A fickle breeze off Hamilton Harbour made for an unpredictable opening day of the Bermuda Gold Cup, with Denmark's Jeppe Borch and Sweden's Oskar Engström sharing top spot after both skippers won five of their six matches.
That tally put the pair a nose ahead of the field at the penultimate stop on the 2026 World Match Racing Tour. Twelve international teams spent the day wrestling with shifting winds and a new fleet of boats that nobody has quite figured out yet.
Borch is back in Bermuda after missing the last two editions, and he made no secret of how scrappy the conditions were.
"The conditions were tricky and the wind shifts were all over the place, so it was anyone's game," said Borch. "We might as well roll some dice here on shore, but it is great to be sailing. I don't think any of the teams here have yet perfected the new boats with the symmetric set ups, so we can all improve this week."
Returning to the event clearly meant something to him.
"It's fantastic to be back here in Bermuda. We had to cancel coming two years ago as I suffered a concussion and we couldn't get here last year, so it's very special for us to be back on the island."
The Fareast 28R has replaced the much-loved International One Design this year, bringing symmetric spinnakers into a regatta long associated with the IOD's distinctive look. Even the tour's most seasoned sailors are still working out how to set the boats up for match racing.
France's Aurélien Pierroz made the most of the unfamiliar gear, winning four of his six races on his Gold Cup debut.
"We're happy with the day and it was a very good start," said Pierroz. "It was our first day with the symmetrical set up, so now we know how to manage it and tomorrow we'll keep on doing our best to win the last matches."
Not everyone saw it that way. Pierroz was sailing with a penalty to clear as American Chris Poole closed in behind him near the finish, and completed a penalty turn under pressure. The umpires ruled it legal and awarded the race to the Frenchman, a decision that left Poole unconvinced.
"We felt that the head of Pierroz's spinnaker was above the gooseneck when he tacked," Poole said, suggesting the umpire signals pointed to a further penalty that was never applied.
Poole still finished the day on three wins and remains firmly in the hunt.
"We're happy with our boat speed and how we're starting, so we're going to keep improving on that and trying to engage less with umpires."
Five-time champion Johnie Berntsson had the roughest start of the fancied runners, dropping his first three matches before clawing back with wins over fellow Swedes Anna Östling and Martina Carlsson, plus France's Tom Picot. He closed the day at 3-3, still alive in his bid for a fourth straight title.
Only the top four after the round robin go straight through to the quarter-finals, so there's plenty still to play for. Eight flights and 32 matches remain before the fleet is cut down, with racing resuming Thursday, 15 October, as the chase for the King Edward VII Gold Cup continues.
Standings after Day 1:
Position | Skipper | Wins 1= | Jeppe Borch (DEN) | 5 1= | Oskar Engström (SWE) | 5 3= | Aurélien Pierroz (FRA) | 4 3= | Christian Hamilton | 4 5= | Chris Poole (USA) | 3 5= | Johnie Berntsson (SWE) | 3 5= | Pauline Courtois (FRA) | 3 8= | Eric Monnin (SUI) | 2 8= | Martina Carlsson (SWE) | 2 8= | Tom Picot | 2 11 | Anna Östling (SWE) | 1 12 | Allie Blecher (USA) | 0.5
