{"id":292612,"date":"2026-04-30T04:55:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T04:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/292612\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T04:55:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T04:55:10","slug":"poole-dominates-opening-day-of-congressional-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/292612\/","title":{"rendered":"POOLE DOMINATES OPENING DAY OF CONGRESSIONAL CUP"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-16176 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WMRT-LBYC-templates-for-LBYC.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"300\"  data- style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1200px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1200\/300;\"\/><\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 29, 2026) \u2013 The 61st edition of the Congressional Cup hosted by the Long Beach Yacht Club roared to life today as ten of the world\u2019s leading match racing teams clashed in a high-stakes opening day battle for early qualification points. Leading the day, two-time event champion Chris Poole\/Riptide Racing (USA) set the bar finishing undefeated with six straight wins. Defending champion Eric Monnin and his Swiss Match Racing Team also posted a strong performance, finishing the day at five wins and one loss.<\/p>\n<p>With a steady 10-14 knot westerly sea breeze building throughout the afternoon, Long Beach delivered near-perfect racing conditions for the tightly matched Catalina 37 fleet as teams fought hard to put valuable points on the results board. There was no shortage of drama and action with the International Umpires giving out a total of fourteen penalties.<\/p>\n<p>One of the day\u2019s standout showdowns saw Poole pushed by USA\u2019s Christian Prendergast in a close-fought match which Poole was able to maintain the win. 20 yr old Prendergast, sailing in his first Congressional Cup, later secured victory over Denmark\u2019s Jeppe Borch in a nail-biting race featuring multiple lead changes, two penalties, and a finish decided in the final seconds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe field is wide open,\u201d commented Prendergast at the post-race press conference.\u00a0 \u201cThere is a five-way tie on teams with two wins after today; every race is very bow-to stern.\u201d Adding that his father James Prendergast is sailing as part of his crew, Prendergast added \u201cI remember well every time I have been shouted at, now it\u2019s my turn to crack the whip.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fresh off his Ficker Cup victory last weekend, earning him an invite to the Congressional Cup, Long Beach YC\u2019s own Scotty Dickson energized the home crowd by defeating France\u2019s Aur\u00e9lien Pierroz to claim his first win of the regatta. Dickson finished the day on two wins after winning his race against Sweden\u2019s Oscar Engstr\u00f6m.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had a great win at the Ficker Cup,\u201d said Dickson. \u201cOften, you can make small mistakes and still win a race. But at the Congressional Cup, that\u2019s not the case.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>The 61st Congressional Cup runs April 29 through May 3, 2026, featuring the world\u2019s top match racing skippers competing off the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier in Long Beach, California.<\/p>\n<p>Viewing is free for spectators daily from approximately 11:30 a.m. to 5:00p.m., with live broadcast coverage Friday through Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>For more information, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecongressionalcup.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">www.thecongressionalcup.com<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wmrt.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">www.wmrt.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>2026 Congressional Cup Teams<\/p>\n<p>1.\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 CHRIS POOLE, RIPTIDE RACING (World ranking #1)<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crew: Joachim Aschenbrenner, Bernardo Freitas, Mal Parker, Lars-Peter Rosendahl, Harry West<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. \ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddea JOHNIE BERNTSSON, BERNTSSON SAILING TEAM (World ranking #2)<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crew: Martin Krite, Johan B\u00e4ckman, Bjorn Lundgren, Henrik Walderyd, Daniel Wallberg<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa COLE TAPPER, KAIROS RACING (World ranking #3)<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crew: Max Brennan, Jack Frewin, Nathan Guliksen, George Richardson, Hamish Vass, Jordon Reece (coach)<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 IAN GARRETA, MED RACING (World ranking #4)<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crew: Calixte Benoit, Simon Bertheau, Thibaut Demal, Pierre Garreta, Gaulthier Germain, Vicen\u00e7 Girodeau<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5. \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 AUR\u00c9LIEN PIERROZ, MATCH AGAIN BY NET (World ranking #5)<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crew: Paul Dagault, Jules Ducelier, Hugo Feydit, Camille Pfaff, Sebastien Riot<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6. \ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddf0 JEPPE BORCH, BORCH MATCH RACING (World ranking #6)<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crew: Bastian Beach, August de la Cour, Thomas Jorgensen, Matias Rossing, Gustav Wantzin<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 CHRISTIAN PRENDERGAST, A TEAM (World ranking #10)<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crew: Sam Gilmour, Connor Mashlan, Peter Nicholas, James Prendergast, Mark Spearman, Justin Wong<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">8. \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddedERIC MONNIN, SWISS MATCH RACING TEAM (World ranking #11)<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crew: Julien Falxa, Maxime Mesnil, Jean Claude Monnin, Marc Monnin, Ute Monnin Wagner, Cyril Sch\u00fcpbach<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">9. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 Scotty Dickson, Dickson Racing, United States (World ranking #214)<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crew: Danny Bailey, GArret Brown, Jackson Mccoy, Cameron Feves, Matt Whitfield<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">10. \ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddea Oscar Engstr\u0151m, Team LIROS, Sweden (World ranking #8)<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crew: Filip Karlsson, Emil Wolfgang, Zak Merton, Rasmus Alnebeck, Severin Gramm<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">World Sailing Open match racing rankings as at 1 April 2026<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CONTACT<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LBYC Race Office<br \/>Cameron MacLaren: <a href=\"https:\/\/wmrt.com\/poole-dominates-opening-day-of-congressional-cup\/mailto:raceoffice@lbyc.org\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">raceoffice@lbyc.org<\/a><br \/>Instagram: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/lbycconcup\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@lbycconcup<\/a><br \/>Facebook: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CongressionalCup\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@congressionalcup<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">World Match Racing Tour:<br \/>Contact: <a href=\"https:\/\/wmrt.com\/poole-dominates-opening-day-of-congressional-cup\/mailto:media@wmrt.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">media@wmrt.com<\/a><br \/>Instagram: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/worldmatchracingtour\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@worldmatchracingtour<\/a><br \/>Linked In: <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/company\/world-match-racing-tour\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">World Match Racing Tour<\/a><br \/>Facebook: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/worldmatchracingtour\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@worldmatchracingtour<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16190 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Roman_260429_2339_LR.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\"  data- style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2048px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2048\/1365;\"\/>2026 LBYC Congressional Cup, Day 1. Long Beach Yacht Club, Long Beach, CA. April 29, 2026.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16191 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Roman_260429_2924_LR.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\"  data- style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2048px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2048\/1365;\"\/>2026 LBYC Congressional Cup, Day 1. Long Beach Yacht Club, Long Beach, CA. April 29, 2026.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16192 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Roman_260429_2519_LR.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\"  data- style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2048px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2048\/1365;\"\/>2026 LBYC Congressional Cup, Day 1. Long Beach Yacht Club, Long Beach, CA. April 29, 2026.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16193 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Roman_260429_1495_LR.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\"  data- style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2048px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2048\/1365;\"\/>2026 LBYC Congressional Cup, Day 1. Long Beach Yacht Club, Long Beach, CA. April 29, 2026.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16194 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Roman_260429_3051_LR.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\"  data- style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2048px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2048\/1365;\"\/>2026 LBYC Congressional Cup, Day 1. Long Beach Yacht Club, Long Beach, CA. April 29, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>SPONSORS 2026<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-16036 size-large lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Part-3-Congressional-Cup-2026-Sponsors-1-1024x696.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"696\"  data- style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/696;\"\/><\/p>\n<p>ABOUT LONG BEACH YACHT CLUB<br \/>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\u2019s 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<\/p>\n<p>ABOUT WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR<br \/>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 \u2018Special Event\u2019 status by the sport\u2019s world governing body \u2013World Sailing \u2013 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\u2019s professional sailors. www.wmrt.com[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 29, 2026) \u2013 The 61st edition of the Congressional Cup hosted by the Long&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":292613,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[7,124665,89424,124666,124667,124668,124669,4279,89429,89430,131,133,132,89431,124670,124671,124672,124673,124674,89433,89434,89435],"class_list":["post-292612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-california","tag-christopher-weis","tag-cole-tapper","tag-edward-kliem","tag-ficker-cup","tag-garrett-grenauer","tag-henry-day","tag-john-mccarthy","tag-johnie-berntsson","tag-ken-mattfeld","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-long-beach-yacht-club","tag-nicole-breault","tag-patryk-zbroja","tag-sam-rosenbaum","tag-scotty-dickson","tag-theo-westerlind","tag-wmrt","tag-world-match-racing-tour","tag-world-sailing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=292612"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292612\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/292613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=292612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=292612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=292612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}