding to Open on Friday 22 November and Close on Thursday, 28 November 2024 at 2pm AEST. Posted on 19 Nov
Fishing: Win Randy Howell's Boat
Randy Howell is once again doing his part to support King's Home With the 2024 bass tournament season now complete, noted pro bass angler Randy Howell is once again doing his part to support King's Home. Posted on 18 Nov
Fifteen years of searching for smalltooth sawfish
NOAA Fisheries scientists have been studying smalltooth sawfish in South Florida since 2009 NOAA Fisheries scientists have traveled to South Florida multiple times a year for 15 years to study smalltooth sawfish. Posted on 17 Nov
Top 10 baits from Toyota Series Championship
The jighead minnow accounted for yet another big win While the infamous jighead minnow proved to be the winning lure for rising star Hayden Marbut at the Toyota Series Championship Presented by Bass Boat Technologies, it was far from the only way to catch bass on Wheeler Lake. Posted on 13 Nov
Contender Boats rolling in new features for 2025
Get ready to fish harder with new innovations on all 2025 Contender models Get ready to fish harder with new innovations on all 2025 Contender models. These exciting updates are geared towards improving functionality, reliability, and overall experience for Contender Boats' 2025 models. Posted on 13 Nov
Nauticstar More Bay Boat coming soon
Big enough to explore, sized to go anywhere Need a bigger bay boat that can still get into the narrows and shallows? Want a larger deck without giving up maneuverability? Posted on 12 Nov
Advanced Weather Integration for Safer Boating
Savvy Navvy's integration of Meteomatics allows boaters to see precise wind speeds and directions Meteomatics, the global leader in weather intelligence, looks at how their data integration supports digital navigation for boaters. Posted on 12 Nov
Maritimo 2023 S600 FOOTERSavvy Navvy 2024