The 60th sailing of one of the world’s top international sailboat races is taking place April 30-May 4 in Long Beach, CA.
The Congressional Cup – a bold idea when it was created in 1965 with the goal of creating the best sailing match race in the world – is celebrating its Diamond anniversary in 2025. Hosted by the Long Beach Yacht Club, it takes place off the Belmont Pier with up-close free-to-the-public viewing. For those seeking some Congressional Cup nightlife, Bacardi has teamed up with legendary Belmont Shore bar Legends to create special Congressional Cup cocktails.
The star-studded field is comprised of Chris Poole, USA; Johnie Berntsson, SWE; Eric Monnin, SUI; Rocco Attili, ITA; Ian Garreta, FRA; Cole Tapper, AUS; Dave Hood, USA and Björn Hansen, SWE. (Update: the 60th Congressional Cup was won by Switzerland’s Eric Monnin in a fierce battle with Chris Poole.)
Poole, from Westport, CT, has climbed the international match racing rankings, training in Oyster Bay, NY, and competing globally. In 2023, Chris and his Riptide Racing Team made history by winning the 58th Congressional Cup undefeated, with 24 straight race wins.
Berntsson has won the Bermuda Gold Cup four times: 2008, 2014, 2023, and 2024. His 2023 victory was particularly impressive, with a flawless 11-0 record. He has also been a dominant force in the Congressional Cup, winning in 2009.
Monnin is entering his 11th Congressional Cup. He finished third in 2024. His notable victories include the Teamwork Geneva Match Race (2014), Knickerbocker Cup (2014, 2015), Championnat de France Elite (2016), Thompson Cup (2018), CER Match Race Cup (2018), Match Race Germany, and the European Match Racing Championship (2018, 2019, 2022).
Attili is making his second Congressional Cup appearance. He has competed in various European events, winning the Youth Match Racing European Championship in 2019. In 2022, he qualified for the World Match Racing Tour Final in Sydney, Australia, finishing 8th. The following year he secured victories at the Porto Montenegro Match Race and the Italian Match Racing Championship.
Garreta won the EUROSAF Match Racing Open European Championship in both 2023 and 2024. In 2023, they debuted on the World Match Racing Tour, achieving a podium finish. By 2024, his accomplishments propelled him to 4th in the world rankings. Notably, he led the round-robin stage at the 2024 WMRT Final in Shenzhen, ultimately finishing fourth overall. This is his first Congressional Cup.
Tapper earned second place at the 2023 World Sailing Youth Match Racing World Championship and Governor’s Cup and in 2024, claimed the Youth World Championship title and won the Governor’s Cup after a dramatic comeback. Ranked world No. 1 in youth match racing and 13th in open match racing, he has also competed in events like the US Grand Slam and New Zealand Match Racing Championship. In 2024, he was selected as skipper for the Australian Youth America’s Cup Challenge.
Hood has established himself as a prominent figure in the sailing community, particularly within the Long Beach Yacht Club where he has served as Staff Commodore. In 2022, Hood and his team, DH3 Racing, finished 8th on the WMRT and 14th in the ISAF World Sailing match racing rankings, qualifying for the World Finals in Sydney, Australia, where they secured a 9th place finish. In 2023, DH3 Racing finished 3rd at the Oakcliff International. He has been eight-time Club Champion at LBYC, two-time LBYC Yachtsman of the Year and Five-time Class/National Champion in the Catalina 37s.
Hansen is a distinguished Swedish sailor with more than two decades of success in match racing. He has been a dominant force in Match Cup Sweden, winning the prestigious event seven times (2007, 2012-2015, 2021, 2023). In addition to his success in Sweden, he won the NJK Open Spring Cup in Finland in 2023. Later that year, he led the round-robin at the 2023 WMRT final in Shenzhen, China and is considered among the world’s elite sailors. He finished 4th in the 2015 Congressional Cup.
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This article was written by a human and not AI-generated content.
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