Defending champion Johnie Berntsson from Sweden got the better of a penalty-packed race against USA’s Chris Poole on his way to a flawless second day at the 2025 Bermuda Gold Cup, penultimate stage of the 2025 World Match Racing Tour. Berntsson now shares the lead with Switzerland’s Eric Monnin with six skippers within a point of each other. In the Aspen Bermuda Women’s Match Racing Regatta, it is shaping up to be another epic battle between Sweden’s Anna Östling and defending champion Pauline Courtois from France, who bounced back from a disappointing opening day by winning all three races.
Defending champion Johnie Berntsson soared to the top of the 2025 Bermuda Gold Cup leaderboard after a flawless day in Hamilton Harbour. After a disappointing opening day, in which he won just one race, Berntsson won all four of his races on day two to head the standings alongside Swiss skipper Eric Monnin. Berntsson picked up wins against Ian Garreta/FRA, former match racing world champion Nick Egnot-Johnson/NZL and Great Britain’s Ian Williams, but it was his victory against USA’s Chris Poole that caught the eye with both sailors picking up penalties in a race packed with incident.
After penalties were handed out at the start, Berntsson was delighted to have come out on top of a fierce battle. “It was two penalties each and good, fun racing,” Berntsson said. “In the dial-up at the pre-start, he [Poole] hit our stern and got a penalty. After that he got an overtake, which we thought he might have been given a red flag, but then we got a penalty and one we didn’t agree with the umpire about. We gained after the start, passed him and they came back at the second upwind mark and locked us up. Then we overtook him, did a gybe and he got a penalty.”
From being one of the back markers at the start of the day, Berntsson has passed almost the entire field in the space of four flights. “We saw that the conditions were the same as the other day and we really fought hard at the start today to give our opponents some penalties,” he added.
After just two days, it’s already tight at the top with six sailors within a win of each other at the halfway stage of the double round robin stage. Garetta is one of four sailors alongside Ian Williams, Peter Wickwire and Chris Poole with four wins and he claimed the scalp of 2025 Congressional Cup winner Monnin in his final race of the day. “Eric is always strong in these boats and these conditions,” added Garetta. “We started well, won the start and he picked up a penalty. He got back in front but we made a good choice of the downwind gate and managed to pass him again.”
In the Aspen Bermuda Women’s Match Race, two familiar foes are facing each other at the top of the leaderboard with Sweden’s Anna Östling and France’s Pauline Courtois looking down on their rivals. Östling was a perfect three from three on the second day, with her dramatic run of victories started by a remarkable comeback win over USA’s Nicole Breault.
The US sailor carved out a handsome lead over the Swedish skipper but her failure to capitalise on a dramatic wind shift allowed Östling to reverse her fortunes and produce the unlikeliest of wins. “Last night I was trying to visualise the starts and improving them but we came out in the first race and made a terrible start against Nicole,” Östling said. “But we never give up and that is one of the things we are good at.”
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Monnin & Williams Dominate Gold Cup Opening Day
Pictures Courtesy of Ian Roman/WMRT
IslandStats.com
An incident-packed first day at the 2025 Bermuda Gold Cup featured a collision in the first flight of the day before eight-time match racing world champion Ian Williams shot to the top of the leaderboard with Switzerland’s Eric Monnin. It is also shaping up to be a thrilling Aspen Bermuda Women’s Match Racing Regatta with Sweden’s Anna Östling, Denmark’s Lea Vogelius and USA’s Nicole Breault heading the standings.
The 73rd edition of the iconic Bermuda Gold Cup in Hamilton Harbour started literally with a bang as New Zealands’ Nick Egnot-Johnson collided with Ian Garreta from France in the second race of the opening flight. The day ended with the cream rising to the top as Williams was victorious in all three of his races against Chris Poole, Egnot-Johnson and Garreta.
The British skipper was delighted to be back in Bermuda with his new team sponsored by Pindar by Manuport Logistics and Gladstone’s Long Beach, after a year’s hiatus but admitted it took time to get back into the groove of sailing the IOD (International One Design) yachts.
“The IODs are so much fun to sail and very challenging,” Williams said. “I wouldn’t say we’ve been particularly comfortable in them over the years, but we feel that now we’ve been here over a dozen times, we’re starting to figure it out.”
Despite his strong start to the regatta, Williams knows there is plenty to work on as the regatta progresses. “There is plenty to improve upon as it’s a match racing regatta and what’s good enough on day one is never good enough on day two and certainly not later in the regatta,” he said. “We’ll have a good debrief, work on all those details and come back stronger tomorrow.”
Switzerland’s Monnin was beaten narrowly by defending champion Johnie Berntsson in the final here last year, losing the deciding race in the last 15 metres in a move he described as his “most stupid mistake” of the year.
In the accompanying Aspen Bermuda Women’s Match Racing Tour regatta, three skippers emerged from the opening salvo of matches with three wins apiece, setting up a competitive week: Denmark’s Lea Vogelius, American Nicole Breault, and Sweden’s Anna Östling.
The day’s results featured several significant head-to-head battles:
Vogelius started strongly with wins against defending champion Pauline Courtois (France), Julia Aartsen (The Netherlands), and Breault, before suffering her only defeat to American Lindsey Baab. Breault proved highly competitive, securing victories over Courtois, Denmark’s Kristine Mauritzen, and Baab. Her sole loss came at the hands of Vogelius. Östling rounded out the top trio, claiming wins against Aartsen, Martina Carlsson (Sweden), and Mauritzen. Her only defeat came when Courtois crossed the line ahead of her.
The challenging match-race format promises escalating drama as the fleet moves through the round-robin stage over the coming days.
Monday, October 20, 2025
Penruddocke & Kempe Mixed Day in Windy UK Open
Adriana Penruddocke
IslandStats.com
Bermudian sailors faced extreme conditions at the ILCA UK National Open 5 over the weekend, held at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy. Strong winds limited the competition to a single day of racing, but not before Olympian Adriana Penruddocke claimed a dominant race victory.
Only three races were completed on Day One before racing on Day Two was cancelled entirely, deemed too windy for safe competition.
Competing in the ILCA 6 class, Penruddocke secured an outstanding third-place finish overall, accumulating a total of just 10 points across the three races in a massive fleet of 81 boats.
Her performance was marked by consistent improvement: she finished fifth in the first race, moved up to fourth in the second, and capped the regatta by winning the third and final race outright. This final victory against a deep international field cemented her position on the podium.
Meanwhile, fellow Bermudian sailor Sebastian Kempe faced an eventful and frustrating day in the highly competitive ILCA 7 fleet of 31 boats.
Kempe’s campaign was severely impacted in the very first race when he broke his mast. Despite the equipment failure, the determined sailor managed to get back out on the water.
While he received high scores of 33 points for both the first and second races due to his inability to compete fully, Kempe showed his true ability in the final race. Having replaced his equipment, he finished the third race in a strong fifth place.
His overall score of 77 points placed him 23rd in the ILCA 7 fleet, a testament to his fighting spirit despite the early setback.
Sunday, October 19, 2025
Father-Daughter Duo Crowned Marsha L Trophy Champions
IslandStats.com
The Marsha L Trophy Comet Class Regatta in St. George’s Harbour concluded with a triumphant win for the father and daughter team of Allan and Laila Frith, who were crowned champions after a nail-biting finish.
Six boats took to the water for the series of four races. The final result came down to the wire, with sailors permitted to drop their worst result from the four races.
The Friths secured their victory with a total of five points after applying the drop rule. Their consistency was key, as they claimed two race wins, and two third place finishes
The final standings were incredibly tight at the top of the leaderboard.
Dale Brangman and his crew, Siyon Paynter finished a close second with five points also. Their scorecard showed impressive consistency, with one race win and three second-place finishes, meaning the single-point margin decided the title in the Friths' favour.
Rounding out the podium were Gladwin Lambert and crew Gregory Proctor, who finished third with a total of six points. Their performance included one win, a second, a third, and a fourth-place finish, showcasing the quality of the competition in St. George’s Harbour.
Marsha L Trophy Regatta Final Results
05 Alan Frith & Laila Frith 05 Dale Brangman & Siyon Paynter 06 Gladwin Lambert & Gregory Proctor 14 Lorenzo Lambert & Simon Van De Weg 14 Anthony Smith & Chunhong Gao 14 Gregory Wade & Geno Smith
Saturday, October 18, 2025
Ebbin & Tulane Lead Atlantic Coast Championships
IslandStats.com
Christian Ebbin and his Tulane University Sailing teammates have navigated a strong opening day to emerge as the overnight leaders in the highly competitive Open Atlantic Coast Championship Finals.
Competing in the two-person 420/FJ dinghies, Tulane has established an early advantage over the 18-school fleet, sitting atop the leaderboard with a total of 58 points.
Bermudian sailor Christian Ebbin is a key component of the Green Wave’s effort, helming the Tulane B Division boat.
Ebbin and his crew finished the day in eighth place within their division, accumulating 44 points. Their best finish came in the fourth race, where they crossed the line in fourth place, contributing crucial, low points to the overall team score.
Tulane’s strong overall position is significantly bolstered by the standout performance of their A Division boat, which is currently leading its division with an impressive low score of just 14 points.
The combined performance across both divisions puts Tulane in pole position heading into the final day of racing. The Green Wave will be relying on continued consistency from both Ebbin’s B-Division boat and the leading A-Division crew to secure the overall title.
