Swedish team faces nine of top eleven on World Match Racing Tour

Hamilton, Bermuda (August 5, 2009) – Johnie Berntsson (SWE) returns to Bermuda October 6th to defend his 2008 title in the Argo Group Gold Cup. He will be sailing to put his name on the King Edward VII Gold Cup Trophy for a second time in a row. Three other previous champions also return in 2009, Mathieu Richard (FRA), Ian Williams (GBR) and three-time winner Peter Gilmour (AUS). Match Racing begins October 6th on Hamilton Harbour at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and continues through Sunday October 11th.

Berntsson, who finished sixth in 2007 and first in 2008, commented on his title defence. "I have a good feeling coming back to Bermuda. It will be a great challenge to defend the Gold Cup knowing the abilities the other teams have. We look forward to racing here again and seeing just how we handle the pressure."

"We like the match racing arena in the colorful harbour in Hamilton. The historical story about the Gold Cup event that now has lasted for over 100 years is something that the other events on the World Match Racing Tour can't come close to. Not many other sailing events at all and not many other worldwide sports events in general can compare with the Gold Cup tradition.'

Invitation process for stage 9 of the Tour is underway

Hamilton, Bermuda (26 June 2009) - The invitation process for the Argo Group Gold Cup is now underway. The 24 team event will comprise of the eight World Match Racing Tour Card holders, winners of the two qualifier events in the United States and Bermuda and 14 invites handed out by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

At right: Mark E. Watson III (L), president and chief executive officer of Argo Group and Ralph Richardson (R) Commodore of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club share the limelight with the King Edward VII Gold Cup trophy. The competition is the oldest match-racing tournament in the world for one-design yachts.

The RBYC, organizer of the Argo Group Gold Cup sailing for the King Edward VII Gold Cup, has confirmed the dates for October 6-11, 2009. The Argo Group Gold Cup is the penultimate event of the ten-stage World Match Racing Tour. Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd, an international underwriter of specialty insurance and reinsurance products in niche areas of the property and casualty market, returns as title sponsor this year.

The event features a unique 24-team format, the largest entry on the World Match Racing Tour. In addition to the eight Tour Card holders, two teams are selected from a pair of qualifying events, the Knickerbocker Cup and the Bermuda National Match Race Championship. The remaining 14 teams are selected by application and invitation from the top international match-racing sailors on the ISAF ranking list. The extra number of teams compared to other Tour events gives more opportunities for up and coming competitors to take on the world’s best fighting it out for the $100,000 prize purse. The Notice of Race and invite application information is available now at www.bermudagoldcup.com or teams can contact Audrey Pope at the RBYC Sailing Office, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .