British skipper Christian Hamilton and Khumbu Racing overturned a 2–1 deficit against World No. 1 Chris Poole to win the 2026 Bermuda Gold Cup in a dramatic deciding match
Bermuda Gold Cup debutant Christian Hamilton (GBR) and his Khumbu Racing team of Ian Williams, Richard Sydenham and Jon Gundersen claimed the King Edward VII Trophy on Sunday (18 October), defeating World No. 1 Chris Poole (USA) in a closely fought final.
Hamilton's 3–2 victory completed the 74th edition of the Bermuda Gold Cup, the penultimate stage of the 2026 World Match Racing Tour. The two finalists had emerged from Saturday's semi-finals after a week of racing in Hamilton Harbour.
The championship was decided in the final metres of the fifth race, with Poole attempting to force Hamilton into a mark trap while carrying a penalty. Hamilton avoided the manoeuvre to secure his first Bermuda Gold Cup title.
Williams Helps Hamilton Complete Comeback
Hamilton's crew included eight-time world match racing champion Ian Williams, serving as trimmer and tactician. Williams had finished runner-up to Johnie Berntsson at the 2025 Bermuda Gold Cup.
After falling 2–1 behind in the best-of-five final, Khumbu Racing won the last two matches.
“It was weird as when we were 2-1 down we felt we could do it and there was still confidence in the team,” Hamilton said.
“The last race was such a tough one. We were a penalty up and we were ahead down the final run and then Chris managed to roll over the top of us and get into a position to do a mark trap on the committee boat.”
Hamilton credited previous team-racing experience alongside Williams with helping the crew respond. “We were basically stopping and trying to go slower than the opposite boat, which is hard when you've got the spinnaker up.”
First Attempt Brings Gold Cup Victory
Hamilton turned his attention to the tour around 18 months ago and qualified directly for the Bermuda quarter-finals after recording eight wins in 11 round-robin matches.
“This is such an amazing feeling and I'm really proud to lift the Gold Cup, which has so many amazing names on it,” Hamilton said. “I'm so proud of what we've been able to do. We've been getting better all week and we were able just to pull it off in the end.”
Poole was left reflecting on another near miss in his pursuit of a first Bermuda Gold Cup title.
“We felt like we were sailing really well and a couple of mistakes here and there ended up biting us,” Poole said. “But Christian really sailed flawlessly when we did make mistakes and at this level that's just not something you can do so props to him and his crew.”
Despite the defeat, Poole recorded his sixth consecutive podium finish on the World Match Racing Tour.
World Match Racing Tour Approaches Finale
The Bermuda Gold Cup attracted 12 teams and featured more than 100 matches during the week. Denmark's Jeppe Borch completed the podium in third place.
The event followed the tour's recent visit to Irish waters, where Tom Foucher won the Dublin Match Cup at the National Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire, defeating Ireland's Ruairí Finnegan in the final.
The 2026 World Match Racing Tour now heads towards its season finale in Saudi Arabia in November. Further coverage is available in Afloat's Match Racing section.
2026 Bermuda Gold Cup – Top Three
- Christian Hamilton (GBR) – Khumbu Racing
- Chris Poole (USA) – Riptide Racing
- Jeppe Borch (DEN) – Borch Match Race
