Canfield on roll at Argo Group Gold Cup

Hamilton, Bermuda (May 9, 2018) – Taylor Canfield’s USone Sailing Team completed a clean sweep of the Round Robin at the 68th Argo Group Gold Cup.

Canfield and crew Mike Buckley, Victor Diaz de Leon, George Peet, and Erik Shampain continued the winning ways they started yesterday and finished 10-0. They advance to the Quarterfinal Round where they’ll choose their opponent.

“All around the course everyone is really tuned in and always looking to gain,” said Canfield. “We just try to keep sailing as best we can, hit the shifts and never let a small deficit get to us. You have to keep pushing when you’re ahead because it can turn bad at any moment.”

Also advancing to the quarterfinals are crews skippered by Johnie Berntsson (9-1, 8.5 points), Joachim Aschenbrenner (8-2), and Nicklas Dackhammar (6-4), in that order.

The remaining seven crews led by skippers Lucy MacGregor (6-4), Torvar Mirsky (5-5), Charlie Laulimere (4-6), Marek Stanczyk (2-8), Ettore Botticini (2-8), Sam Gilmour (2-8, 1.5 points), and Chris Poole (1-9) proceed to the Repechage Round. The top four qualify for the quarterfinals.

After the first three of seven scheduled flights, Lalumiere streaked out to a 3-0 lead, followed by MacGregor at 2-0, Mirsky at 2-1, Botticini at 1-1, Gilmour at 1-2, Stanczyk at 0-2, and Poole at 0-3.

Today’s conditions weren’t an exact carbon copy of yesterday’s but they were similar enough to provide plenty of horsepower for the crews. The south/southeasterly blew 10 to 15 knots and was shifty enough that no lead was safe.

MacGregor won her two Repechage Round matches after trailing in each and Lalumiere also posted a come-from-behind win over Gilmour. Lalumiere won the match on the finish line when he was able to squeak past and nudge his bow over the line while Gilmour was incurring a penalty.

“He was trying to offset a penalty on us but we went inside and he got another one,” said Lalumiere. “I thought we should’ve gotten the penalty, but it went to him.”

As Gilmour noted, “You can come from 500 meters behind and win a race in these conditions. There are plenty of opportunities on the racecourse.”

Tomorrow’s schedule calls for the Repechage Round to be completed in the morning followed by the Pro-Am in the afternoon. The eight teams advancing to the Quarterfinal Round are scheduled to begin racing on May 11.

Format:
The 68th running of the Argo Group Gold Cup extends from May 8 to 12. The event begins with a round robin with the top four advancing to the Quarterfinal Round. The remaining skippers will sail a Repechage Round with the top four advancing to the Quarterfinals.

Sailing the IODs, the teams will be vying for the $100,000 prize purse, of which $30,000 is earmarked for the champion. First awarded in 1907, the King Edward VII Gold Cup is one of the most coveted trophies in match racing and carries a panache that regularly attracts the world’s best sailors.

Event details – Results – Skippers – Facebook

ARGO GROUP GOLD CUP ROUND ROBIN FINAL STANDINGS
1. Taylor Canfield (Miami, Florida, USA) – 10-0
Crew: Mike Buckley, Victor Diaz de Leon, George Peet, Erik Shampain
2. Johnie Berntsson (Stennungsund, Sweden) – 9-1, 8.5 points
Crew: Oscar Angervall, Björn Lundgren, Robert Skarp
3. Joachim Aschenbrenner (Fredensborg, Denmark) – 8-2
Crew: Ian Coleman, Will Mackenzie, Rob Scrivenor
4. Nicklas Dackhammar (Gothenburg, Sweden) – 6-4
Crew: Olof Lundgren, Eric Malmberg, Jakob Wilson
5. Lucy MacGregor (Poole, Dorset, United Kingdom) – 6-4
Crew: Bethan Cardin, Hannah Diamond, Annie Lush, Kate MacGregor
6. Torvar Mirsky (Perth, Western Australia) – 5-5
Crew: Lachy Gilmour, Cameron Seagreen, Graeme Spence
7. Charlie Lalumiere (New York, NY, USA) – 4-6
Crew: Scott Ewing, Bleddon Mon, Ian Storck
8. Marek Stanczyk (Gizycko, Poland) – 2-8
Crew: Stefaniuk Jedrzej, Jakob Pawluk, Michal Szmul
9. Ettore Botticini (Porto Santo Stefano, Italy) – 2-8
Crew: Simone Busonero, Andrea Fornaro, Lorenzo Gennari
10. Sam Gilmour (Perth, Western Australia) – 2-8, 1.5 points
Crew: Adam Negri, Keith Swinton, Pat Voss
11. Chris Poole (Falmouth, Maine, USA) – 1-9
Crew: Brian McMarton, Trent Turigliatto, Ryan Zupon

ARGO GROUP GOLD CUP REPECHAGE ROUND STANDINGS (After 3 of 7 flights)
1. Lalumiere – 3-0
2. MacGregor – 2-0
3. Mirsky – 2-1
4. Botticini – 1-1
5. Gilmour – 1-2
6. Stanczyk – 0-2
7. Poole – 0-3

Source: Sean McNeill, Argo Group Gold Cup