Local crews aim to take down America's Cup winners and reigning champion

HAMILTON, Bermuda (Sept. 28, 2007) — Glenn Astwood and Blythe Walker were the finalists in the Bermuda National Match Racing Championship last month, and as a result both gained entry to the upcoming Bermuda Gold Cup for the King Edward VII Trophy.

The professional match race regatta, scheduled Oct. 8-14 at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, includes in its field Alinghi's America's Cup champion helmsman Ed Baird of the U.S. and last year's finalists, champion Ian Williams of the U.K. and runner-up Mathieu Richard of France.

Astwood and Walker, however, have long histories with the Gold Cup. Astwood, 58, is a past champion who crewed for Chris Dickson when he won in 1989. Walker, 38, finished third overall last year in the best finish by a Bermudian since Peter Bromby's quarterfinal finish in 2002.

Astwood defeated Walker last month, 3-1, to capture the National Championship. The winds were light, 8 to 10 knots, and Walker said that Astwood simply had a better day.

"Glenn was sailing well," Walker said. "We had a couple of mistakes we shouldn't have made."

"It was good, close racing," noted Astwood.

Astwood represented Bermuda at the 1984 and '88 Olympics in the Tornado class, and has competed as a skipper in the Gold Cup numerous times since the win in '89. He says he'd "retired" from racing, but a friend prodded him to get going again.

"My friend Blair Simmons called me up and said let's put a team together," Astwood said. "I thought about it and decided to do it. It's good fun. We had no expectations, just went out, had fun and did a bit of sailing."

Walker's back after a thrilling run last year. Also a past Olympian (1992, 470 class), Walker marched all the way to the final weekend of the event and placed third after winning the Petite Final, which included overcoming a pre-start penalty in the last race.

"I love match racing," said Walker. "It's the one thing I've kept up on despite having cut back on my sailing commitments. It's intense and tests your skill sets. You get a lot of racing in a short amount of time."

Walker returns with his same crew as last year, Adam Barboza, Carola Cooper and Somers Kempe. Astwood's crew includes Eddie Bardgett, Stephen King and Simmons.

There are also family connections within the crews. Simmons, who prodded Astwood back onto the water, is Walker's cousin. Additionally, Walker's father, "Jordy," has played a prominent role in making the Gold Cup a preeminent event in the world of match racing.

Last year Jordy Walker, a Past Commodore of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, was presented with the Wedgwood Heritage Trophy in recognition of the vital role he played in the renaissance of the modern Gold Cup. Jordy provided the initial underwriting funding and piloted changes into the modern professional format in 1989. Presenting the Heritage Trophy to him was an important recognition of his key contribution to the event. This year mark's the 100th anniversary of the King Edward VII trophy.

"I'm a proud son," Blythe Walker said. "I'm proud of what my dad has accomplished. I feel fortunate to be able to compete at this level at varying degrees of success. I'm excited to be involved in the 100th anniversary of the Gold Cup. I hope it bodes well for another century of close racing."

The Gold Cup is slated as Stage 13 of 15 of the World Match Racing Tour. The tour champion at the end of the year will be named the ISAF Match Racing World Champion. The winner of the Gold Cup will earn $35,000 of the $100,000 prize purse.

The Gold Cup is the oldest match-racing trophy in the world for competition involving one-design yachts. It was first presented at the Tri-Centenary Regatta at Jamestown, Va., in 1907 by King Edward VII in commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the first permanent settlement in America.

Locally based global insurance companies Renaissance Re and Max Capital Group Ltd. are the Presenting Sponsors of the Gold Cup. The Bermuda Department of Tourism is the Host Sponsor. Primary sponsors include Ace Ltd., Bermuda Premium Spirits, Bermuda Telephone Co., Correia Construction and Oleander Cycles. Supporting sponsors are Office Solutions, Izod, Wedgwood, ECL, The Bermuda IOD Class Association, The Fairmont Hamilton Princess and T2P Productions.

For information about the Bermuda Gold Cup Sean McNeill Director of Public Relations Tel: +1 401 846 8812 E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

For information about the World Tour Yvonne Reid Tel: +44 1590 679613 E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

For information about Bermuda Gold Cup and Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Donna Heslop Sailing Secretary Tel: +441 294 6716 Fax: +441 295 6361 E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Web sites: Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, King Edward VII Gold Cup, Bermuda Department of Tourism