The lineup for the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club’s Bermuda Gold Cup, a World Championship event of the World Match Racing Tour scheduled October 3rd – 7th, is complete with all 16 entrants confirmed.
Fourteen of the 16 teams were revealed in August with three-time defending champion Taylor Canfield, World No. 1-ranked and newly minted U.S. match racing champion Chris Poole, the reigning Open Match Racing World Champion Nick Egnot-Johnson, the reigning Women’s Match Racing World Champion Pauline Courtois, and the reigning Youth Match Racing World Champion Jeffrey Peterson highlighting the list.
The field was recently completed with the addition of Joshua Greenslade, winner of the Bermuda Match Racing National Championship, and Gavin Brady, a past America’s Cup tactician.
Greenslade won the Bermuda championship by defeating Kelsey Durham in mid-August, 3-1.
“It was a light air day,” said the 32-year-old Greenslade. “In the first two races, Kelsey got out in front of us but made a couple of mistakes that we capitalized on. He got away from us in the third race to win that one, and in the fourth race we played the shifts a little better and got in front and took it to the finish. It was a long, hot day and we were able to do just better than him and got the spot.”
Greenslade raced the RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup 2003-06 and the Bermuda Gold Cup in 2013 but hasn’t been match racing much lately as he helps run the youth sailing program at Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. He plans to race with locals Dale Brangman (mainsail trimmer) and Ruiri Brown (headsails trimmer) and Peter Dill (bowman) of Michigan.
“We’ll get out there and see what we can do, hopefully cause some problems for the others,” he said. “You like to think there’s local knowledge in the harbor, but it’s very hit or miss. I just hope the wind’s good are not super weird either way. I hope that I can see something that no one else sees, but I can’t guarantee that.”
The 49-year-old Brady, who finished runner-up in the 2001 Bermuda Gold Cup and last sailed the event in 2005, gained entry through the Oakcliff International, the concluding event of the 2023 US Grand Slam Series (a series of four Grade 2 match race regattas in the U.S.). Brady’s True Blue Racing team lost the final to Poole’s Riptide Racing, but gained the berth because Poole is already entered.
“I’m still passionate about match racing but it’s been hard to fit in,” said Brady, who’s the tactician and organizes the crew for three racing programs. “I’ve spent a lot of time and effort on Maxi 72s, TP52s, Pac 52s, and MOD70s, but little time on my own skills. I thought it was time to hone my skills and it’s been great motivation. I’ve been having a great time doing it.”
The championship trophy for the Bermuda Gold Cup, the King Edward VII Gold Cup, dates to 1907 and is the oldest match racing trophy in the world for a competition involving one-design yachts and is one of the most coveted championships in match racing.
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