The 2026 Bermuda Gold Cup will crown a brand-new champion after first-time finalists Chris Poole of the USA and Christian Hamilton of Great Britain earned their spots in the deciding match of the World Match Racing Tour event in Bermuda.
Poole navigated his way to the final with a 3-1 quarter-final victory over Sweden’s Oscar Engstrom before dispatching Denmark’s Jeppe Borch by the same scoreline in the semi-finals. For Poole, reaching the final at this particular venue carries special significance.
“The Bermuda Gold Cup is what I would call one of the big three on the World Match Racing Tour with Congressional Cup and Match Cup in Sweden,” Poole said. “We’ve managed to make the finals of those two and do well with those but this one’s eluded me. It’s a tricky venue with lots of shifts and I think it’s testament to the guys around me on the boat that are keeping me calm and that’s what is translating into good boat speed and decision making.”
Poole acknowledged some run-ins with the umpires earlier in the week but says he has since found his composure. “I’ve really focused on trying to keep calm and level-headed. Earlier in the week I was a bit fiery and now I’m dialling in the mental focus and getting myself in the right head space.”
While Poole has been chasing a Bermuda Gold Cup final berth for several years, Hamilton reached the showpiece match at his very first attempt. The British skipper dispatched Eric Monnin 3-0 in the quarter-finals before edging past Aurelien Pierroz 3-2 in a gripping semi-final battle.
After less than two years on the World Match Racing Tour, Hamilton is still processing his remarkable run. “If you had told me two years ago that I would be in the final of the 2026 Bermuda Gold Cup, I would not have believed you,” Hamilton said. “I’ve been really lucky with the team that I’ve had and they’ve been brilliant. Clearly they are super experienced but they’ve also been able to coach me through the last couple of years, so every time we’ve been racing we’ve been able to get a bit stronger, which has led to today.”
Hamilton’s approach heading into the final is refreshingly relaxed, with no elaborate game plan for his American opponent. “I’m just going to have a beer, relax, chill out and enjoy the fact that we’ve got to the final,” he said. “I’m going to relax in tomorrow and hopefully do the same again.”
While one new champion will be crowned, the regatta also marked the end of an extraordinary chapter for Sweden’s Johnnie Berntsson. His quest for an historic fourth consecutive Bermuda Gold Cup title ended in the quarter-finals, where Jeppe Borch defeated him 3-0.
Berntsson, who was also pursuing a sixth overall victory, was gracious in defeat. “Borch and his team sailed better than us today,” Berntsson said. “You have to be on your top to win and this week we struggled to get there. We were going up and down and they were a couple of levels better than us. You could see they were much smoother in their boat handling and we definitely need a little more practice in these boats.”
Text and images courtesy of WMRT.
