Jack Jennings and Arthur Lopes have won the Vintage Gold Cup 2026, securing the wooden Star championship before the final race at Gull Lake, Michigan.
Sailing Tupp, Jennings and Lopes finished on 19 points after one discard, ten clear of Ben Mitchell and Brian Terhaar in second. Jim Buckingham and Brad Nichol took third on 33 points.
The victory completed Jennings’ podium progression across three years: second in 2024, third in 2025, and now first. He becomes the fifth winning skipper since the championship began in 2017, joining Paul Cayard, Eivind Melleby, Lars Grael and Luke Lawrence.
The regatta ran from 30 September to 3 October with 24 entries, slightly lower than the 30 entries in 2025 and 32 in both 2023 and 2024. Eight races were completed, the same number as in 2019, with crews allowed one discard.
Racing opened in a light breeze of roughly four to seven knots, with three different crews sharing the day’s victories. Before Race 3, the wind strengthened and shifted right, prompting the race committee to move the course. Josh Powell and George Szabo edged Jennings and Lopes for second in a photo finish behind Mitchell and Terhaar.
Jennings and Lopes established their position with consistent early results, finishing third, second and third on the opening day before winning Race 4. A second victory in Race 7, the penultimate contest, put the title beyond reach. They recorded six top-three finishes from seven counted races, with a single seventh their only result outside that bracket.
The deciding race began in a southerly of around seven to ten knots. Jennings and Lopes moved ahead soon after the start, extending their advantage as the strength and direction of the breeze changed across Gull Lake. Arthur Anosov and Andriy Shafranyuk followed them home in Zig Zag, with Leif Carlsson and Thomas Karlsson third aboard Sirene.
With the championship secured, Tupp’s crew returned to shore while their rivals prepared for one last start.
By then, the wind was weakening. Ross Macdonald and George Iverson handled the lighter conditions best, winning aboard Pearl II to finish fourth overall. Nick Madigan and Mark Strube finished second in Pink Lady, while Buckingham and Nichol’s third secured the final championship podium place. Mitchell and Terhaar discarded their 12th to retain second overall.
Powell and Szabo finished fifth, one point ahead of Anosov and Shafranyuk. Of note, Anosov has now finished inside the top ten at all nine championships sailed since 2017.
Mark Reynolds, third in the inaugural 2017 event, won Race 2 this year with Rick Peters aboard Mari. Last year’s winning skipper Luke Lawrence returned as crew for Mark Pincus aboard Bacardi, finishing 15th.
For Jennings, two previous podium campaigns had ended just short of the title. This time, he and Lopes settled the championship before the final start.
The programme also included a dinner at the Gilmore Car Museum and a dinner and auction at Gull Lake Marine Center, continuing the event’s blend of sailing and social gatherings.
