WMRT: Bermuda Gold Cup unveils expanded 12-skipper field and new FarEast 28R fleet

The regatta runs 13-18 October and will be the penultimate stage of the 2026 World Match Racing Tour before the Tour final in Saudi Arabia in November.

This year’s Bermuda Gold Cup will bring the world’s leading men’s and women’s match racing sailors together in a single combined event, with the Open field expanding to 12 invited skippers, up from eight in previous years. Eleven berths are now confirmed from six countries, with the twelfth and final place reserved for the winner of the Oakcliff International from 27-30 August, also an official Grade 2 stage of the World Match Racing Tour.

Confirmed field for the 2026 Bermuda Gold Cup

1. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) — defending champion, World Sailing (WS) Open Ranking No. 3
2. Chris Poole (USA) — WS Open Ranking No. 1
3. Eric Monnin (SUI) — WS Open Ranking No. 4
4. Christian Hamilton (GBR) — WS Open Ranking No. 5
5. Oscar Engström (SWE) — WS Open Ranking No. 6
6. Aurélien Pierroz (FRA) — WS Open Ranking No. 9
7. Jeppe Borch (DEN) — WS Open Ranking No. 13
8. Anna Östling (SWE) — WS Open Ranking No. 70 / WS Women’s Ranking No. 2
9. Pauline Courtois (FRA) — WS Open Ranking No. 19 / WS Women’s Ranking No. 1
10. Martina Carlsson (SWE) — WS Open Ranking No. 53 / WS Women’s Ranking No. 5
11. Allie Blecher (USA) — WS Open Ranking No. 344 / WS Women’s Ranking No. 9
12. TBC Winner of Oakcliff International 2026

World Sailing rankings at 1 July 2026

Sweden’s Johnie Berntsson returns to Hamilton Harbour as the three-time defending champion, chasing an unprecedented fourth straight Gold Cup after sweeping Great Britain’s Ian Williams 3-0 in last October’s final. The result completed the first Bermuda Gold Cup hat-trick since the event adopted its modern format in 1985 and moved Berntsson to five career victories, second only to Sir Russell Coutts’ record of seven.

Berntsson is joined at the top of the world rankings by USA’s Chris Poole and Switzerland’s Eric Monnin, both top-four finishers in Bermuda last year, while Sweden’s Anna Östling — the reigning Aspen Bermuda Women’s champion — headlines alongside defending Women’s World Match Racing Tour champion Pauline Courtois from France, Sweden’s Martina Carlsson and USA’s Allie Blecher as four of the sport’s leading women’s match racing skippers.

New Fareast 28R fleet arrives ahead of the Bermuda Gold Cup

The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club has also taken delivery this year of a brand new fleet of eight FarEast 28R match racing keelboats, which will be used for the 2026 Bermuda Gold Cup and for racing at the Club going forward. The Fareast 28R, designed by Simonis Voogd Yacht Design, is a popular match racing boat raced at several events on the World Match Racing Tour. The new boats are currently undergoing commissioning in Bermuda ahead of October’s event.

For more information, www.bermudagoldcup.com and www.wmrt.com and follow us on social media channels at @worldmatchracingtour

Text and images courtesy of WMRT.com.