Chris Poole is putting together the kind of run that other match racing skippers dread, and a Kiwi has been left to rue it twice over.
The American and his Riptide Racing crew have won back-to-back USA Grand Slam events, backing up victory at the Oakcliff International with the Thompson Cup just days later. Both regattas were sailed in Swedish Match 40s on Oyster Bay, waters Poole knows better than most.
He opened the run at Oakcliff Sailing Center from 27-30 August. Sailing with George Holt, Savannah Taylor, Florian Trüb and Leo Vasiliev, Poole topped the opening stages before working through the knockout rounds and beating New Zealand's Josh Hyde 3-2 in the final.
Poole barely had time to unpack. Within days he was back at his home club, Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, for the Thompson Cup. This time his crew was George Holt, Florian Trüb, Cameron Silvers and Leo Vasiliev, and once again they reached the final. This time the opponent was Sweden's Oscar Engström in a tight championship match, and once again Poole came out on top to complete the double.
The two regattas form part of the USA Grand Slam series, which draws many of the world's top match racing teams and offers the series winner an invitation to the Congressional Cup. Despite Poole's pair of event wins, it was Hyde who took the overall 2026 Grand Slam title, having fronted up to all four legs, Chicago, Detroit, Oakcliff and Seawanhaka, and finishing on 235 points. With only a sailor's best three results counting towards the overall standings, it was Hyde's consistency across the full series, rather than any single result, that got him over the line.
Poole's form in Oyster Bay follows his win at GKSS Match Cup Sweden in July, where Riptide Racing beat Engström in the final to reclaim the Marstrand title.
Riptide Racing will now turn its attention to the Bermuda Gold Cup, the next stop on the World Match Racing Tour, where Poole and his crew will look to keep the momentum going.
2026 Oakcliff International – Final Results 1. Chris Poole (USA) 2. Josh Hyde (NZL) 3. Marcello Torre (AUS) 4. Peter Holz (USA) 5. William Stratton (USA) 6. Tom Picot (AUS) 7. Oscar Engström (SWE) 8. Alexander Heinzemann (CAN) 9. Christian Prendergast (USA) 10. Sam Scott (NZL)
2026 Thompson Cup – Final Results 1. Chris Poole (USA) 2. Oscar Engström (SWE) 3. Marcello Torre (AUS) 4. Josh Hyde (NZL) 5. Sam Scott (NZL) 6. Christian Prendergast (USA) 7. Cormac Murphy (USA) 8. Freddie Parkin (USA) 9. Tom Picot (AUS) 10. Alexander Heinzemann (CAN)
2026 USA Grand Slam Series – Overall Standings 1. Josh Hyde (NZL) 2. Chris Poole (USA) 3. Christian Prendergast (USA) 4. Marcello Torre (AUS) 5. Tom Picot (AUS) 6. Oscar Engström (SWE) 7. Peter Holz (USA) 8. William Stratton (USA) 9. Alexander Heinzemann (CAN) 10. Harrison Strom (USA) 11. Sam Scott (NZL) 12. Ryan Seago (USA) 13. Cormac Murphy (USA) 14. Theo Westerlind (SWE) 15. Freddie Parkin (USA) 16. James Pinder (GBR) 17. Molly Carapiet (USA) 18. Noah Robitshek (USA)
