LONG BEACH, Calif. (May 2, 2026) – The stage is set for a thrilling finale at the 61st Congressional Cup as the final four teams were confirmed today on the penultimate day of racing in Long Beach, CA. After the completion of the double round robin qualifying series, Cole Tapper and his Kairos Racing team from Sydney, Australia secured the last remaining semi-final berth to join USA’s Chris Poole, Sweden’s Johnie Berntsson, and Switzerland’s Eric Monnin in the championship event’s knockout stage.
By day’s end, the semi-finals were already delivering high drama, with USA’s Chris Poole/Riptide Racing taking a commanding 2-0 lead over Tapper, while Berntsson also surged ahead 2-0 against Monnin, leaving both trailing teams facing must-win races tomorrow.
With three past Congressional Cup champions already guaranteed their places in the semi-finals after yesterday’s results, all eyes were on the battle for the fourth and final spot. Tapper entered the day needing victories in his last two round robin matches but suffered two defeats, opening the door for Denmark’s Jeppe Borch.
Borch responded brilliantly by defeating defending champion Monnin, leaving himself one win away from forcing a tie with Tapper on ten victories. But French skipper Aurélien Pierroz produced a decisive performance to deny Borch in the final race, sealing Tapper’s passage to the semis.
As overall winner of the qualifying series, Poole earned the right to choose his semi-final opponent and selected Tapper, leaving Monnin to face Berntsson in the second pairing.
Principal Race Officer Randy Smith then launched the opening semi-final races in ideal afternoon sea-breeze conditions. Berntsson struck first against Monnin before extending his lead in race two after the Swiss team suffered a costly spinnaker issue at the leeward gate, ending their challenge and handing Berntsson a dominant advantage.
“It was a hard race and we had to push hard,” said Berntsson. “We had a tough tacking duel with Eric and managed to force a penalty before their spinnaker problem. From there, it was fortunately our race to win.”
In the second semi-final, Poole showed why he topped the qualifying stages, taking the opening match before capitalizing on a careless spinnaker drop from Tapper in race two to move within one win of the final.
With both semi-finals now poised at 2-0, the pressure is all on Tapper and Monnin. Each team must win two straight races tomorrow to force deciding matches against two of the most accomplished skippers in Congressional Cup history.
Semi-final racing resumes tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. local time at Belmont Pier to be followed by the petit-final and final. All competing teams will also feature in a separate fleet race and parade of sail. Spectator viewing is free at the Congressional Cup Stadium.
For more information, visit www.thecongressionalcup.com and www.wmrt.com.
Boating New Zealand Insert
Poole finishes round robin unbeaten as semi-finals begin at the 61st Congressional Cup
Long Beach Yacht Club • April 29 – May 3, 2026
Chris Poole completed Round Robin 2 without dropping a match, defeating Aurélien Pierroz and Johnie Berntsson in flights 17 and 18 to finish the double round robin with a commanding 17–1 record. The American skipper’s sole defeat across 18 races came against Berntsson in the opening flight of Round Robin 1.
The day’s most significant result for the semi-final race came when Berntsson beat Cole Tapper in flight 17. That result left Tapper vulnerable, and a subsequent loss to Ian Garreta in flight 18 meant Australia’s Tapper ended the round robin 0–2 on the day. However, Denmark’s Jeppe Borch, who needed Tapper to drop points, could only manage a 1–1 record himself, beating Monnin before falling to Pierroz. Tapper advances to the semi-finals in fourth place, with Borch ending the regatta’s qualifying stage at 9–9.
Garreta’s win over Tapper was a rare bright spot for the French sailor, who along with compatriot Pierroz finished the round robin at the foot of the standings. Eric Monnin recovered from a flight 17 loss to Borch with a win over Scotty Dickson to secure second place overall.
Racing then moved into the semi-finals, with both matches suspended after two races apiece. Berntsson leads Monnin 2–0 in Semi-Final 1, while Poole holds the same advantage over Tapper in Semi-Final 2.
| Sailor | W | L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Poole USA | 2 | 0 | 100% |
| Eric Monnin SUI | 1 | 1 | 50% |
| Johnie Berntsson SWE | 1 | 1 | 50% |
| Jeppe Borch DEN | 1 | 1 | 50% |
| Scotty Dickson USA | 1 | 1 | 50% |
| Christian Prendergast USA | 1 | 1 | 50% |
| Oscar Engström SWE | 1 | 1 | 50% |
| Aurélien Pierroz FRA | 1 | 1 | 50% |
| Ian Garreta FRA | 1 | 1 | 50% |
| Cole Tapper AUS | 0 | 2 | 0% |
Final standings after Round Robin 2
Chris Poole leads the overall standings with a 17–1 record, the most dominant performance in the round robin stage. Monnin, Berntsson and Tapper qualify for the semi-finals in second, third and fourth respectively. Borch finishes fifth at 9–9, one win short of the final four.
| # | Sailor | W | L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Poole USA | 17 | 1 | 94% |
| 2 | Eric Monnin SUI | 14 | 4 | 78% |
| 3 | Johnie Berntsson SWE | 12 | 6 | 67% |
| 4 | Cole Tapper AUS | 10 | 8 | 56% |
| 5 | Jeppe Borch DEN | 9 | 9 | 50% |
| 6 | Scotty Dickson USA | 6 | 12 | 33% |
| 6 | Christian Prendergast USA | 6 | 12 | 33% |
| 6 | Oscar Engström SWE | 6 | 12 | 33% |
| 9 | Aurélien Pierroz FRA | 5 | 13 | 28% |
| 9 | Ian Garreta FRA | 5 | 13 | 28% |
Semi-finals — in progress
Both semi-finals are suspended after two races with racing yet to resume. Berntsson holds a 2–0 lead over Monnin in Semi-Final 1, while Poole leads Tapper by the same margin in Semi-Final 2. First to three wins advances to the final.
Semi-Final 1
| Sailor | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnie Berntsson SWE | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 |
| Eric Monnin SUI | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 |
Semi-Final 2
| Sailor | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Poole USA | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 |
| Cole Tapper AUS | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 |
Round Robin 2 & Semi-final results • Source: MatchRacingResults.com
About Long Beach Yacht Club
Established in 1929, Long Beach Yacht Club is recognized as a leading organization in the international yachting community for its commitment to excellence in yacht racing and innovation in race management. In addition to hosting the Congressional Cup and numerous other local, national and international yachting events, the Club’s member families enjoy a year-round calendar of social, yachting and junior activities at its beautiful clubhouse on the shore of Alamitos Bay. www.lbyc.org
About World Match Racing Tour
Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) promotes the sport of match racing around the world and is the longest running global professional series in the sport of sailing. The WMRT is awarded ‘Special Event’ status by the sport’s world governing body –World Sailing – and the winner of the WMRT each year is crowned World Sailing Match Racing World Champion. Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have awarded over USD24million in prize money to sailors which has helped to contribute to the career pathway of many of today’s professional sailors. www.wmrt.com
