The 61st Congressional Cup got underway on 29 April with ten of the world's top match racing teams gathered at the Long Beach Yacht Club. From the opening race it was evident this year's edition would deliver serious competition. A steady westerly of 10 to 14 knots built through the afternoon, providing the Catalina 37 fleet with near-ideal conditions, while the International Umpires were kept busy issuing fourteen penalties across the day's racing.
World No. 1 Chris Poole of Riptide Racing made an immediate statement, stringing together six consecutive victories to complete Round Robin 1 with a perfect record. The two-time event champion swept through the fleet, defeating Eric Monnin, Oscar Engström, Scotty Dickson, Ian Garreta, Jeppe Borch and Christian Prendergast in succession. Defending champion Monnin and his Swiss Match Racing Team finished close behind on five wins and one loss, that single defeat coming at Poole's hands, leaving them second on 83%.
Sweden's Johnie Berntsson and Australia's Cole Tapper of Kairos Racing share third and fourth positions, each having secured four wins from six races for a 67% record. Berntsson's victories came against Aurélien Pierroz, Christian Prendergast, Oscar Engström and Jeppe Borch, with Garreta and Monnin accounting for his two defeats. Tapper's four wins came over Jeppe Borch, Christian Prendergast, Scotty Dickson and Aurélien Pierroz, with Monnin and Engström handing him his losses.
Five teams are bunched together mid-table at two wins and 33%: Ian Garreta of Med Racing, Jeppe Borch of Borch Match Racing, Oscar Engström of Team LIROS, Christian Prendergast of A Team and Scotty Dickson of Dickson Racing. Aurélien Pierroz of Match Again by Net sits at the foot of the standings with a solitary win, recorded against Prendergast.
| Sailor | W | L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Poole USA | 6 | 0 | 100% |
| Eric Monnin SUI | 5 | 1 | 83% |
| Johnie Berntsson SWE | 4 | 2 | 67% |
| Cole Tapper AUS | 4 | 2 | 67% |
| Ian Garreta FRA | 2 | 4 | 33% |
| Jeppe Borch DEN | 2 | 4 | 33% |
| Oscar Engström SWE | 2 | 4 | 33% |
| Christian Prendergast USA | 2 | 4 | 33% |
| Scotty Dickson USA | 2 | 4 | 33% |
| Aurélien Pierroz FRA | 1 | 5 | 17% |
One of the more compelling contests of the day came when Poole faced 20-year-old Christian Prendergast, a first-time Congressional Cup competitor. The match remained close throughout before Poole held on for the win. Prendergast had his own highlight later in the day, edging past Denmark's Jeppe Borch in a race that featured multiple lead changes, two penalties, and an outcome settled only in the final seconds. Speaking at the post-race press conference, the young American gave a candid assessment of the overall picture. "The field is wide open," he said. "There is a five-way tie on teams with two wins after today; every race is very bow-to stern." He also touched on a personal dimension to his campaign, with his father James Prendergast sailing as part of his crew. "I remember well every time I have been shouted at," he said. "Now it's my turn to crack the whip."
Scotty Dickson arrived at the Congressional Cup on the back of winning the Ficker Cup the previous weekend, a result that earned him his invitation to the event. Racing on home waters as a Long Beach Yacht Club member, Dickson gave the local crowd plenty to cheer about by defeating France's Aurélien Pierroz for his first win of the regatta, then backing it up with a second win over Sweden's Oscar Engström to finish level with the five-way mid-table group. He was direct about what the step up to the Congressional Cup requires. "We had a great win at the Ficker Cup," he said. "Often, you can make small mistakes and still win a race. But at the Congressional Cup, that's not the case."
Racing resumes off Belmont Pier from 11:30 a.m. local time the following day. The format calls for a double round robin among all ten teams, after which the top four will advance to the semi-finals, with the regatta concluding on Sunday, 3 May.
The 61st Congressional Cup runs 29 April through 3 May 2026, with racing conducted off the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier in Long Beach, California. Widely regarded as the granddaddy of modern match racing, the event stands as the premier and longest-running match racing regatta in North America.
The ten-boat fleet draws from across the global rankings. Chris Poole of Riptide Racing (USA), World No. 1, brings two Congressional Cup titles into the week and sails with crew Joachim Aschenbrenner, Bernardo Freitas, Mal Parker, Lars-Peter Rosendahl and Harry West. Johnie Berntsson of the Berntsson Sailing Team (SWE), ranked second in the world, is joined by Martin Krite, Johan Bäckman, Bjorn Lundgren, Henrik Walderyd and Daniel Wallberg. Cole Tapper of Kairos Racing (AUS), World No. 3, sails with Max Brennan, Jack Frewin, Nathan Guliksen, George Richardson and Hamish Vass, with Jordon Reece serving as coach.
Ian Garreta of Med Racing (FRA), ranked fourth in the world, is crewed by Calixte Benoit, Simon Bertheau, Thibaut Demal, Pierre Garreta, Gaulthier Germain and Vicenç Girodeau. Aurélien Pierroz of Match Again by Net (FRA), ranked fifth, sails with Paul Dagault, Jules Ducelier, Hugo Feydit, Camille Pfaff and Sebastien Riot. Jeppe Borch of Borch Match Racing (DEN) holds the sixth world ranking and sails alongside Bastian Beach, August de la Cour, Thomas Jorgensen, Matias Rossing and Gustav Wantzin.
Christian Prendergast of A Team (USA), ranked 10th in the world, is crewed by Sam Gilmour, Connor Mashlan, Peter Nicholas, James Prendergast, Mark Spearman and Justin Wong. Eric Monnin of the Swiss Match Racing Team, ranked 11th, sails with Julien Falxa, Maxime Mesnil, Jean Claude Monnin, Marc Monnin, Ute Monnin Wagner and Cyril Schüpbach. Scotty Dickson of Dickson Racing (USA), ranked 214th in the world, is joined by Danny Bailey, Garret Brown, Jackson Mccoy, Cameron Feves and Matt Whitfield. Oscar Engström of Team LIROS (SWE), World No. 8, rounds out the fleet with Filip Karlsson, Emil Wolfgang, Zak Merton, Rasmus Alnebeck and Severin Gramm. All rankings are as at 1 April 2026.
Long Beach Yacht Club has been a fixture of the international sailing community since its establishment in 1929, recognised for its commitment to excellence in racing and race management. Beyond the Congressional Cup, the club hosts a broad range of local, national and international events, with member families enjoying a full calendar of social, yachting and junior activities at its clubhouse on Alamitos Bay.
The World Match Racing Tour has been the longest-running global professional sailing series of its kind since its founding in 2000. Holding Special Event status with World Sailing, the tour crowns its annual winner as the World Sailing Match Racing World Champion. Since its inception, the tour and its events have distributed over USD24 million in prize money, contributing to the career development of many of today's professional sailors.
