At the 60th Long Beach Yacht Club Congressional Cup, Switzerland's Eric Monnin proved Thursday that experience counts for plenty when the stakes rise. The Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team skipper clicked into high gear, sweeping all three of his races in Round Robin 2 to climb into second overall.
"It was tight racing, and a few close calls," Monnin said after his team’s perfect day. "But everything clicked, and that’s a real credit to the crew. There’s a lot of racing still ahead though, so we need to keep the momentum going."
Momentum indeed. Monnin’s 10-2 scoreline puts him hot on the heels of defending champion Chris Poole, whose Riptide Racing team kept a steady hand to remain top of the table at 11-1 (his only defeat coming at the hands of Monnin in RR1). Poole’s composure so far has set the standard, but Monnin’s confidence and familiarity with the Congressional Cup arena suggest the title defence is far from a foregone conclusion.
Behind the two frontrunners, Australia’s Cole Tapper—sailing under the CYCA Youth Sailing Academy banner—and Long Beach local Dave Hood are quietly stacking up good scores. Both started strong in the first round robin and are positioning themselves nicely for a shot at the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Swedish veteran Johnie Berntsson, who had languished in seventh after the first round robin, came out firing. He punched in three straight wins to start the second round robin and vaulted himself back into contention. Fellow Swede Björn Hansen, always a tough customer, remains steady in fifth after grinding through tight matches.
Berntsson reflected on the shift in form: "We’re learning every race. When you don’t get the result despite good decisions, it’s frustrating, but today it came together. There’s still more to improve."
As always at the Congressional Cup, there’s no hiding. The double round robin format leaves no room for off days, and with only four semifinal slots available, every win and loss carries weight. Poole is still the man to catch, but Monnin’s flawless Thursday, Tapper’s consistency, and Berntsson’s resurgence have tightened the pack considerably.
With more racing ahead and the leaderboard compressing, the push for the Congressional Cup Crimson Blazer is about to get even more intense.
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I check-in with Tudor Team Alinghi’s director for technical and sailing, New Zealand America’s Cup veteran Dave Endean – the man in charge of making sure that in AC38 the Swiss syndicate improves on its somewhat lacklustre performance in the last Cup in Barcelona.
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