Congressional Cup

LATEST WINNERS

2003. KEN READ
2002.(USA)
2002. PETER HOLMBERG
2002.(USA, Alinghi)
2001. PETER HOLMBERG
2002.(USA, Alinghi)
2000. DEAN BARKER
2002.(NZL, Team NZ)
1999. PETER HOLMBERG
200 2.(USA, Alinghi)
1998. PETER HOLMBERG
2002.(USA, Alinghi)
1997. GAVIN BRADY
2002.(NZL, Oracle)
1996. GAVIN BRADY
2002.(NZL, Oracle)

Ed Baird won the Congressionnal Cup (04/25/04)
(source : Swedish Match Tour)

Ed Baird vaulted into fifth overall on the Swedish Match Tour Championship Leaderboard with his come-from-behind victory today at the 40th annual Congressional Cup.

After the race committee announced that the scheduled best-of-three final was reduced to a single race because the Sailing Instructions said no race could be started after 1600, Baird defeated fellow American Terry Hutchinson to win the Congressional Cup and the symbolic Crimson Blazer.

Baird, at 46 the oldest competitor in the fleet, was the only semifinalist among Hutchinson, New Zealand's Gavin Brady and Australia's Peter Gilmour who hadn't won the event's traditional Crimson Blazer.

Australian Peter Gilmour remains the overall leader of the Tour’s Championship Leaderboard with 77 points. He seemed destined to win his second Congressional Cup title after winning the double round robin with a 16-2 record, but fell afoul of an umpire’s decision in the semifinals that halted his run.

Another potential winner, Gavin Brady and the Oracle BMW Racing team, also couldn’t advance past the semifinals. Tied 1-1 with Baird, they led down the first run of their third and deciding match.

But Baird was able to get past them just before the leeward mark and round in the lead. Brady then was penalized for an incident coming out of the mark which killed any hopes he had of moving to the finals.

Brady, however, did improve his standing on the Tour’s Championship Leaderboard. Placed seventh overall coming into the event, his third place finish added 15 points to his total of 30 and moved him up to fourth overall.

The next event on the Swedish Match Tour is the Toscana Elba Cup – Trofeo Locman, scheduled May 3-9 in Porto Azzurro, Elba, Italy.

Day 5 Results

Finals : Baird def. Hutchinson (1'41")

Petit Finals : Brady def. Gilmour (1'15")

Semifinals : Baird def. Brady (0'03'') - Hutchinson def. Gilmour :(0'52'') - Brady def. Baird (1'04'') - Gilmour def. Hutchinson (0'36'') - Baird def. Brady (DNF) - Hutchinson def. Gilmour (DNF)

Flight 18 : Dickson def. Appleton (1'15'') - Harrap def. Coutts (0'44'') - Hutchinson def. Rahm (1'04'') - Gram-Hansen def. Baird (0'03'') - Gilmour def. Brady (0'26'')

Semifinalists set at Congressionnal Cup (04/24/04)
(source : Swedish Match Tour)

Peter Gilmour leads Gavin Brady, Ed Baird and Terry Hutchinson to the next round albeit of the 40th Congressional Cup, event No. 4 on the 2003-’04 Swedish Match Tour.

One flight remains to be completed in the round robin, but Gilmour leads the event with a 15-2 record. Oracle BMW Racing’s helmsman Brady is second at 12-5 (but with 11.5 points due to an umpire-imposed penalty), while Baird and Hutchinson are tied for third with 11-6 records.

The final round robin flight is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 11:00 am. After that the four semifinalists will sail best-of-three matches. The finals are also best-of-three.

Gilmour, the overall leader of the Swedish Match Tour, won the right to select his opponent for the semifinals by winning the round robin.

Although the semifinalists are decided tomorrow’s final flight is important to determine tiebreakers for the distribution of the $25,000 prize purse.

Kelvin Harrap and Jes Gram-Hansen are tied for fifth at 9-8, while Cameron Appleton, Mattias Rahm and Scott Dickson are still in a log jam at 6-11. Allan Coutts completes the field at 0-17.

Day 4 Standings

1. Peter Gilmour (AUS), 15/2
2. Gavin Brady (NZL/Oracle BMW Racing), 12/5 (11.5 points)
3. Ed Baird (USA), 11/6
4. Terry Hutchinson (USA), 11/6
---------
5. Kelvin Harrap (NZL/Team New Zealand), 9/8
5. Jes Gram-Hansen (DEN), 9/8
7. Cameron Appleton (NZL), 6/11
7. Mattias Rahm (SWE),6/11
7. Scott Dickson (USA), 6/11
10. Allan Coutts (NZL), 0/17

Results (Flights 14-17)

Flight 14 : Peter Gilmour def. Mattias Rahm (0'51'') - Scott Dickson def. Allan Coutts (0'30'') - Terry Hutchinson def. Gavin Brady (0'50'') - Kelvin Harrap vs. Jes Gram-Hansen (DNF) - Ed Baird def. Cameron Appleton (0'26'')

Flight 15 : Hutchinson def. Dickson (0'13'') - Harrap def. Brady (0'14'') - Gram-Hansen def. Appleton (0'03'') - Gilmour def. Baird (0'16'') - Rahm def. Coutts (0'26'')

Flight 16 : Hutchinson def. Coutts (0'25'') - Harrap def. Dickson (0'25'') - Brady def. Appleton (0'21'') - Gilmour def. Gram-Hansen (0'59'') - Baird def. Rahm (0'10'')

Flight 17 : Hutchinson def. Harrap (0'18'') - Appleton def. Coutts (0'57'') - Gilmour def. Dickson (0'33'') - Gram-Hansen def. Rahm (0'33'') - Brady def. Baird (0'29'')