Ireland's Tom Higgins, Jamie McMahon, Fiona Ferguson, Xavier McLachlan and Riley Evans from Dun Laoghaire's Royal St. George Yacht Club have finished fifth overall at the Harken International Youth Match Racing Championship in Australia.

In a thrilling final between Ben Tylecote from GBR representing Rutland Sailing Club and Zac West from AUS representing the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, West took the first 2 wins in a best-of-five finals showdown. Tylecote returned with true determination in a neck-and-neck race to take race 3. Race 4 had both teams switching positions, West with a 2-point lead only needed one more race win to take the championship. Every decision counted!

West inched ahead to take the win and the celebrations started!

Both West and Tylecote fought hard throughout today's races, winning by the smallest of margins through their respective Semi-Final matches with straight wins against Frewin from NZL and Kemp from Australia to make it to the final.

Pittwater stayed true to its form, making racing tricky for all competitors with its flicky weather. Competition was close across all teams, with the smallest of errors costing them the win.

Principle Race Officer, Ted Anderson claimed the 29th Harken International Youth Championship as his best event ever, not from just the skill of the teams, the quality of umpires, and his champion team on water but from the comradery and mateship of all involved in the event.

Chief Umpire Richard Slater who umpires America Cup events, Sail GP and advisers many classes on rules stated that "Ümpiring for the Harken Event this week with his fellow umpires has been an absolute joy, all the teams showed exceptional sportsmanship, took on our feedback and rulings without dispute. Truly made it a pleasure to be a part of the event".

2023 Overall Places

10th Place: Hugo Butterworth (AUS)
Bayley Taylor
Walter Tuite
Josh Paulson
Annabelle Sampson

9th Place: Mia Lovelady (AUS) Matilda Rowell
Rosie Rowell
Drina Bucktin
Sophie Townes

8th Place: Rory Sims (NZL)
Ella Arnold
Ethan Fong
Harry McMullen
Sam Scott

7th Place: Richard Rychlik Jr (CAN)
Jack Porter
Cameron Bruce
Rachel Green
Josh Hyde

6th Place: Nicolas Bernal (BRA)
Marcos Arndt
Bruna Patricio
Carolina Witsiers
Gabriel Michaelis

5th Place: Tom Higgins (IRL)
Jamie McMahon
Fiona Ferguson
Xavier McLachlan
Riley Evans

4th Place: Jack Frewin (NZL)
Oliver Gilmour
Oliver Lloyd
Sofia Higgott

3rd Place: Daniel Kemp (AUS)
William Hough
Lachlan Wallace
Charlie Verity
Isabella Holdsworth

2nd Place: Ben Tylecote (GBR) Freya Pembury
Jamie Tylecote
Finian Morris
Terry Hacker

1st Place &
Champions Zac West
Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (AUS) Jameson Prescott
James Hayhoe
Emily Keg
Katina Casimaty

County Waterford sailor Ruari Finnegan will be one of twelve of the world’s best match racing skippers from nine countries who head to the City of Shenzhen, China, next month for the final event of the 2023 World Match Racing Tour from 12-17 December. The winner of the event will be crowned 2023 Match Racing World Champion and take home a share of the USD 200,000 purse.

Finnegan, who is World No. 36 in the Open Match Race rankings, will be crewed by Noah Fisher, Daniel Little and Ryan Fitzgerald.

County Waterford match racer Ruari Finnegan will compete in the final event of the 2023 World Match Racing Tour in Shenzhen, China

The twelve skippers have qualified for the Shenzhen final after counting their best four results from 14 events on the tour since April. Highlighting the line-up is defending match racing world champion Nick Egnot-Johnson/ Knots Racing (NZL), six-time match racing world champion Ian Williams/ Chinaone.Ningbo (GBR), and current leader of the WMRT leader-board Chris Poole/ Riptide Racing (USA). Poole narrowly missed out on the world title last year in Sydney against Egnot-Johnson, but impressively won the tour’s opening event undefeated at the 58th Congressional Cup in April at Long Beach Yacht Club, CA.

The City of Shenzhen, China, is where the final event of the 2023 World Match Racing Tour will be held from 12-17 December

Winning his second Bermuda Gold Cup title last month, also undefeated, 51-year-old Swede Johnie Berntsson is no stranger to the World Match Racing Tour and joins the China line-up alongside fellow Swede and ‘Master of Marstrand’ Björn Hansen. After a break from match racing, Hansen clinched his seventh win of GKSS Match Cup Sweden in Marstrand in July, conveniently sailing the same Far East 28R boats that will be sailed in Shenzhen for the championship final.

Also returning to the Tour this year is 49-year-old Gavin Brady representing his True Blue Racing Team (USA). Brady gained his qualification to the WMRT Final after finishing second at the Oakcliff International in New York, the concluding event of the 2023 US Grand Slam Series, and 7th at the Bermuda Gold Cup. Brady has been busy managing campaigns across Maxi 72’s, TP52’s, Pac 52’s and MOD70s and admits he has found it hard to fit back into the match racing scene, but has his sights firmly set on the title with a reliable Kiwi crew of Dave Swete, Nick Blackman and Tom Powrie.

Completing the line-up is Switzerland’s Eric Monnin/ Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team, currently 3rd on the WMRT leaderboard, Denmark’s Jeppe Borch/ Borch Racing, Estonia’s Mati Sepp/ Clean Energy Racing, Italy’s Rocco Attilli/ RBYC, and Ireland’s Ruari Finnegan/ Craic’n Racing.

New Zealand’s Megan Thomson features as the sole female skipper at this year’s WMRT Final. Fresh from her 2.0 Racing team’s win at the New Zealand Women’s Match Racing National Championship this month, Thomson heads to China with a mixed crew of Leo Takahashi, Nicholas Heiner and Niall Malone.

“We are really looking forward to the WMRT Finals in China" commented Thomson, "It has been a pretty cool season so far, I’ve been lucky enough to sail on both the women’s tour and the open tour this year which has allowed the team to sail in a range of boats and venues, and we hope that experience will give us an advantage in Shenzhen!"

Royal St. George's Tom Higgins will compete this December at the 2023 International Youth Match Racing Championship in Australia.

It has been an action-packed season for the ILCA ace from UCD that saw him compete at the USA's Governor's Cup in July as well as a historic team race win at BUSA in April and last weekend's 75th ITRA title on home waters,

The Harken-sponsored Championship will once again host some of the World’s best youth match racing talent, with competitors travelling from across the world, including UK and Ireland, New Zealand, Canada and Brazil, as well as a strong representation from across Australia.

After receiving over 20 applications from teams to compete, the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in Newport, NSW, had a tough decision to select the final 10 teams. The 2023 lineup sees an exciting mix of developing and experienced Match Racing teams, looking to have their name etched on the Rockin’ Robin Perpetual Trophy.

The 2023 International Youth Match Racing Championship Rockin’ Robin Perpetual Trophy

The 2023 edition sees five skippers taking part in their first event at RPAYC. International entrants include Nicolas Bernal from Santo Amaro Yacht Club in Brazil, Ben Tylecote from Rutland Sailing Club in Great Britain, Jack Frewin from Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Tom Higgins from Royal Saint George Yacht Club in Ireland, and Richard Rychlik Jr from Oakville Yacht Squadron in Canada.

RPAYC’s Senior Head Instructor commented on the lineup of teams for this year's Championship. 'The excitement is building as we look forward to welcoming emerging youth match teams from all over the world to Pittwater. To have 6 different nations, and nine clubs represented is a testament to the global recognition of this world-class event'.

The 2023 lineup sees an exciting mix of developing and experienced Match Racing teams compete int he RPAYC’s fleet of Elliott 7 yachts

Leading the local talent competing this year are two teams from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club. Daniel Kemp finished in 5th position in the 2022 edition of the Youth Match Racing Championship. 'After competing last year, it is awesome for myself and the team to have the opportunity once again to represent our home club RPAYC at this prestigious event – we can not wait for the racing to begin!'.

Hugo Butterworth, also from Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, was a crew member in last year's event, but is now stepping up to lead a team. 'This year’s will be my first Grade 3 event as a Skipper, and the suspense is very intense! As a team, we are super excited about the fierce competition and experience that lies ahead of us'.

Not only will the 2023 Championship attract sailors from across the world, but RPAYC is also thrilled to once again welcome an experienced Race Management and an international cast of Umpires, with club stalwart Ted Anderson returning as Race Officer, and Richard Slater heading up the Umpire team.

The regatta commences with official proceedings on Monday 4th, December, with four days of Match Racing on the RPAYC’s fleet of Elliott 7 yachts from Tuesday 5th to Friday 8th December.

Swedish skipper Johnie Berntsson today won the King Edward VII Gold Cup, the championship trophy of the Bermuda Gold Cup match racing tournament, for the third time since 2008.

Hosted by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, the Bermuda Gold Cup is a World Championship event of the World Match Racing Tour.

The Berntsson Racing Team—including Herman Andersson on tactics, Björn Lundgren on mainsail trim and Patrik Sturesson on headsail trim—finished the regatta with a perfect score of 11-0 and won $25,000 of the $75,000 prize purse.

“I can recall being over the moon the first time I won this trophy. I never thought it would happen. Now it’s happened a third time, and I’m super grateful,” said the 51-year-old Berntsson from Stenungsund, Sweden, a medical IT consultant. “Sailing with Patrik, Herman and Björn, they pushed me all around the course. The tactics were excellent, the trimming was excellent, and it all helped me grow as a helmsman and build our confidence.”

For Berntsson it is the third time that he has won the coveted gold trophy that was first awarded in 1907, having previously captured it in 2008 and ’14. He also finished runner-up four times (2011, ’12, ’18, ’19) and has the second-most finals appearances behind the event’s all-time winner Russell Coutts of New Zealand, who won the trophy seven times between 1990 and 2004 and finished runner-up twice.

“I’m so proud to be part of the history of the King Edward VII Gold Cup,” said Berntsson. “There have been so many great sailors racing and winning here. I’m really proud to be part of that nice, successful group of sailors. It’s very good feelings.”

The King Edward VII Gold Cup dates to 1907 and is the oldest match racing trophy in the world for a competition involving one-design yachts. It is one of the most coveted championships in match racing. The regatta has been run in its current format, as a ladder-style tournament on the confines of Hamilton Harbour, since 1985.

The Berntsson Racing Team won the title as much for their work in the Qualifying Round as for the Knockout Rounds. After two days of racing on Tuesday (Oct. 3) and Wednesday (Oct. 4), which saw the completion of the Qualifying and Quarterfinal rounds, the regatta was postponed Thursday (Oct. 5) and Friday (Oct. 6) due to the passage of Tropical Storm Philippe. Saturday's strong winds of 25 to 35 knots in Hamilton Harbour (below) forced the cancellation of the Semifinal and Final rounds.

Sweden’s WINGS match racing team led by Anna Östling has been x after winning the final stage of the tour at the KDY Women’s Match Race in Skovshoved Harbour.

New Zealand’s Celia Willison/ EDGE Women’s Match finished the world tour season in second place, with New Zealand's Meghan Thomson/ 2.0 Racing in third overall.

Östling and crew of Anna Holmdal, Linnea Wennergren, Annika Carlunger, Jenny Axhede and Marie Grusmark arrived in Denmark this week just one point behind Celia Willison’s EDGE Women’s Match team on the tour leaderboard. Östling had to finish higher than 4th at the event to overtake Willison on points and secure the world tour title.

Using their years of experience sailing the DS37 boats at home in Sweden, WINGS managed to sail a strong regatta with a flawless 3-0 semi-final win over Denmark’s Camilla Ulrikkeholm before going on to defeat Denmark’s Lea Richter Vogelius 3-0 in the final.

2nd place overall - 2023 Women's World Match Racing Tour - EDGE Women's Match Team (from left to right, Fiona Mulcahy, Louise Acker, Alison Kent, Charlotte Porter, Ruby Scholten, Celia Willison) Photo: sailing pics

3rd place overall - 2023 Women's World Match Racing Tour - Megan Thomson (NZL) 2.0 Racing (second from right) pictured from the Normandie Match Cup, Le Havre Photo: Patrick Deroualle

The Governor’s Cup match racing regatta in California, USA, came to an exciting conclusion on its last day with intense competition between skilled sailors. The day began with the continuation of the semi-final races from the previous day and sail-offs for the remaining rankings. All the sail-offs went the full set, making for an exhilarating start to the day.

It was the first year the competition featured an Irish entry since 2010. As regular Afloat readers know, UCD and Royal St. George's Tom Higgins added his name to the list of invitees in 2023 following Ryan Scott's (Howth Yacht Club) involvement over a decade ago.

In the semi-finals, Cole Tapper from Australia won both races against Morgan Pinckney from the USA, while Jeffrey Petersen from the USA did the same against Justin Callahan, also from the USA. Callahan and his crew showed their enthusiasm and competitive spirit by buzzing the media boat following his defeat, and he was excited to continue his rivalry with Morgan Pinckney in the battle for third place. It is worth noting that this was Justin Callahan’s first Governor’s Cup, and he was the only competitor to beat Jeffrey Petersen in this year’s edition.

Balboa Yacht Club Vice Commodore Randy Taylor with Jeffrey Petersen (USA) and his crew, Max Brennan (USA) and Enzo Menditto (USA), with Rear Commodore Brett Hemphill Photo: Tom Walker

In the fight for the championship, Jeffrey Petersen outperformed Cole Tapper in the best-of-three series, winning the first two races. However, the final race proved challenging for both competitors as the breeze dropped to a mere four knots. Tapper started slightly ahead in the first upwind leg, but Petersen was able to create a commanding lead as the leg progressed.

Unfortunately, Petersen hit the weather mark at the end of the first beat, making an unforced error and gaining a penalty. As the downwind leg saw the breeze begin to fill, Petersen was able to clear his penalty on the next upwind. Tapper closed the distance and forced Petersen to sail past the weather mark, ultimately leading him to sail downwind on the port side of the weather mark and not sail the full course. This mistake allowed Petersen to sail the downwind leg without pressure from the Australian team and secure his victory as the champion of the Governor’s Cup sailboat race.

The “Gov Cup '' is the oldest and most prestigious youth match racing event in the world, with alumni of the event believing it to be 'career-changing', going on to win events such as the Congressional Cup, the World Match Racing Tour and even the America's Cup.

The results are as follows:

1st - Jeffrey Petersen (USA)
2nd - Cole Tapper (AUS)
3rd - Morgan Pinckney (USA)
4th - Justin Callahan (USA)
5th - Alexander Colquitt(GBR)
6th - Nicolas Yudji Bernal (BRA)
7th - Marcello Torre (AUS)
8th - Max Paul (AUS)
9th - Josh Hyde(NZL)
10th - Alec Coleman (CAN)
11th - Timothee Rossi (FRA)
12th - Tom Higgins (IRL)

Dun Laoghaire Harbour's National Yacht Club will be hosting a Match Racing Invitational supported by Viking Marine in its fleet of Elliott 6m one-design keelboats on the 27th and 28th of May

Building on the success of the inaugural Student Match Racing Nationals this year and the recent match racing series, NYC is delighted to promote the development of match racing in Ireland and is aiming to host a National Championships later this year.

Full details are outlined in the NOR attached below.

Skippers can submit a Request for Invitation, which must be completed no later than 23:59 Monday 22 May at this link

Dun Laoghaire helmsman Tom Higgins has become the first Irish sailor to receive an invitation to skipper an entry in the prestigious youth Governors' Cup Match Racing Championship event in California.

Royal St George's Higgins is an Ad Astra sports scholar at UCD studying Business and Law.

Governors' Cup organisers made contact with UCD following their win at the Student Match Racing event in April. The invitation is a significant achievement not only for him but also for match racing in Ireland.

As regular Afloat readers know, The Governor’s Cup takes place at Balboa Yacht Club in Newport Beach, California and features six days of intense racing in July. Twelve teams from around the world compete in the specially designed Governors Cup 22 boats.

Racing at the Governors' Cup Match Racing Championship event in California Photo: The Governors' Cup

The “Gov Cup '' is the oldest and most prestigious youth match racing event in the world, with alumni of the event believing it to be 'career-changing', going on to win events such as the Congressional Cup, the World Match Racing Tour and even the America's Cup.

Chris Poole (USA) and Riptide Racing have swept the Long Beach Yacht Club Congressional Match Racing Cup, sailing undefeated in five days of thrilling competition. Jeppe Borch (DEN) finished second, Nick Egnot-Johnson (NZL) third.

The Congressional Cup - a Grade One match race and World Match Racing Tour event, hosted annually by Long Beach Yacht Club since 1965 - wrapped up today in the waters off the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier. Five days of picture-postcard weather; over one hundred rousing, exacting matches; 10 of the world's top-ranked match racing skippers; one victor. The final score: 24-0.

For decades the most talented sailors from around the globe have convened to compete in this prestigious one-design match race regatta. And no one can recall a time in history when any skipper has won every single match until now.

Sailing with Poole, under the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club burgee, were Matt Cornwell, Luke Payne, Malcolm Parker, Bernardo Freitas, and tactician Joachim Aschenbrenner.

Overall placings
1. USA - Chris Poole, Matt Cornwell, Luke Payne, Malcolm Parker, Bernardo Freitas, Joachim Aschenbrenner
2. DEN - Jeppe Borch, Sebastian Pieters, Gustav Wantzin, August La Cour, Matias Rossing, Thor Malthe Andersen
3. NZL - Nick Egnot-Johnson, Alex Higby, Bradley Mclaughlin, Sam Barnett, Alastair Gifford, Zak Merton
4. GBR - Ian Williams, Paul Willcox, Jon Gundersen, Richard Sydenham, Matthew Cassidy, Craig Monk
5. SUI - Eric Monnin, Ute Monnin-Wagner, Simon Brugger, Julien Falxa, Lukas Gerig, Nick Zeltner, Mathieu Renault
6. AUS - Harry Price, Niall Morrow, Harry Hall, Connor Mashlan, Joshua Wijohn, Taylor Balogh
7. NZL - Megan Thomson, Daniel Pegg, Steve Flam, Max Mayol, Collin Mulry, Max Brennan
8. SWE - Johnie Berntsson, Robert Skarp, Anders Dahlsjo, Herman Andersson, Patrik Sturesson, Martin Berntsson
9. USA - Christopher Weis, Richard Van der Weyde, Alex Burrow, Sidney Gathrid, Dylan Finestone, Roberto Stevens, Haydon Stapleton
10. USA - Dave Hood, Chris Main, Garth Ellingham, Steve Natvig, Samuel Gilmour, Harrison West

The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) has announced its 2023 world championship season with a fifteen-event schedule across ten countries, including the return of founding Tour events - the Congressional Cup/USA, Match Cup Sweden and Bermuda Gold Cup. The WMRT Final will take place in Shenzhen, China from 12-17 December with a USD200,000 prize purse. 2023 will mark the 23rd consecutive season of the Tour, the longest-running professional series in sailing.

The 2023 WMRT season will comprise of ‘World Tour’ events and ‘World Championship’ events, opening with the Ficker Cup and the 58th edition of the Congressional Cup Regatta in April hosted by Long Beach Yacht Club in California, USA. The Congressional Cup is the world's oldest continuously held sailing match race regatta.

All events are organised under World Sailing rules as Open match racing events, allowing both men and women skippers, as well as mixed teams to compete. ‘World Championship’ level events award higher points to the annual WMRT leader-board.

The World Match Racing Tour trophy

Marstrand, Sweden

The top 11 skippers on the WMRT leader-board counting their top 4 results after the penultimate event in October will qualify to the WMRT Final in Shenzhen, China from 12-17 December. A wild card will make up the minimum 12 teams to be invited to the WMRT Final, the winner of which will be crowned the 2023 Match Racing World Champion. The WMRT Final in Shenzhen was unable to go ahead in 2021 and 2022 due to border restrictions during the global pandemic.

Re-joining the 2023 Tour season are two of the original founding events of WMRT;

The GKSS Match Cup Sweden returns from 4-8 July. Hosted by the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club since 1994, the event is one of the best-known match racing events in the world attracting thousands of spectators to the picturesque island of Marstrand, 30 kilometres to the west of Gothenburg. Past champions include Olympic and America’s Cup names such as Peter Gilmour (AUS), Bertrand Pacé (FRA), Dean Barker (NZL), Russell Coutts (NZL), Chris Law (GBR), Björn Hansen (SWE), Mattias Rahm (SWE), Ben Ainslie (GBR), Ian Williams (GBR), Taylor Canfield (USA), Phil Robertson (NZL).

Also returning to the Tour this year is the 71st edition of the famous Bermuda Gold Cup, hosted by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. The King Edward VII Gold Cup is one of the most coveted match racing trophies in the sport, won by many of sailing’s great names including Chris Dickson (NZL), Peter Gilmour (AUS), Russell Coutts (NZL), Eddie Warden-Owen (GBR), James Spithill (AUS), Ben Ainslie (GBR), Ian Williams (GBR), Taylor Canfield (USA), Johnie Berntsson (SWE), Francesco Bruni (ITA).

Defending 2022 WMRT Champions Nick Egnot-Johnson/Knots Racing (NZL)

“We are delighted to finally announce the 2023 WMRT season” commented WMRT Executive Director James Pleasance. “We are also thrilled for the return of the Tour’s founding events The Congressional Cup, Match Cup Sweden and Bermuda Gold Cup, and we are looking forward to seeing both familiar teams and many new faces on the Tour this year. We are also looking forward to hosting the WMRT Final in Shenzhen, China at the end of the year now the country has re-opened.”

2023 World Match Racing Tour Schedule (Dates include Practice Days)

1. Ficker Cup, Long Beach, CA, USA, 13–16 April
2. *Congressional Cup, Long Beach, CA, 17–22 April
3. Szczecin Match Race, Poland, 27-30 April
4. Porto Montenegro Match Race, 11-14 May
5. NJK Open Spring Cup, Finland, 18-21 May
6. OM International Ledro Match Race, Italy, 22-25 June
7. *GKSS Match Cup Sweden, 4–8 July
8. Internationaux France Match Race, Pornichet, France, 27-30 July
9. Chicago Grand Slam, USA, 17-20 August
10. International Match Race for the Detroit Cup, USA, 23-27 August
11. Thompson Cup, Oyster Bay NY, USA, 29 August - 2 September
12. Oakcliff International, Oyster Bay NY, USA, 5-9 September
13. Baltic Match Race, Estonia, 20-24 September
14. *Bermuda Gold Cup, 2-7 October
15. *WMRT FINAL/ Shenzhen Bao’an Match Cup, China, 12-17 December