Australia’s Cole Tapper, 23, shocks Long Beach sailing fans by winning Congressional Cup

The 2026 Congressional Cup concluded Sunday with a surprising upset as relative newcomer Cole Tapper of Australia won the crimson blazer.

In just his third Congressional Cup, the 23‑year‑old outsailed a trio of veteran skippers who joined him in the final four, each of whom had previously worn the crimson blazer at least once.

Defending Congressional Cup winner Eric Monnin of Switzerland came in second, world No. 1 Chris Poole of New York came in third and Sweden’s Johnie Berntsson finished fourth.

“It’s pretty amazing; that’s the most special feeling ever,” Tapper said about the win before acknowledging his crew, Max Brennan, Jack Frewin, Nathan Gulliksen, George Richardson and Hamish Vass. “Racing with such a close group of friends for so long and then to achieve that is unthinkable.”

So was Tapper’s comeback.

“We knew there was a slim chance (heading into Sunday),” Tapper said, “and that’s what we needed to go hard.”

The 61st Congressional Cup, considered the “granddaddy” of match racing, began Wednesday and saw Tapper, Poole, Monnin and Berntsson advance to the semifinals after four days of racing in a double round-robin against six other sailors.

The best-of-five semifinals began Saturday, with Berntsson and Poole each taking a 2-0 lead over Monnin and Tapper, respectively. That left Berntsson and Poole one win away from the finals when racing was suspended for the day.

And then came Sunday.

Monnin and Tapper came back from the brink of elimination to reverse-sweep Berntsson and Poole. Tapper then swept the defending champion Monnin in the finals to win the Congressional Cup.

Poole beat Berntsson in the third-place match, called the petit final.

“This is not the day I was expecting,” said Congressional Cup Chair Ken Mattfeld.

The unexpected, however, was certainly exciting, further bolstering the Congressional Cup’s already prestigious reputation.

Hosted by the Long Beach Yacht Club and part of the World Match Racing Tour, the Congressional Cup is a high-intensity battle of sailing strategy, pitting the world’s top skippers against one another in Catalina 37s.

It is also the crown jewel of the World Match Racing Tour.

“Anywhere the World Match (Racing) Tour hosts a regatta,” tour CEO James Pleasance said shortly before the trophy presentation, “fans know Long Beach and the Congressional Cup. It is the granddaddy of all match races.”

For the final day of racing, Mayor Rex Richardson watched from the Belmont Memorial Pier and described the Congressional Cup as a prelude to even more great events to come.

“The Congressional Cup is the kickoff of summer for Long Beach,” he said, “as we ready for more visitors with the World Cup and the Olympics ahead.”

Besides the semifinals and finals, Sunday also featured a fleet race, during which the six teams that did not advance out of the double round-robin competed against each other simultaneously.

Ian Garreta of France came on top in the fleet race, which served as a bit of redemption after finishing last in the Congressional Cup.

By winning the fleet race, Garreta will be the first to have his name etched onto the new David Hood III Memorial Fleet Race trophy.

Hood, a former Long Beach Yacht Club commodore and Long Beach Sailing Foundation chair, died from Stage 4 kidney cancer in July, a few months after coming in fourth during last year’s Congressional Cup.

As for this year’s competition, Sunday’s sailing started with light winds and gray skies off the pier. But as the finals started, the classic afternoon wind that Long Beach is known for kicked up.

It made for a perfect day on the water, concluding another successful Congressional Cup, one made even more exciting for the 300-plus fans at the pier because of Tapper’s shock win.

“The winner was not who I anticipated but certainly the expectations of the regatta were over the top,” said Long Beach Yacht Club Commodore Bob Piercy. “The weather, the wind was perfect. Everything seemed to go well.”