Bermuda Gold Cup er tilbage - bare navnet får en til at trække lidt på smilebåndet – alle sejlere ved at når Royal Bermuda Yacht Club kalder til stævne, så er det azurblåt vand, ofte god luft, og herlige Match Race dyster i en historisk sejlads, der trækker tråde helt tilbage til ’King Edward VII Gold Cup’ trofæet fra 1907. Stævnet blev desværre tvunget til at aflyse sidste år, da sponsorerne manglede - men nu er det hæderkronede Match Race stævne tilbage, og med et stærkere felt end set længe.
Skræmmende felt
16 hold er klar til start på tirsdag, og blandt verdenstoppen finder vi Jeppe Borch fra Roskilde/KDY, som for anden gang skal op mod de andre helt store navne på Bermuda - navne som Taylor Canfield – verdens nummer 1 Chris Poole – den regerende verdensmester i Open Match Race Nick Egnot-Johnson - Ian Williams - Eric Monnin, for blot at nævne enkelte i det mega stærke felt, som også indeholder den fra Skovshoved nykårede vinder af Womens World Match Racing Tour Anna Östling, som sammen med franske Pauline Courtois og Celia Willison fra New Zealand – Willison som for øvrigt også deltog i Skovshoved.
Taylor Canfield og Team ankommer dog noget sent til Bermuda - ja først mandag eftermiddag, da hans Stars+Stribes Team i øjeblikket deltager ved VM i M32 – en noget andet bådtype end der skal sejles i på Bermuda.
Ikoniske både
Der sejles nemlig i noget som kunne minde om fortiden, når vi sammenligner med semi-foilende højhastigheds fartøjer som M32 – på Bermuda handler det om de ikoniske 33 fods IOD (International One Design, red,) - som ’kun’ måler 21 fod i vandlinjen. Den skarpe læser kan her hurtigt se en spids stævn, og med overhæng ud agter for sig, men sejlerne har lært at tøjle disse tunge både, og Match Race dysterne er bestemt ikke mindre skarpe.
Team Borch
Jeppe Borch, som pt. er nummer tre på verdensranglisten har sit faste team med Thor Malthe Andersen, Sebastian Pieters, Gustav Wantzin med i stævnet, hvor de sluttede som nummer fire tilbage i 2020, første gang Borch deltog ved Bermuda Gold Cup.
Mød Jeppe Borch i videoen herunder. Borch & Co. varmede op til Bermuda Gold Cup ved X-Stars meeting i sidste weekend, og se det skræmmende felt nederst i artiklen.
Deltagere ved Bermuda Gold Cup 2023:
- Johnie Berntsson (52, Stenungsund, Sweden) – World No. 8 Open Match Race Rankings, 12th Bermuda Gold Cup (champion 2008, '14, 8th place in 2020)
- Jeppe Borch (25, Copenhagen, Denmark) – World No. 3 Open Match Race Rankings, 3rd place 2019 Youth Match Racing World Championship, second Bermuda Gold Cup (4th place in 2020)
- Taylor Canfield (34, Miami, USA) – World No. 102 Open Match Race Rankings, two-time Open Match Racing World Champion (2013, '20); eighth Bermuda Gold Cup (champion 2012, '18, '20)
- Pauline Courtois (34, Brest, France) – World No. 1 Women's Match Race Rankings, three-time Women's Match Racing World Champion (2021, '22, '23), third Bermuda Gold Cup (16th in 2020)
- Nick Egnot-Johnson (25, Auckland, New Zealand) – World No. 5 Open Match Race Rankings, 2022 Open Match Racing World Champion, first Bermuda Gold Cup
- Peter Holz (30, Chicago, Ill., USA) – World No. 12 Open Match Race Rankings, first Bermuda Gold Cup
- David Hood (Long Beach, Calif., USA) – World No. 55 Open Match Race Rankings, 10th place 2023 Congressional Cup, first Bermuda Gold Cup
- Eric Monnin (47, Immensee, Switzerland) – World No. 4 Open Match Race Rankings, 14th Bermuda Gold Cup (7th place in 2020)
- Anna Östling (39, Lerum, Sweden) – World No. 2 Women's Match Race Rankings, two-time Women's Match Racing World champion (2014, '16), second Bermuda Gold Cup (10th place in2020)
- Jeffrey Peterson (21, Santa Ana, Calif., USA) – World No. 15 Open Match Race Rankings, 2022 Youth Match Racing World Champion, first Bermuda Gold Cup
- Chris Poole (34, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA) – World No. 1 Open Match Race Rankings, seventh Bermuda Gold Cup (7th place in 2020)
- Harry Price (27, Sydney, Australia) – World No. 56 Open Match Race Rankings, second Bermuda Gold Cup (3rd place in 2019)
- Ian Williams (46, Lymington, England) – World No. 78 Open Match Race Rankings, 13th Bermuda Gold Cup, two-time champion (2006, '19, 2nd in 2020), six-time Open Match Racing Worlds champion (2007, '08, '11, '12, '14, '15)
- Celia Willison (25, Auckland, New Zealand) – World No. 3 Women's Match Race Rankings, 4th place 2023 Women's Match Racing World Championship, first Bermuda Gold Cup
- Plus to som 'kvaller' fra Bermuda National Match Racing Championship and the Oakcliff International.
71st BERMUDA GOLD CUP - PRELIMINARY CREW LIST
- Gavin Brady (49, Auckland, New Zealand) – True Blue Racing
Crew: Chris Cullen, Tom Powrie, Dave Sweete - Johnie Berntsson (52, Stenungsund, Sweden) – Berntsson Sailing Team
Crew: Herman Andersson, Bjrn Lundgren, Patrik Sturesson - Jeppe Borch (25, Copenhagen, Denmark) – Borch Racing
Crew: Thor Malthe Andersen, Sebastian Pieters, Gustav Wantzin - Taylor Canfield (34, Miami, USA) – Stars+Stripes Team USA
Crew: Robby Bisi, Mike Buckley, Ian Liberty, Erik Shampain - Pauline Courtois (34, Brest, France) – Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team
Crew: Louis Acker, Clara Bayol, Tha Khelif, Maelenn Lemaitre - Nick Egnot-Johnson (25, Auckland, New Zealand) – KNOTS Racing
Crew: Sam Barnett, Bradley McLaughlin, Zak Merton - Joshua Greenslade (32, Pembroke, Bermuda)
Crew: Dale Brangman, Ruiri Brown, Peter Dill - Peter Holz (30, Chicago, Ill., USA)
Crew: Sam Gilmour, John Hammond, Ellis Tonissi - David Hood (Long Beach, Calif., USA) – DH3 Racing
Crew: Ted Hackney, Ricky McGarvie, Chris Steele - Eric Monnin (47, Immensee, Switzerland) – Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team
Crew: Simon Brgger, Marc Monnin, Ute Monnin-Wagner - Anna Östling (39, Lerum, Sweden) – WINGS
Crew: Annika Carlunger, Anna Holmdahl White, Elisabeth Nilsson, Linna Wennergren - Jeffrey Peterson (21, Santa Ana, Calif., USA) – Golden State Match Racing
Crew: Will Birch-Tomlinson, Daniel Pegg, Tyler Walk - Chris Poole (34, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA) – Riptide Racing
Crew: Joachim Aschenbrenner, Matt Cornwell, Mal Parker, Luke Payne - Harry Price (27, Sydney, Australia) – Down Under Racing
Crew: Taylor Balogh, Julia Lines, Connor Mashlan - Ian Williams (46, Lymington, England) – Chinaone.Ningbo
Crew: Jon Gunderson, Gerard Mitchell, Richard Sydenham - Celia Willison (25, Auckland, New Zealand) – Edge Racing New Zealand
Crew: Alison Kent, Charlotte Porter, Rosie Rowell, Ruby Scholten
